Total Fire Bans
These are issued by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on days where a fire is most likely to spread rapidly (because of extreme fire weather) or if there are already widespread fires and we don’t have the resources to fight more. The lighting of open-air fires or any other activity in the open air that is likely to cause a fire is banned. Total Fire Bans affect everyone.
How do I know if a Total Fire Ban has been declared?
- Check the Emergency WA Website - www.emergency.wa.gov.au
- Call the Total Fire Ban Hotline on 1800 709 355
- Call 13 DFES (133 337)
- Follow DFES on Facebook or Twitter
- Listen to ABC local radio and other media outlets
What you need to know about Total Fire Bans
- TFBs are announced either in the afternoon, the day before, or on the actual day.
- TFBs affect farmers, campers, construction workers and residents (urban and rural).
- TFBs usually start at midnight and last for 24 hours.
- The need for the ban is assessed throughout the day and may be cancelled depending on conditions.
- Exemptions can be granted for some industries and activities.
- Any burning permits held by residents or landowners are fully suspended until the ban is over.
- TFBs are declared using the whole government body.
Can I drive a vehicle (4WD, motorbike or quad bike) where the vehicle will be in contact with vegetation during a Total Fire Ban?
No. During a Total Fire Ban you cannot use a vehicle in the bush or a paddock (off-road). You can only use a vehicle on a road, track or in an area which has been sufficiently cleared of flammable material.
There are exceptions where the activity is occurring as part of an agricultural activity, if the local government has not implemented a Harvest Vehicle Movement Ban during the Total Fire Ban.
There are also further exceptions for business, industry and public authorities, as long as the conditions prescribed in the Bush Fires Regulations 1954 are complied with, which include notifying DFES.
Click on the links below to find more information on Total Fire Bans:
DFES Total Fire Ban Fact Sheet: https://publications.dfes.wa.gov.au/publications/total-fire-ban-fact-sheet
Total fire ban - Department of Fire and Emergency Services (dfes.wa.gov.au): https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/hazard-information/bushfire/total-fire-ban
Harvest and Vehicle Movement Bans
- Harvest and Vehicle Movement Bans are put in place by the local government of the area.
- Harvest and Vehicle Movement Bans may be declared at any point throughout the day as conditions change.
- Notification of status including the declaration and lifting of a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban in the Shire of Boddington is via the Shire of Boddington Facebook page and the Shire of Boddington website. Bans are also communicated on ABC radio.
- If you ignore a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban and cause a fire it could render your insurance invalid and attract a fine ($25,000) and/or conviction.
Activities not permitted during the period of a harvest and vehicle movement ban
(The following are not permitted once a ban is in place and are not optional)
- Harvesting operations are not permitted.
- Any off-road activity is banned, regardless of whether it is for agricultural purposes or work being conducted by business, industry and public authorities.
Any off-road activity is banned, unless it is for agricultural purposes or work being conducted by business, industry and public authorities. (See permitted activities below for conditions).
- Off-road includes areas such as paddocks, bushland, uncleared land and land with stubble or long grass.
- Off-road activity includes the use of anything activated by an internal combustion engine used off-road e.g. motor bikes, quad bikes, excavators, chain saws, ride on lawn mowers and generators.
Activities permitted during the period of a harvest and vehicle movement ban
(The following are permitted as per the Bush Fire Regulations 1954 and cannot be banned)
- Use or operation of any vehicle on “gazetted roads”, lanes, driveways, yards or other areas that provide 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 for the prevention of an immediate and serious risk to the health or safety of a person or livestock (usually includes watering of livestock being permitted), and only if all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the activity from creating a bush fire danger.
- Off-road activity for urgent work carried out by an essential service can continue, but only when the prescribed conditions in Division 9 of the Bush Fires Regulations 1954 are complied with. Urgent works, in relation to the provision of an essential service, means repairs or maintenance necessary for the continued provision, or restoration, of the service. Essential services: water supply, sewerage or drainage services; electricity or gas services; telecommunications services; public transport services and rubbish collection or disposal services.
Western Power and How these Conditions Affect Electricity Reinstatement Works
How Western Power find and address the cause of outages is also restricted when the Department of Fire and Emergency Services declares Total Fire Bans and local authorities declare Harvest Vehicle Movement Bans. When this happens, Western Power have to wait for bushfire risk conditions to ease or the bans to be lifted before patrolling the powerline or attempting to restore power. This means you may be without power for an extended period of time, possibly until late in the evening.
Fire Weather Day
This is something Western Power enforce when the Fire Danger Rating is forecast to be Very High or greater. Western Power take extra precautions to minimise the risk of their activities generating a spark, which could start a fire that might be difficult to control.
Total Fire Ban
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services declare this for days when fires are most likely to threaten lives and property. Western Power approach days like these just as they would of a Fire Weather Day.
Harvest Vehicle Movement Ban
Issued by local authorities, this places a higher restriction on Western Power activities. It is declared when the use of engines, vehicles, plant or machinery (including mobile generators) is likely to cause a fire or contribute to the spread of a bushfire. When this happens, Western Power can't use vehicles to patrol faults in bushfire areas, which may delay restoring your power.
For more information please visit the Bushfire Safety page on the Western Power website.
https://www.westernpower.com.au/safety/bushfire-safety/