It is important to plan ahead for emergencies such as bushfires or storms. Prepare your property, know when to leave, where to go and which way to go!
Fires can happen suddenly and change quickly, so don’t rely on receiving a warning. It’s your responsibility to stay informed and alert.
Be flexible – get emergency information from multiple sources and never rely on any one source of information
You can find bushfire alerts and warnings at:
 
 
For more information on preparing your property contact Kalamunda's local Bushfire Ready Group – Chris 0427 454 633
Have you had a Fire Chat, to see what you and your family would do in an Emergency? Planning for and talking to your children about bushfires can help them cope and feel safe should you or your home come under threat this summer.
The Emergency WA online map provides information and updates about fires, floods, storms, earthquake, tsunamis, hazardous material incidents and traffic crashes.
DFES: Information on how to use Emergency WA
You may have heard of hazard or fuel reduction burns, burn offs, prescribed burns and controlled burns. These are all names for planned burns.
Planned burning is the deliberate burning of a pre-determined area under the right environmental conditions to reduce fuel loads. Planned burns are done under mild and stable weather conditions so that the fire burns slowly and with low flame heights. Planned burning is just one of several methods used to reduce fuel loads. Other methods include raking, slashing, ploughing and weed control.
When combined, these methods can:
The Burn SMART Guide provides detailed information to help small landholders plan and conduct burns of surface fuels in areas of forest, woodland and tall shrubland, that are less than two hectares in size
NOTE: It is important to note planned burn can escape and become an uncontrollable fire, putting lives and homes at risk and that you are responsible for any fire you light and, if it escapes, you may be liable for the damage it causesCheck HERE to see if you require a permit before you start planning to do a burn.
NOTE: It is important to note planned burn can escape and become an uncontrollable fire, putting lives and homes at risk and that you are responsible for any fire you light and, if it escapes, you may be liable for the damage it causes
Check HERE to see if you require a permit before you start planning to do a burn.
As storms are unpredictable and generally impact a small area, their devastating impact is often underestimated.
Storms can occur all year round and it is important to have yourself, family and property prepared. Residents can minimise this damage by taking a few simple steps to prepare for winter storms and stay Storm Safe.
For life-threatening emergencies call 000
If your home has been badly damaged and you need help, call the SES on 13 25 00
For more information on how to prepare your property, what to do during a Storm and after the storm, check the DFES website here
An estimated 63% of households in Australia have at least one pet, one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world! It is vital that you include your pets in your emergency plans.
After human safety, the welfare of your animals should be your most important consideration in the event of a natural disaster.
Include these phone numbers in your emergency plan:
If you find sick or injured wildlife call Wildcare on 9474 9055. This service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
RSPCA WA may also provide support and relocation for lost and injured animals after natural disasters.
For more information visit www.rspcawa.asn.au or call 9209 9300.
Each year the City releases its annual Fire Hazard Reduction Notice.
It is the responsibility of all land owners/occupiers within the City to comply with the notice before the 1 October each year. Inspection of properties commence on the 1 October each year. The Inspections are conducted by City appointed Fire Control Officers.
If you consider, for any reason, that it is impractical to meet the requirements as per this notice, you may apply in writing for a variation to the requirements of the notice to the City of Kalamunda by no later than 1 October 2020, to request authorisation to employ other methods of fire prevention to land that you owe and/or occupy.
An administration fee of $150 applies for applications received after 1 October 2020.
If permission is not granted to you for a variation of this notice, you must comply with the requirements outlined in the Fire Hazard Reduction Notice.Variation request application forms are available before 1 October on the City’s website at: www.kalamunda.wa.gov.au/our-city/fire/variations
In the City of Kalamunda, in addition to the requirements of this notice, regardless of land size, you may be required to carry out further fire prevention works on your land to reduce any hazards considered necessary by the duly Authorised Officer of the City of Kalamunda. If required, these requirements will be outlined in a ‘work order’ sent to the address of the owner and/or occupier.
For addition information on how to prepare your property for a bushfire you can contact your local Bush fire Ready Group.
There are over 70 Bushfire Ready Groups in City of Kalamunda.
Contact local Coordinator Chris on 0427 454 633.
No matter how you become aware of an emergency, whether it is via phone, from a neighbour or by seeing smoke or flames, take immediate action for your own safety. Do not rely on receiving a warning message to your phone or a knock on your door from the Emergency Services
There are a number of different agencies that provide advice and support in emergencies. The single biggest killer is indecision. To survive a Bushfire you must be prepared to make your own decisions and leave early or stay and actively defend.
Alerts can be issues a number of ways:
The Emergency Alert is a telephone warning that government authorities can use to send alerts to communities via landline telephones and mobile phones. Voice or text messages are sent to phone numbers based on either their service address or location. It is a national web based system used in all States and Territories.
The Emergency Alert – Frequently Asked Questions page has more information on how the alert system works.
Emergency WA - This website provides you with alerts to incidents in your area.
 
DFES: How to use and learn more about the Emergency WA Website
During a bushfire, emergency services will provide you as much information as possible through a number of different methods. Don't expect warnings to be issued in any particular order — the first you hear about could be an Emergency Warning.
Before a bushfire starts, Know what the Fire Danger Ratings and what they mean. They can provide you with advice about the level of bushfire threat on a particular day and how difficult and dangerous conditions will be if a fire starts. They are based on weather conditions forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology.
The Bureau of Meteorology issues fire weather warnings when forecast weather conditions are likely to be dangerous. Warnings are normally issued in the afternoon for the following day so as to be available for evening television and radio news broadcasts. Warnings are renewed at regular intervals and may be issued or amended and reissued at any time if a need is identified.
Take fire minute to make a plan and have a Fire Chat.
There are a number of different agencies that provide advice and support in emergencies.Here’s a list of key websites and emergency apps to visit for notifications and advice.
Fire Hazard Notice
Important Dates