Prohibited Burning Period until midnight 7 April 2024

All burning is prohibited during this period. For up to date information regarding Total Fire Bans and community warnings about emergencies, visit Emergency WA

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Total Fire Ban

A Total Fire Ban is declared by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on days when fires are most likely to threaten lives and property. This may be due to:

  • Weather conditions
  • The number of days since it last rained
  • Amount of vegetation in the area that could burn during a fire
  • Limited firefighting resources available.
How to find out if there is a Total Fire Ban

There are several ways you can find out if a Total Fire Ban has been declared:

A Total Fire Ban will also be posted on the Shire's Facebook page.

Activities not permitted during a Total Fire Ban

Some of the activities that are illegal to do during a Total Fire Ban, include:

•    Lighting a fire in the open air
•    Using any appliance that consumes solid fuel eg. fire pits, webers, pizza ovens, rotisseries, smokers or incinerators
•    Welding, grinding, soldering, charring, gas cutting and cutting of metal in the open air
•    Using an internal combustion engine powered equipment in or near bush.
•    Using motor bikes, quad bikes or other motorised vehicles in bush or paddocks, unless it is for the feeding or watering of             stock.

A full list of restricted activities during a Total Fire Ban is available on the DFES website.

Exemptions

Total Fire Ban exemptions are required for any activity not prescribed in the Bush Fires Regulations 1954  which could cause or is likely to cause a fire. These activities include fireworks, programmed hot fire training, rail grinding, and religious and cultural ceremonies.

To find out more, visit the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website.

Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban

At varying times during the Restricted and Prohibited Burning period, the Shire of Harvey Chief Bushfire Control Officer may impose a ban on the use or operation of any engine, vehicle, plant, equipment or machinery in the area. This ban is commonly referred to as a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban (HVMB).

A HVMB is imposed to restrict activities that are likely to cause a bushfire or contribute to the spread of a bushfire when the expected weather conditions indicate that if a wildfire was to start, it would be dangerous, destructive and difficult to stop once started.

On days when the fire danger index for the area is or exceeds 35, a ban must be imposed. During the bushfire season, the fire danger index is monitored throughout the day through various means including through physical weather readings taken in the field and through the monitoring of weather stations.

How to find out if there is a HVMB

There are several ways you can find out if a HVMB has been declared:

  • Read the alerts on this website
  • Listen to ABC Local Radio
  • Through the Shire’s SMS notification system.*

*Important note: This SMS text is only a notification service. It is your responsibility to determine if a ban has been imposed and to establish whether any planned activity is permitted when a ban is in place.

Subscribe to the Shire’s SMS notification service

To subscribe to the Shire’s SMS notification system, email your contact details to esd@harvey.wa.gov.au

Activities not permitted during a HVMB

The following activities are not permitted during a HVMB:

  • Harvesting operations
  • Any “hot works” (eg. welding, grinding, cutting, heating etc) in the open air
  • Use or operation of any engine, vehicle, plant, equipment or machinery in the area likely to cause a bushfire or contribute to the spread of a bushfire (eg. motorbikes, quad bikes or other motorised vehicles in bush or off-road areas including paddocks).
Activities permitted during a HVMB

The following activities are permitted during a HVMB:

  • Movement of vehicles on “gazetted roads” – as described in Bush Fires regulation 24A(1) and Road Traffic Act 1974 section 5.1.
  • Movement of vehicles on a lane, driveway, yard or other area that provides access to, or a parking facility at, any residential, farming or business premises, if the area has been sufficiently cleared of inflammable material to prevent the escape of fire.
  • Use or operation of a vehicle if it is for the prevention of an immediate and serious risk to the health or safety of a person or livestock, and only if all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the activity from creating a bushfire danger.
  • Use or operations of vehicles and undertaking of “hot works” by those persons holding a current Exemption under Bush Fires Act 1954 s. 22C (exemption from Total Fire Bans).