Friday, January 15, 2016

Restricted Fire Season Imposed for Entire Wairoa District

With the entire Wairoa district now under a restricted fire season (as of Thursday, 14 January), Wairoa District Council Rural Fire Officer, Paul van Dorrestein, says it’s so important that we remain vigilant to make sure we keep ourselves and our community safe from any unnecessary risk from fire.

“What we have also done by declaring a restricted fire season across the entire district, is to also impose a total fire ban on all the district’s beaches. Under no circumstances can an open fire be lit on any beach in the district.”

“The reason we’ve imposed a total fire ban on beaches, is that some fires provide a significant risk to surrounding dunes and properties. It only takes one ember in tinder dry and windy conditions and then we have a big problem on our hands.”

“It about reducing risk and it’s always better to be safe than sorry,” says Mr van Dorrestein.

The restricted fire season means fires cannot be lit in the open without a fire permit.

“Applying for a fire permit is really easy, we have an online request form on our website and you can call the office and discuss your requirements with me over the phone. Or you can still pop into the office and I’ll be able to answer any questions or walk you through getting a fire permit.”

“We’re trying to make it a really simple process and it’s free to apply for a permit. It takes about three days to process a permit.”

“Things were pretty much as expected over the holiday season, particularly out at Mahia where we imposed a restricted fire season just before the holidays. We had a few call-outs and people were generally OK when we turned up and asked them to put their fires out.”

“An issue for us over the holiday season was fireworks, and I just wanted to remind us all that fireworks also pose a risk. During a restricted fire season, no fireworks will be allowed. We don’t want to come in and be seen as spoiling anyone’s fun, but it’s important that we understand the risk and make sure we take all the necessary precautions.”

“The El Nino weather conditions are forecasted to last for the next three months, so we can certainly expect the district to get drier and drier,” says Mr van Dorrestein.

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