Total Fire Bans declared

Total Fire Bans have been declared across four districts for Friday 18 December 2015 and the entire state on Saturday 19 December.

Tomorrow TFBs will be in place in the Wimmera, South West, North Central and Central Fire Weather Districts.

CFA Chief Officer Joe Buffone said hot windy weather tomorrow had pushed the Fire Danger Ratings to Severe in the South West and North Central and Very High in all other regions except for East Gippsland.

“On Saturday a Total Fire Ban is in place for the entire state with Fire Danger Ratings increasing to Extreme in the South West, Severe in the Mallee, Wimmera, Northern Country, North Central, Central as well as West and South Gippsland,” Mr Buffone said.

Total Fire Bans mean no fire can be lit in the open air or be allowed to remain alight in the open air between from 12.01am on the day of the TFB until 11.59pm.

“This means that for some Victorians - particularly in the south-west and central areas - a TFB is in place for both Friday and Saturday,” Mr Buffone said.

“As well as increased fire danger, I want everyone to be aware of the effect heat can have on your health and take precautions to ensure people stay safe.

“Heat kills. Everyone needs to plan so they keep cool and stay hydrated. Also, where possible, check in on others particularly vulnerable people.”

For more information about TFBs visit CFA’s website to check the Can and Can’t I page to familiarise themselves with the rules around what is and isn’t permitted on a day of total fire ban.

Victorians should also make sure they have access to more than one source of information. They include:

  •          ABC local radio, commercial and designated radio stations or Sky News
  •          The FireReady App – which sends push notifications for incidents, Total Fire Bans and Fire Danger Ratings
  •          The www.emergency.vic.gov.au website
  •          Victorian Bushfire Information Line Tel. 1800 240 667
  •          CFA Twitter www.twitter.com/cfa_updates and CFA Facebook www.facebook.com/cfavic

Mr Buffone said that while information was easily accessible, people should not rely on receiving a warning before deciding what they will do.

Author: CFA Media