Bushfire Control

Restricted and Prohibited Burning Periods

Important dates for burning

UNRESTRICTED BURNING - 16 APRIL to 18 SEPTEMBER ANNUALLY (No permit required)

RESTRICTED BURNING - 19 SEPTEMBER TO 31 OCTOBER ANNUALLY (Permit required)

PROHIBITED PERIOD - 1 NOVEMBER to 15 FEBRUARY INCLUSIVE (No burning, permits will not be issued)

RESTRICTED BURNING - 16 FEBRUARY to 15 APRIL ANNUALLY (Permit required)

Restricted and Prohibited Burning Periods may be extended at the discretion of the Council, and/or Chief Bush Fire Control Officer. Please check with your Fire Control Officer to ascertain whether a permit is required before burning.

Harvesting is not permitted on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Bush Fire Permits

Permits for burning during the restricted burning period are available from your local Bush Fire Control Officer; please refer to the list below.

Burning is not permitted during the restricted burning period, or on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Persons burning without permits during the Restricted Burning Period or on days when a High or greater fire weather warning has been issued may be prosecuted.

Fire Control Officers

Fire Control Officers
Chief Bush Fire Control Officer (Chief FCO) Greg Evans
Deputy Chief Bush Fire Control Officer (DCFCO) Steven Bolt

Bilbarin Brigade

Bilbarin Brigade - Bushfire Control Officers (FCO's)
Name Phone Mobile Phone
Sandow Jacobs 9065 2042 0427 652 042
Bruce Mills 9062 9012 0428 956 779
Steven Bolt (DCFCO) 9065 2043 0427 652 043
Paul McBeath 9062 9024 0427 629 024

Bullaring Brigade

Bullaring Brigade Information - Bushfire Control Officers (FCO's)
Name Phone Mobile Phone
Juan Baker 0427 378 970
Greg Evans (CFCO) 9065 7021 0429 657 021
Craig Jespersen 9888 7075 0427 887 075
Joel Bell 0429 657 097

Bulyee / Kunjin Brigade

Bulyee/Kunjin Brigade - Bushfire Control Officers (FCO's)
Name Phone Mobile Phone
Kim Sturges 0488 658 040
Craig Poultney 9062 9130 0427 454 002
John Hewett 9063 2480 0427 632 480
Braden Grylls 9065 8006 0428 658 048

Corrigin East Brigade

Corrigin East Brigade - Bushfire Control Officers (FCO's)
Name Phone Mobile Phone
Tim George 9065 5045 0427 655 045
Kim Courboules  N/A 0427 632 624
Bruce Talbot 9063 2132 0427 632 224

Corrigin Central Brigade

Corrigin Central Brigade - Bushfire Control Officers (FCO's)
Name Phone Mobile Phone
Garrick Connelly 9063 2286 0488 632 107
Adam Rendell 9063 2291 0427 632 291
Natalie Manton 9063 2203 0427 425 727
Jason Carrall (CESM) 0448 494 027

Total Fire Bans

A Total Fire Ban (TFB) is declared by the Minister for Emergency Services through the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on days of extreme weather or when widespread fires are seriously stretching firefighting resources. Total Fire Ban can be declared at any time of the year.

On a Total Fire Ban day, it is illegal to light an open-air fire or conduct any activity that could start a fire. 

NOT PERMITTED

  • No BURNING | FIRES | HOT WORKS
  • When a Total Fire Ban is declared it is illegal to light any open-air fires or any other activities that may start or cause a fire. The ban includes all open fires for the purpose of cooking or camping. It also includes incinerators, welding, grinding, soldering or gas cutting.
  • Any burning permits held by residents/landowners are suspended until the ban is over.

You can find the full list of Permitted and Prohibited activities HERE.

Harvest & Movement of Vehicles Bans

A “Harvesting/Total Movement Ban” includes harvesting and the movement of vehicles in paddocks, except vehicles carrying water to stock.  .

Harvesting/movement bans may also be imposed by the Shire.

 Various Fire Control Officers, and Executive Officers of the Shire of Corrigin are authorised to impose Harvest & Movement of Vehicle Bans during high fire risk periods. An automatic ban is placed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day and when a wild fire is within the Shire.

ACTIVITIES NOT PERMITTED 

  • Harvesting operations.
  • Movement of a vehicle/s in the bush and/or on ‘ungazetted roads.
  • Movement of a vehicle/s across paddocks and grassed areas.
  • Hot works (e.g., welding, grinding, cutting, heating etc.).
  • Any other use of an engine, vehicle, plant, equipment, or machinery in an area conducive to the outbreak or spread of a bushfire.

ACTIVITIES PERMITTED 

  • Movement of Vehicles on “gazetted roads” (as described in Bush Fires regulation 24A
  • Movement of vehicles on a lane, driveway, yard or other area that provides access to, or a parking facility at, any residential, farming or business premises, if the area has been sufficiently cleared of inflammable material to prevent the escape of fire.
  • Use or operation of a vehicle or equipment only if it is for the prevention of an immediate risk to health and/or safety of a person and/or livestock. It should only be operated if all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the activity from creating a bushfire danger.

It is your responsibility as a property owner or resident to be aware of any bans in place before undertaking an agricultural activity including harvesting as you could be fined for breaching a ban. The responsibility remains on the individual to ensure any activity underway is not likely to commence a fire and a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban is currently not in place in their local government district.

WHERE TO CHECK?

  • Follow the Shire of Corrigin Facebook Page
  • Listen to the local ABC Radio Station (720am) at 12:35pm for the daily harvest ban notices
  • Register for the Shire of Corrigin SMS Service for harvest ban alerts 

If you would like to be on our 'SMS List' please contact the Shire on 9063 2203 or shire@corrigin.wa.gov.au with your name and mobile phone number.

Please note: This information will be kept private and will be for use by the Shire of Corrigin only. Your details will be used solely for the purpose stated above. There is no charge for this service.

ROADSIDE BURNING AND SPRAYING

 No roadside burning or spraying is allowed by any person within the Shire without the approval of Council.

FIREBREAK ORDER 2023/2024

Pursuant to the powers contained in section 33 of the Bush Fires Act 1954, you are hereby
required on or before 31 October 2023, to plough, scarify, cultivate, spray or otherwise clear and
thereafter maintain free of all inflammable material until 15 April 2023 mineral earth Firebreaks
in the following dimensions, on the land owned or occupied by you.

1. RURAL LAND
1.1 Mineral earth firebreaks of not less than 2.44 metres (8 feet) in width must be
constructed along and within 20 metres of all external boundaries of the property owned or occupied
by you. If any portion of the land adjoins a public road or railway line, a firebreak must also be
constructed along that boundary.

1.2 Property in excess of 250 hectares shall have fire mineral earth firebreaks
positioned as necessary to divide land into areas not exceeding 250 hectares each completely
surrounded by a mineral earth firebreak.

1.3 Clear and maintain mineral earth firebreaks at least 2.44 metres (8 feet) wide within
20 metres of the perimeter of any building or group of buildings, fuel tanks, hayshed or haystack,
in such a manner as to fully encircle the structure/s. In addition to mineral earth Firebreaks, a
20 metre wide low fuel zone is required to be maintained around any building or group of buildings,
fuel tanks, hayshed or haystack. Low fuel means the removal of inflammable material, dead trees,
leaf litter and trash and the removal of dead branches to a height of 1.5 metres from live standing
trees. Grass is to be slashed to a height not exceeding 100mm.

1.4 During any period when harvesting operations are being conducted, there shall be provided
an operational mobile firefighting unit with a minimum capacity of 500 litres of water located in
or immediately adjacent to the paddock being harvested. The responsibility to supply the unit is
that of the landowner/occupier.

2. TOWN SITES
2.1 Where the area of the land is 0.2 hectares (one half of one acre) or less, you shall
clear all inflammable material on the land from the whole of the land.

2.2 Where the area of the land exceeds 0.2 hectares (one half of one acre), you shall clear
of all inflammable material, mineral earth Firebreaks not less than 2.44 metres (8 feet) wide
immediately inside all external boundaries of the land, and also immediately surrounding all
buildings, haystacks and fuel ramps situated on the land, and also immediately surrounding any
drums or drums situated on the land which are normally used for the storage of fuel, whether they
contain fuel or not.

3. GENERAL PROVISIONS
The term “inflammable Material” or the purpose of this notice includes bush (as defined in the Bush
Fires Act 1954), timber, boxes, cartons, paper, and the like inflammable materials, rubbish and
any combustible matter, but does not include buildings, green
standing trees and bushes or growing bushes or plants in gardens or lawns.

If it is considered to be impractical for any reason to provide mineral earth firebreaks in
the position or adhere to the provisions required by this notice, the written approval of Council
or a duly authorised officer must be obtained to prepare such mineral earth firebreaks in an
alternative position. If permission is not granted by Council or a duly authorised officer you
shall comply with the requirements of this order.

The term “Mineral earth firebreak” means an area of the owner(s)/occupiers(s) land, cleared and maintained
totally clear of all vegetation material (living or dead) so there is only mineral earth left.

The term “harvesting/Total Movement Ban” includes harvesting and the movement of
vehicles in paddocks, except vehicles carrying water to stock.

Contractors carting lime, gypsum or fertilizer are allowed to enter into paddocks to unload at any
time that there is a “Harvest/Total Movement Ban” in place on the condition that a manned fire unit
with at least 500 litres of water is in attendance.

The penalty for failing to comply with this Order is a fine of not more than five thousand dollars
($5000) and a person in default is also liable, whether prosecuted or not, to pay the cost of
performing the work directed by this notice, if it is not carried out by the owner or occupier by
the date required by this notice.

RESPONSIBILITY

Section 28 of the Bush Fires Act 1954 provides that where a bush fire is burning during prohibited or restricted times, the occupier of the land shall forthwith, whether he or she has lit or caused such fire to be lit or not, take all possible steps to extinguish the fire.  Where owners or occupiers fail to extinguish the fire a Bush Fire Control Officer may take all proper measures to extinguish such fire and the expenses of that action are recoverable from owners and occupiers.

PENALTIES

Penalties apply for failure to comply with these regulations.

INSPECTIONS

All properties will be inspected from 31 October 2023 to ensure they comply with these requirements. Failure to comply will result in an infringement being issued.

Townsite Garden Refuse

Provided a fire danger forecast of “catastrophic”, “extreme” or “high” fire danger has not been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology, garden refuse may be burnt at any time; day or night, in a properly constructed incinerator designed to prevent the escape of sparks or burning material. The incinerator must not be situated less than 2 metres from any building or fence and the area of 2 metres surrounding the incinerator is clear of flammable material. Garden refuse and refuse on the ground may only be burnt between the hours of 6pm and 11pm and the fire must be completely extinguished by not later than midnight on that day. An area of 5 metres must be cleared all around the site of the fire and a person must remain in attendance at the site during the whole time that the fire is burning. A person must not burn garden refuse at any place at any time when there is a Total Fire Ban in force.

Animal Welfare in Emergencies

Owners and carers of animals are encouraged to develop their own 'Plan for Animal Welfare in Emergencies' (PAWE), as part of their Emergency Plans for hazards they face. Advice on what to include in an owner or carer PAWE is included in the document Bushfire - Plan for your Animal's Welfare in an Emergency.

The following fact sheets are also available to help owners and carers of animals prepare for emergencies. They are available as both a single sided fact sheet or with the PAWE on the reverse side for printing at home.

Contact the State Animal Welfare Emergency Coordinator for more information.