A GROUP of Kalorama residents have accused Yarra Ranges Council of putting lives at risk, after failing to slash dry grass in time for the fire season.
The council slashed grass along Barbers Road and Link Road last week, which residents said was too late.
Clive Chambers, who lives on Link Road, said the council normally had the grass cut back in early summer before the fire danger period starts but failed to this year and allowed the grass to grow up to a metre high.
“They’ve started cutting back, but it’s still 10 days after the fire danger period started, so the fact they waited until now is ridiculous,” he said.
“It should’ve been done a lot earlier – they’re putting the entire community in the Dandenong Ranges district under great risk and there are a lot of people living up here.”
But a Yarra Ranges Council spokeswoman said the council had sent contractors down to the two roads to slash grass last year but they were unable to do a complete cutback.
“Cars were parked on the nature strip at the time so the contractors did what they could in the area and the came back last week to finish it off when there were no cars around,” she said.
Mr Chambers’s neighbour Norm, who didn’t want his surname published, said while it was great that the council started slashing again, it needed to be done earlier.
“The problem with slashing now is that the grass is already dry, and poses a fire risk,” he said.
“Even using machinery now could start a fire – all it would take is a spark and the grass would be alight.”
Mr Chambers said it was especially crucial for their neighbourhood, as many houses backed onto the Dandenong Ranges National Park and relied on Barbers Road as an escape route should a fire start in their area.
“We can’t afford to have a fire start on Barbers Road – it’s pretty much our only way out.”
He said it was a good outcome.
“Anything they do is a good result as far as I’m concerned, they’ve slashed the grass away from the road, which is a good result,” he said.
