Restricted Fire Season
Posted on 9 December 2011The Southern Rural Fire Committee as Fire Authority for Southern Rural Fire District gives notice to the public that a Restricted Fire Season will be imposed across all land within Southern Rural Fire District (Zones A and B), including towns, from 8.00 am Saturday 10 December 2011 until further notice.
1. No fire shall be lit in the open air within Southern Rural Fire District during the Restricted Fire Season without a written permit from a Rural Fire Officer of the Authority, except for the following:
(a) Incinerators; conditions - incinerator is designed to prevent the escape of fire and ashes, is no closer than 5 metres to any building, tree, hedge, fence or other combustible material, a water supply sufficient to control any spread of fire is available, all embers and ashes are totally extinguished after burning and before dark.
(b) BBQ/Cooking Fires; conditions - fire is no closer than 5 metres to any building, fence, hedge or other combustible material, a water supply sufficient to control any spread of fire must be available, all embers and ashes are totally extinguished after burning and the BBQ is not left unattended, (gas BBQs are preferred).
(c) Offal Hole (only applies in rural areas); conditions - there must be a cleared area of at least 30 metres from any other combustible material, a water supply sufficient to control any spread of fire must be available, no burning is to be undertaken in winds above 15 Kph or 11 Kph if within 100 metres of tussock or 5 Kph if within 100 metres of scrub or wetland areas.
(d) Hedge/Tree Trimmings (only applies in rural areas); conditions - fire size is no larger than 2m x 2m and branches no larger than 75mm diameter, fire is 30 metres away from and on the downwind side of any shelterbelt, trees, fences, buildings or other combustible material and the wind is blowing away from the above, no burning is to be undertaken in winds above 15 Kph or 11 Kph if within 100 metres of tussock or 5 Kph if within 100 metres of scrub or wetland areas.
No fires are to be lit when conditions are such or are predicted, (eg strong winds) that the fire is likely to spread.
2. It is the responsibility of people lighting fires to make sure they are safe at all times and cannot spread. It is no legal defence that the fire was of a type or lit at a time permitted by this notice.
3. People seeking further information or wishing to obtain fire permits can contact the Southern Rural Fire Authority fire permit line during work hours on 0800 773 363. Please allow five working days to process permit applications and undertake inspections of the area concerned.
This notice is issued pursuant to Section 22(2) of the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977 this 10th day of December 2011.