SPRING has sprung and with it the Bushfire Danger Period (BFDP) on the Mid North Coast commences, from 1 September through until 31 March 2027, with the adjoining Clarence Valley already in the BFDP from 1 August 2026.
Fire Permits are required all year round in Fire and Rescue NSW Fire Districts and in RFS districts during the BFDP.
Depending on which fire district you live in, fire permits are issued by authorised issuing Officers at Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) stations or NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) fire control centres, Coffs Harbour FRNSW Station Officer Tim George told News Of The Area.
“If you are unsure of which fire district you live in, contact your local FRNSW Fire Station or NSW RFS fire control centre,” Mr George said.
“The safety aspect is the limit of involvement by FRNSW.
“Before a fire permit can be issued, applicants must have obtained any relevant environmental approvals from council, which will vary, depending upon what LGA they reside in.
“In short, council first gives written approval for the burn to occur, then FRNSW attends to ensure what is being burned is suitable to be burned, and the burn will be conducted in a safe manner,” Mr George said.
If you live within a FRNSW Fire district, you are required to obtain a fire permit all year round.
During the declared bushfire danger period permits are valid for seven days maximum.
A permit can be cancelled or suspended at any time.
Permits are automatically suspended during total fire bans and no burn days.
“Unless a permit has expired, it may be used after the lifting of a total fire ban or no burn notice,” Mr George said.
To cancel or suspend a permit, the holder of the permit must be given notice in writing, unless the issuer of the permit is of the opinion that weather conditions are conducive to the outbreak or spread of a bushfire, in which case the permit holder can be notified orally.
“Before lighting the fire, remember it is your responsibility to ensure that if you have a fire permit issued for removal of bushfire fuels, that it is consistent with the relevant bushfire management plan where the fire location resides within a Bushfire Risk Management Area.”
Other things to ensure about your fire:
It can be contained and controlled within the specified area,
It will not contain toxic materials, such as rubber tyres, plastics, paint, and
It will not cause an air pollution problem by producing excessive amounts of smoke.
People must also check whether an appropriate authority – either the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW or the Commissioner of the RFS – has issued a notice banning the issue of permits because of the seriousness of the bushfire danger in the area.
“Also check whether a no burn day has been declared, whether a total fire ban is in force and the expected weather,” Mr George said.
The permit holder must give at least 24 hours’ notice of intention to burn to all occupants of adjoining land and to the local fire station, or the Fire Control Officer in Rural Fire Districts.
Adjoining lands includes land separated from the permit holder’s land by a road, lane or waterway, whether fenced or not. If the land is not occupied, the owners of the land must be notified.
The notice may be either written or verbal and must include details of the location, purpose and time of fire proposed to be lit.
The issuing of fire permits for lighting fires in Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Fire Districts is covered under the Rural Fires Act 1997.
For the latest information on current bushfire warnings and bushfire safety resources visit www.rfs.gov.au
By Andrea FERRARI
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