Brace for extreme fire season

The Busselton Shire falls into one of the State Government’s biggest fire risk concerns, Emergency Services Minister Rob Johnson has revealed.

Mr Johnson said the State faced one of its worst bushfire seasons in history after a dry summer and South West was one of the biggest concerns in terms of its fire risk.

“The area is highly populated and has dense vegetation which combined with the soil dryness and warm conditions, make the region a virtual tinderbox,” he said.

Shadow emergency services minister Margaret Quirk also raised the South West’s bushfire risk in State Parliament last week, saying the area was “exposed.”

However, Mr Johnson insisted action was being taken to address the region’s fire risk and told the Times FESA had split the region into two parts to allow more resources ahead of the bushfire season.

He said awater bomber will continue to be based in Busselton this fire season.

Western Power will also conduct maintenance works in the Busselton Shire to prevent electrical fires.

Communications consultant for Western Power Stephen Barton said works, including power pole maintenance and the replacement of drop-out fuses, would be carried out in areas identified as high and extreme risk zones.

While the priority areas were still being nutted out when the Times contacted Western Power for comment, Mr Barton said the Busselton, Dunsborough and Yallingup areas covered the full range of fire risk levels but included big pockets of high and extreme risk zones.

The works are part of a $69.5 million funding package towards bushfire mitigation Statewide.

FESA fire management officer Andy Thompson said faulty power poles were not a common cause of fires.

Mr Barton denied the funding was in reaction to the Toodyay bush fires.

They were believed to have started from a Western Power power pole fault.

The fires had brought the issue of power pole safety to the company’s attention.