6 October 2023 | 177 | Bush Fires Act 1954 Firebreak Notice 2023 – 2024 | Notice to all property owners and occupiers within the City of Stirling. Pursuant to Section 33 of the Bush Fires Act 1954, you are hereby required, on or before 30 November 2023 or within 14 days of becoming the owner or occupier after 30 November 2023, to remove from the land owned or occupied by you, all inflammable material and/or clear firebreaks in accordance with the following land areas and thereafter to maintain that land or firebreaks up to and including 31 March 2024: Where the area of the land is less than 2,000 square metres – - Slash/mow all grass to a height no greater than five (5) centimetres and remove all slashed matter and other inflammable material from the land.
Where the area of the land is greater than 2,000 square metres – - Install a continuous firebreak of four (4) metres wide and a minimum of four (4) metres vertical, clear of all bush and inflammable material, around all structures and along all external boundaries of the land.
Prune trees and shrubs and remove dead inflammable material from around all structures. Ensure the roofs, gutters and walls of all buildings on the land are free of inflammable material. These standards must be maintained until 31 March 2024. ‘Inflammable material’ is defined for the purpose of the notice to include any mineral, vegetable, substance, object, thing or matter that may, or is likely to, catch fire and burn, or any other thing deemed by an authorised officer to be capable of combustion. It does not include green standing trees, growing bushes, and plants in gardens and/or lawns – unless deemed otherwise. If it is considered impracticable to clear a firebreak or to remove inflammable material from the land as required by this notice, an application to the City of Stirling in writing may be made prior to 14 November 2023 for permission to take alternative action to mitigate the fire hazard. Until written permission is received from the City, compliance with this notice is required. Burning off without written authorisation is strictly prohibited within the City of Stirling. The penalty for failing to comply with this notice is a fine of up to $5,000. If the works are not carried out by the date required in this notice, the owner of the land is liable, whether prosecuted or not, to pay all costs for performing the works directed in this notice. | City of Stirling 25 Cedric Street Stirling WA 6021 Facsimile: (08) 9205 8555 | Stuart Jardine CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER |