Canberrans can give thanks for the past few months of wet weather with the rainfall delaying the start of the Territory’s bushfire season by one month.
Commissioner for the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ACTESA), Georgeina Whelan announced that the season would officially start on 1 November, instead of 1 October, due to the amount of rainfall in the recent winter months and above average rainfall predicted for spring.
“The community should be confident knowing our firefighting services within the Territory are prepared for the approaching season,” Commissioner Whelan said.
“I am impressed with the level of preparedness the ACT Rural Fire Service has maintained over the last 12 months and confident our teams will continue this level of preparation and resilience over the coming months as we continually adjust our COVID-19 protocols,” she said.
“Our services are operating at full capacity and have business continuity plans in place to manage a range of impacts which could affect our workforce, including the impact of COVID-19 public health measures.”
Commissioner Whelan urged the community to prepare for the fire season and said people could not afford to be complacent despite forecasts for a wet start to the fire season.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman said the wet weather had resulted in grasslands around the ACT having higher moisture content and dams at maximum capacity.
“Although there is always a risk of a bush or grass fire, under current conditions this has reduced the likelihood of significant fire conditions in our area,” Mr Gentleman said.
“This is a timely reminder to all Canberrans to prepare their homes and ensure they are ‘Emergency Ready’ for the upcoming bushfire season,” he said.
