RECENT BLAZES throughout the region have served as a timely reminder to get in the know about fire season preparedness.
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A fire at Jervis Bay ripped through 650 hectares of bushland last week, and firefighters were called to Puckeys Reserve for the second time in as many days last week after a scrub fire broke out on Thursday evening.
According to the RFS website on Sunday afternoon, the bushfire at Summercloud Bay Road, Jervis Bay was ‘under control’.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has also warned that recent dry and warm conditions mean “we’re facing a potentially dangerous bushfire season”.
The NSW RFS encouraged residents to learn about how to prepare their homes and families for the bushfire season as part of Get Ready Weekend 2017.
More than 500 NSW Rural Fire Brigades hosted events throughout the state on the weekend.
Austinmer Rural Fire Service hosted a free ‘Bushfire Preparedness D.I.Y. workshop’ on Sunday at Bunnings Warehouse Wollongong North.
The workshop aimed to offer advice and handy tips on preparing your home to be bushfire ready throughout the summer.
Austinmer Rural Fire Service’s community safety officer Phil Draper said they wanted “people to be able to help themselves to help us”.
“We’ve had a workshop here, and we’ve sat down and talked to people about the bushfire safety plan,” he said. “We talked to them about things like the equipment that they’ll need, how to best fight fires, protect their property and that sort of thing.
“We’ve been talking to people and letting them know about bushfire survival plans, and hoping people take them home and fill them out. We’re also offering our services if people want us to come out and inspect their properties.”
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said preparing for bushfires is easier than people may think.
“It could be as simple as mowing your lawn, clearing debris and flammable materials on your property, cleaning your gutters and talking to your family about what you would do if a bushfire was to start near them.
“We’ve seen in the last few days how quickly fires can develop and threaten homes and lives, so it’s a timely reminder to get ready.
“The dry and warm conditions mean we’re facing a potentially dangerous bushfire season – so now is the time to get ready.”
The top RFS tips for getting ready for bushfire season include: discuss what to do if a bushfire threatens your home; know the bushfire alert levels; and keep all the bushfire information numbers, websites and smartphone app handy.