Community preparedness

The Shire is serviced by dedicated well trained emergency service volunteers, Bush Fire Brigades, volunteer Fire and Rescue Service and State Emergency Services.  These groups are supported by the Shire and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).  The volunteer St John Ambulance Service as well as numerous other community groups also service our shire.  They all do an incredible job of keeping us safe, but they can't do it alone.  We must all embrace our individual responsibility to be prepared – in doing so, we contribute to the safety and security of our community.

Becoming more prepared in case of an emergency is easier than you might think. Whether it’s your home, your neighborhood, your place of business, or your school, you can take a few simple steps to prepare your community.

Household Emergency Plans

A hardcopy of the following resources are available from the Augusta and Margaret River Shire Administration Centres.

• Department of Fire and Emergency Services - Firechat resources
• Red Cross - Prepare, Respond, Recover resources

Neighbourhood Telephone Trees

Telephone trees provide a localised method for neighbours to give each other early warning of an emergency.

• How to set up a telephone tree
• Telephone tree example

Animal safety

Just as we need to prepare our family and property in times of emergencies and natural disasters we also need to prepare our animals. More information in this regard is available on the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website. 

Hazard Reduction Burn Timetable 2020-21

The following planned prescribed burns are scheduled for Spring 2020 and Autumn 2021:

Hazard Reduction Burns are planned by the land managers, are indicative plans only and are subject to change.

Asset Protection Zone (APZ)

Asset Protection Zone (APZ) means the area of land within 20 metres from the external walls of any habitable building. The fuel loading (flammable material) in the APZ is to be reduced and maintained to less than two (2) tonnes per hectare. Trees must not be closer than two (2) metres to a building, and trees must not overhang a building within four (4) metres of the external roof.

APZ requirements apply to all properties (excluding vacant lots), regardless of size, and must be maintained all year round. If your property is subject to an approved Fire Management Plan, and there is a discrepancy between the Fire Management Plan and this Notice, the Fire Management Plan is to apply.

Standards for a Compliant Asset Protection Zone (APZ)