With deficient long term rainfall and the Bureau of Meteorology’s outlook for drier, warmer conditions, fire season has commenced early and will be ‘above normal’.

Even in the past week we have already seen scares in our wider Grampians region at Green Hill Lake and Concongella. It is a timely reminder.

Bushfires and grassfires pose a significant threat to all those living, working or travelling in Victoria.

Preparation and planning can save you and your family from being killed by fire. Our CFA – as always – will do everything possible to protect lives and property, but there is only so much that can be done.

There will never be enough firefighters, fire trucks and firefighting aircraft to have these resources at everyone’s back door during a large bushfire.

The responsibility for surviving the fire season is shared between emergency services and the community.

Last month every household in the Ararat Rural City municipality should have received the council’s Fire Season Advice brochure. If not, it is available online at ararat.vic.gov.au under Emergency and Fire or hard copies are available at the customer service desk of the Municipal Office.

In the brochure are two free green waste vouchers to a local transfer station in the Ararat Rural City Council area to assist residents clean up around homes and property in preparation for the fire season.

You can dispose of up to one cubic metre of uncontaminated green waste for free. The vouchers remain valid until Friday December 16, so please make the most of this initiative.

Advice and support is always available at the council. There is some great localised information available on our website and our Emergency Management Coordinator can be reached by contacting 5355 0200. Remember, you are not alone in your preparations this bushfire season.

Cr Peter Beales is mayor of Ararat City Council.