Dangerous season

Entering the fire danger season serves as a reminder that bushfires are one of the greatest large-scale threats to the region.

Bushfires can start many ways – deliberately, accidentally or via force of nature, such as a lightning strike.

But regardless of the cause, they can result in significant destruction across the Hills and cause injury or death to both humans and animals.

Everyone has a part to play in reducing the risk of bushfires over summer.

The very first step is to ensure every household has a bushfire survival plan and protects their own properties against fires, including by cleaning up around their homes and reducing fuel loads near structures.

It’s important that any high risk activities, such as using farming equipment, are undertaken with great care and caution or, where necessary, avoided altogether.

But there is also a broader responsibility that each of us carry into the fire danger season – to report suspicious activity that could result in the ignition of a fire.

Those who take part in illegal or risky activity could face significant punishments, ranging from a fine up to  life in prison for deliberately starting a bushfire.

But the consequences for the broader community are often far greater.

It is therefore important that we call out or report unsafe behavior.

For many Hills residents, the Cherry Gardens and Cudlee Creek bushfires are still fresh in our minds.

While they had different causes – one was deliberately lit, with the perpetrator serving time in prison, while the other was an accident, caused by a tree falling on powerlines – both had devastating and lasting impacts on residents across the region.

So let’s all do everything we can to prevent another disaster from ravaging the Hills this summer and enjoy a safe and happy festive season.