Many landowners will be starting to think about burn-offs on their land at this time of year, principal rural fire officer Bruce Janes said. Alerting Fenz about them will decrease any potential risks and false alarms.
"While we are proud of our working relationships with most high-country farmers, we are keen to help educate those who haven’t managed many burn-offs before," principal rural fire officer Bruce Janes said.
"We’d like farmers to talk to us early on in their burn preparations.
"We have the expertise and experience to help with picking the right days to burn and planning where and how they burn on their land.
"We can help ensure the burn off is managed effectively and safely which reduces the risk of it getting out of control."
Fire is a key tool for high country farmers with burn-offs often occurring in autumn and spring.
Burn-offs are used to clear land, prepare it for replanting, property maintenance and to increase accessibility for stock movement.
Janes said Fenz understands the need to prepare land with fire but it also wants to ensure everyone impacted is notified.
"We encourage land managers to tell their neighbours of planned burns.
"Telling those living around you avoids locals believing a wildfire may have broken out.
"Alerting us to planned burns also reduces the risk of our crews getting called out to unnecessarily," Janes said.
"We are here to help."
- If you have any questions about a burn-off, phone Fire and Emergency NZ on 0800 371 3600.
