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The Moorabool News – 14 December, 2021 Page 7
Prepared for fire season ahead Council health plan adopted A new plan for community health over the next four years has been adopted by Council, with local service provision, accessing State and Federal funding, and engaging with the community high on the agenda. The ‘Moorabool Municipal Public Health & Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025’ was adopted at the Special Meeting of Council on 27 October, after the draft Plan received public feedback from 2 September until 30 September. Council also engaged with the community from February to June 2021, to identify challenges, issues and strengths related to community health and wellbeing. This included online, phone and hard copy surveys, and stakeholder consultations and workshops with local service and sports providers. The Plan identifies six key areas: ‘The Food We Eat’, ‘Mental Health’, ‘Being Active’, ‘Reducing Harmful Addictions’, ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe’, and ‘Liveability/Our Changing Climate’. To improve the health and wellbeing of Mooraboolites in these areas, the Plan suggests a range of actions such as promoting opportunities/advocating for incentives for youth sports participation, supporting local growers, and improving access to counselling services. To view the Health & Wellbeing Plan, visit www.moorabool. vic.gov.au/health-wellbeing-plan.
It is still mainly green and lush in many parts of the region, however, this has not stopped the preparedness for the summer fire season. Forest Fire Management (FFMVic) has been busy preparing for the fire season ahead of the bushfire risk increasing over summer, and has recruited additional firefighters for the coming months, with 79 seasonal firefighters to work alongside 300 permanent FFMVic firefighters, incident management and support staff in the Grampians region. The new recruits have been busy attending classroom, field and four-wheel drive training over the past few weeks to learn essential skills to protect communities and the environment from bushfires. This year FFMVic has also been able to recruit an additional 22 Forest and Fire Operations Officers across the region, boosting day-to-day and emergency response field operations capability. Grampians Deputy Chief Fire Officer Tony English said as significant rainfall over spring has led to extensive grass growth, they are preparing for a fire season with an increased risk of fast-running grass fires in the Grampians region. “Our combination of experienced personnel, specialised firefighting vehicles and access to a range of aircraft means we’re equipped to have the best possible response to fires this summer.” “This preparation builds on our year-round program to reduce bushfire risk through activities such as planned burning, slashing, mulching, as well as creating and maintaining fuel breaks,” he said. The Grampians region fleet of firefighting vehicles has been serviced and the large range of fire tankers and earthmoving machinery are now set for the upcoming season. Waterbombing aircraft will again be based across the region including Bacchus Marsh, Ballarat, Nhill, and Stawell to support all fire agencies response to bushfires. Fire lookout observers have started to return to FFMVic’s network of fire towers to scan the forested landscape across the Grampians Region from Mt Blackwood near Bacchus Marsh in the east to Mount Arapiles in the western Wimmera area.
New Project Firefighters learning the ropes ahead of the fire season at training camps in Horsham and Creswick. Photos - DELWP
Grassfires move so quickly, it’s impossible to outrun them. This summer, significant pasture growth in paddocks and roadsides means that fast-moving grassfires will be a serious risk across Victoria. Rural grassfires can be just as dangerous as bushfires, and can actually spread even faster, travelling at speeds of up to 25km/h. If you live close to open paddocks or grasslands, you could be at risk and need to be prepared. On high-risk Fire Danger Rated days, the safest option is to leave early.
Plan. Act. Survive. Go to vic.gov.au/knowfire
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