Firebreaks - Establish Yours Now
Fire is part of living in the Top End and the better prepared you are for a wildfire the easier it will be to protect your assets.
Your Legal Obligation
In the Northern Territory the Bushfires Act 2004 establishes the legal framework and responsibilities for bushfire management.
The fundamental principle established by the Act is that the responsibility for bushfire management rests with the landholder.
Firebreak Enforcement Program (section 47 of the Bushfires Act)
The aim of the Bushfires NT annual Firebreak Enforcement Program is to ensure that a minimum standard of fire cover exists within the more closely settled rural areas of the Vernon and Katherine Regions.
As a rural landholder you must;
- establish a fire break around your property and
- reduce fuel loads on your property
Firebreaks are basically access trails that enable vehicle access to fight fires. They will stop a fire under mild conditions and are essential as control lines from which back burning may be undertaken to stop wildfires in extreme conditions.
In the Vernon and Katherine bushfire regions firebreaks must be continuous around all external boundaries, however they can deviate around wet or rocky areas and large trees.
They should be:
- a minimum of 4m wide and graded or slashed to a maximum height of 50mm, with all slashed material removed; or
- lawn or cultivated garden.
Under Section 47 of the Bushfires Act the Director has the authority to order the establishment of firebreaks on any land which represents a wildfire threat.
If you do not comply with the Bushfires Act
Landholders who do not establish a firebreak around their property have committed an offence and may be prosecuted. You could face fines of up to $25,000 if you do not comply.
Where a firebreak has not been established, the Chief Fire Control Officer has the authority to issue an order empowering Bushfires NT staff to enter your property and undertake the required works.
