By MELISSA MEEHAN
RESIDENTS in the Yarra Ranges and Cardinia are being warned not to be complacent this fire season.
Worried some may not heed the warnings in the lead-up to the fire season, Upper Ferntree Gully CFA captain Peter Smith warns the dangers are very real.
“The reality is that it is up to individuals to take responsibility for their own safety,” Mr Smith said.
“But because we’ve had these warnings in the lead-up to every fire season, people think – I’ve heard that before, nothing is going to happen.”
Mr Smith said it was very important that residents, particularly in the hills, planned to leave early on days of catastrophic fire danger.
“People should think, yes, we didn’t have a fire last year, but every year that we don’t have a fire the risk gets worse,” he said.
“We’ve already had other states with catastrophic fire danger days.”
He spends time with other brigades and organisations talking about the day his brigade lost a fire truck in the 2009 fires and said it was also important that fire fighters didn’t become complacent too.
“We’re really making sure that our guys are training for all types of fires,” he said.
“The risk is there, so like residents, we need to be ready too.”
Mr Smith also said that residents needed to ensure that there was enough space for fire trucks to enter their streets or driveways in case of a fire.
“Our trucks are three metres wide, three metres high and more than seven metres long,” he said.
“If cars are parked on both sides of the road in some streets we can’t get through, or some places have too narrow driveways – it’s all about being prepared. “
