In preparation for this year’s harvest, the VFF partnered with the CFA (Country Fire Association) to host a webinar on Wednesday 18 October for all farmers.
Victoria is one of the most fire-prone areas in the world. Confirmation from the BOM that we have El Nino conditions, means hotter and drier forecasts are expected and this year’s agricultural activities are set to kick off a lot sooner and have elevated risks of fire ignition and spread.
Fire is a day-to-day and year-round part of farming. However, anyone living and working on the land must avoid becoming complacent about fire threat. Industry experts from the CFA and the VFF Making our Farms Safer Program provided valuable insights on how to understand and effectively manage agricultural fire risks. Topics covered included how to prepare and respond to fires, managing header machinery during harvest and reducing the risk of haystack fires.
Gavin Wright, CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer (Acting) for District 18 shared valuable insights and data collected from the 2022-23 fire harvest season. His presentation focused on educating growers on ways to minimise the risk of unplanned fires when operating header machinery during harvest.
David Manifold, CFA volunteer brigade member for Donald discussed the importance of taking care of your hay and crops to reduce haystack fires. David shared with viewers how to ensure conditions are right for making hay, and for future storage and transportation.
VFF Senior Farm Safety Advisor for the Making our Farms Safer Program (MoFS), John Darcy spoke on the importance of having emergency procedures and the three key ingredients to help you establish them.
The VFF would thank all guest speakers and participants who attended the webinar last week. For those who were not able to attend, a recording of the webinar is available below.