In the midst of what is expected to be the biggest bushfire season in the Central Queensland region in 15 years, the Rural Fire Service is trying to raise awareness and create what they call ‘Bushfire Prepared Communities'..
By student reporter KATHRYN GREENSILL.

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Controlled Burn Area by the Highway.Julianne Webster-Scott, the Community Liaison Officer for the central region of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, said this year's bushfire season has the potential to become really big due to the amount of rain earlier in the year.

‘All of that rain created a lot of grass growth, and then winter has come through and dried it all out, creating what we call fuel, which basically means anything that has the potential to burn,' she said.

As part of the "Bushfire Prepared Communities" initiative Queensland Fire and Rescue service representatives are holding presentations in possible problem areas to provide property owners with the tools they need to protect their land.

These areas include the urban rural interface, which is where town houses back onto bush land, as well as more rural areas.

Terry Mackie, lives in Lovendee, which is in the heart of a recognized problem area between Yeppoon and Rockhampton .

Despite the warnings about the possible dangers of this season in particular, Mackie is not worried about his property.

"I generally like to keep it pretty tidy, keep the grass short and all of that sort of thing, not just in preparation for the bushfire season but pretty much all year round," he says.

Mackie has experienced bushfires before, having lived in the country for most of his life and says that you get used to them as a regular part of life.

Although he has had a bushfire come through his property before, he has never had any major damage.

‘It's pretty much just a matter of tidying up after the fire has gone through. Just making sure the fire actually is out, and then checking your property to make sure no serious damage has been done,' says Mackie.

High amount of fuel in the lovendee area.According to Mackie the main concern is for people who have animals. "Fortunately I've never had a fire go through my property when I've had animals. When I lived in Victoria and the Ash Wednesday fires came through, there were a few people who had cattle or sheep. The main problem there is how to protect them, what you are going to do with them," he says.

Despite it being cited as one of the problem areas of the region, Terry Mackie says he hasn't seen many fires come through his own, or neighboring properties.

The Rural Fire Service is trying to limit the risk of bushfire by doing controlled burns particularly on the side of highways.

These burns are organized with the permission of the council, and a number of measures including the monitoring of humidity, temperature and moisture, are taken to ensure that the burn will be safe.

According to Webster-Scott, there are numerous things that can start a bushfire. ‘They start in different ways, a lot near highways or roads start from cigarettes that are thrown from car windows, but it can also be things like sparks from motorcycles or lighting strikes,' says Webster-Scott.

Webster-Scott says that the fire service has a ‘prepare to stay and defend or leave early' policy, where people who aren't physically and mentally prepared to stay and protect their property are encouraged to leave before the fire front comes through to avoid panic.

The fire service provides a checklist for those who are planning to prepare their property for fire season.  This list includes things such as reducing the amount of fuel is in the vicinity of the house, having access to plenty of water and having protective clothing.

Mackie advised the most important thing is to keep the house safe by keeping the grass short, and having lots of water handy.

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