By Casey Neill
“Anything smaller than your little finger is deadly.”
Upper Ferntree Gully Fire Brigade Captain Peter Smith is warning Dandenong Ranges residents to clean up their properties ahead of the fire season.
“Anything smaller that your little finger is called fine fuel,” he explained.
CFA officials are predicting an early, long, dry summer and high fire danger.
So Capt Smith urged everyone in the hills to start their clean-up early, too.
“They must understand where they live, the environment they live in and how it’s going to treat us when something happens,” he said.
“If your block’s dirty, it’s going to treat you poorly if a fire comes through.
“Clean up your own block and also talk to your neighbour.
“Go and ask them ‘do you need a hand?’.
“If they’re burning off they must notify authorities to tell them that they’re burning.”
He said a call or email to the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) would save firefighters from turning out to false alarms.
Capt Smith also urged Dandenongs residents to practice their fire plan.
“Complacency is our biggest problem,” he said.
“What is the route they’re going to take if they need to get away from the area?
“They need to have an alternate route of getting out if needed, and they’ve got to practice it.
“Public transport users up our way need to understand they’re not going to have any public transport on really bad days.
“They’re going to have an alternate route.
“One of the biggest issues we have here is the clogging of the road network.
“It takes 16 hours on a good day to clear the hill.
“That’s with just general traffic.”
He said parents needed to consider whether their child’s school would be closed, and pet owners needed to think about where their furry friends would be.
Capt Smith said everyone should ensure they have copies of their medical records, insurance records, banking details and other important information.
“People have got to start preparing now,” he said.
