27 November 2009

[rfs-bluemountains-information] Total Fire Ban Advice

Good Evening Everyone,

On Thursday, hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to increase fire dangers to dangerous levels in parts of NSW.

A TOTAL FIRE BAN has been declared for tomorrow, Saturday 28 November 2009.

The Commissioner, NSW Rural Fire Service will TOTALLY BAN THE LIGHTING OF FIRES from midnight tonight [Friday 27 November] until midnight tomorrow night [Saturday 28 November] in the following NSW Fire Areas:

Greater Hunter, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Far South Coast,
Central Ranges, Southern Ranges, Monaro Alpine,
Northern Slopes, Northwestern, Upper Central West Plains,
Lower Central West Plains, Greater Sydney Region.

The Blue Mountains Local Government Area is part of the Greater Sydney Region Fire Area. The Fire Danger Rating for the Greater Sydney Region is Extreme [75-99]. Under these conditions, any bush fire that starts has the potential to cause loss of life and destroy many homes.

What does this mean?

 

Tomorrow will be hot, dry and windy. This combination can effect fire behaviour and cause smaller fires to increase in size and intensity quite rapidly. The lower-than-average humidity and strong winds - even in the absence of high temperatures - is of greatest concern.

Staff and Volunteer Firefighters from the NSW Rural Fire Service will be on stand-by at a number of locations throughout the area from 10am Saturday morning.

What can I do?

 

Be aware. If a bushfire does get going, the situation can change very quickly.

The RFS advises that if you are in an area of Extreme Fire Danger:

* If you plan to leave finalise your options and leave early on the day
* Only stay if your home is specifically designed to withstand fire and you can actively defend it.
* Prepare for the emotional, mental and physical impact of defending your property - if in doubt, leave

In general you are advised to:

* Check your bush fire survival plan - Now
* Monitor the fire and weather situation in any way you can: through www.rfs.nsw.gov.au and www.bom.gov.au<http://www.bom.gov.au>, radio or television

If you see a fire, report it immediately by calling '000' and asking for the Fire Brigade!

During days of Very High or Extreme Fire Danger, and on days where a Total Fire Ban has been declared, we will be doing our best to keep everyone informed of any major incidents that might impact on our community. This may not necessarily be a fire in the Blue Mountains, but even a fire in another area can send significant amounts of smoke in our direction.

If you are away from your email, but have internet access, you can keep yourself informed if anything is happening by checking our Updates Blog - http://ruralfirebm.blogspot.com/ - where a copy of every message send out to this list will automatically be posted.

Stay safe,

 

 

Eric.
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