Fire Danger Season concludes for South Australia
30/04/2021
South Australia's Fire Danger Season concludes for all remaining Fire Danger Districts at midnight tonight.
Although South Australia did not face as many large-scale bushfires as the previous years, CFS Chief Officer Mark Jones QFSM said the service's volunteers were still very busy.
"Our volunteers respond each and every day to bushfires, house fires, vehicle accidents and a variety of other emergencies," Mr Jones said.
As conditions around the usage of fire and hot tools ease after midnight, Mr Jones said South Australians may still need to exercise caution.
"Saturday is going to be a particularly warm and windy day. People should wait for conditions to ease before considering any burning or risky activities.
"After Saturday, we will be entering cooler days, but some parts of the state will remain extremely dry until we see widespread and heavy rain.
"If the landscape remains dry in your area, please be very careful lighting winter burn-offs, keep them small, and monitor them closely," Mr Jones said.
For residents in bushfire-prone areas, autumn and winter are a good opportunity to prune and clean-up around houses and sheds.
Mulching garden off-cuts are a good option for those not wanting to conduct burn-offs, or for residents in areas where fires are not permitted.
"Many believe that our volunteers can now rest as summer is over," Mr Jones said, "but nothing could be further from the truth.
"During the cooler months our firefighters respond to an increasing number of building fires and vehicle accidents.
"The toll of deaths and injuries on our roads is far too high and I urge all South Australian to drive with caution.
"A single moment of inattention can cause life changing injuries or worse."
Mr Jones said it was often CFS volunteers who faced the worst trauma of road crashes when the were called to rescue or retrieve victims.
"Our volunteers are helping South Australians 24 hours a day, every day of the year," Mr Jones said.
"Our service has received a range of reviews and recommendations which the government has accepted - it's time to get on with delivering those actions to make South Australians as safe as they can be."
Country Fire Service responses during the 2020-2021 Fire Danger Season (1 November 2020 - 29 April 2021):
Bushfires: 1,212
Vehicle accidents: 1,110
Building fires: 156
Hazmat incident: 80
