Environment
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is predicting very high to extreme fire dangers across Southland this week.
Southland has had a total of 30 fires since the beginning of January. Fourteen of the fires have occurred after a total fire ban was imposed on Monday 14 th of January 2018.
Fire and Emergency Principal Rural Mr. Smith said “it is not just the job of fire fighters to put out fires, we all have a responsibility to understand the fire danger, prevent fires from starting and keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe. If a firefighter turns up on your property things have gone very wrong.”
Fire Officer Elton Smith said “with conditions set to worsen people need to take care when carry out any activities such as grinding, lawn mowing and using a chainsaw, as sparks from machinery can start a fire in the current conditions”.
The following information can be found at http://www.southernruralfire.org.nz/fire-danger/
Forecast for Wednesday 31 January 2018
Fire and Emergency is advising people to consider the actions they take. With predicted high temperatures and winds forecast for Wednesday fires become easy to ignite, more volatile and harder to control. If you see smoke call 111, with the current conditions there is no such thing as a safe fire.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand advise people to consider if they need to carry out the activity, or if it can wait until the conditions ease.
If you are mowing or topping lawns or paddocks, use machinery in the early morning when conditions are cooler and a dew is likely present.
Maintain equipment and machinery to reduce the potential of sparks, – Fit spark arrestors.
Ensure the area is clear of any flammable material and have a fire extinguisher, hose or buckets of water on hand.
Machinery such as motorbikes, quad bikes and four wheel drives also pose a rise. Consider how dry the vegetation is where you intend to go, don’t park on dry flammable material and maintain the exhaust system of machinery.