The City of Greater Geelong has a clear role in the shared task of bushfire prevention and emergency management.
To support the Victorian Government and emergency services, we have extensive measures and initiatives to help prevent and prepare for fire.
While state agencies assume control during emergency responses, we take a strategic, proactive approach to reduce risks and protect our community.
Some of this annual work includes:
Fire prevention notices:
As of mid-January, we have issued 1505 Fire Prevention Notices on land that is deemed a fire risk.
If the owner fails to respond, we hire a contractor to carry out the work.
The City's annual property inspection program begins early November.
Starting in the municipality's northern areas, our team aims to ensure as much of the grass is removed before the total curing of grasses.
Every three years, additional resources are used to visually inspect every property in Greater Geelong.
Permits to burn:
Outside of the fire season, we issue permits to burn for rural and peri-urban properties.
This allows residents to burn accumulated branches and tree limbs prior to the fire season, removing fuel from the environment.
We issued 1723 permits to burn in 2019.
Roadside management:
The City is responsible for maintaining roadsides along council-owned roads.
We work to reduce the volume of roadside material without negatively impacting on our native plants and animals that rely on these areas for habitat.
Slashing on more than 1100 kilometres of roadside begins in late Spring and is finished before Christmas.
We carry out inspections in January and re-slash as needed.
Work includes mowing exotic grasses, removing woody weed in protected native vegetation and pruning.
This is done to maintain clear sight lines for motorists and to reduce the fire risk.
