Joined in fight

By Tania Martin
Firefighters from the two agencies started work on firebreaks in the Dandenong Ranges National Park adjacent to Wannawong Crescent, Sassafras.
Parks Victoria chief fire ranger Anthony Maxwell said this was the first step towards preparing the area for a spring fuel reduction burn.
He said the burn was scheduled for late October but it would depend on the weather conditions.
Mr Maxwell said the burn would form part of a three-year burning program.
He said the site was last burnt about seven years ago.
“We try to burn areas that are adjacent to assets every seven to 10 years, depending on the fuel hazards,” Mr Maxwell said.
“The work these guys are doing at the moment (firebreaks) is making it safer for us to do those burns.”
The two agencies had planned to start burning last week but it had to be postponed due to the weather conditions.
“The weather needs to be right to do burning and our window of opportunity is fairly limited,” Mr Maxwell said.
There are two spring burns currently scheduled for the national park including along Hilton Road in Ferny Creek and Wannawong Crescent in Sassafras.
Five burns spanning more than 67 hectares were also undertaken in autumn at Kalorama, Ferny Creek, Montrose, Olinda and Mt Dandenong.
Mr Maxwell said fuel reduction burns were a vital tool for fighting bush fires.
Parks Victoria chief ranger Matt Hoogland said the fire protection work wouldn’t stop a fire from starting but would reduce the risk and intensity of a bush fire developing.
“They also give firefighters a big advantage in attacking a fire in its early stages and bringing it under control,” he said.
“While these works have started a bit earlier than usual, they will continue over the summer and be maintained throughout the fire season.”