Low risk areas
You should relocate stock to low risk areas once you are aware that a fire is in your area, well before it poses an imminent threat. Often there is not enough time to move stock at the last minute. Radiant heat from fire has resulted in the injury and death of people and livestock caught out in the open, so ensure you have a plan and put it into action as soon as warranted.
The identification of low risk areas to hold livestock during the event of a bushfire can include the following:
Cultivated paddocks
Areas specifically cultivated and kept clear of regrowth to afford protection from fire. These paddocks should be centrally located and easy to access. Business objectives may not allow these unproductive areas to exist on some farms.
Bared-out paddocks
These are paddocks that have been systematically grazed in spring and early summer to reduce dry feed. They can provide a low risk area when they are well defended by fire breaks.
If available, the different grazing habits of cattle and sheep can help reduce the available feed in the designated. Crash grazing, using very large mobs of wethers, can be an effective strategy to reduce the amount of available fuel prior to the fire season. Stock can be moved into these paddocks if a fire threatens.
Green paddocks
This can include irrigated paddocks or paddocks containing green summer crops. As green feed will not burn as easily as dry feed you can provide protection by allowing livestock access to these areas.
Yards
Utilising sheep yards as a safe area can be useful if time allows. For best protection, you should wet down the surrounds and extensive fire breaks around the yards. Sheep often refuse to move once conditions get very hot, so they should be moved early in the day.
All low risk areas should be further protected by firebreaks, and be free of litter build-up. Thought should be put into the preferred location, and should take into account terrain, accessibility, the direction the fire threat is most likely to come from, prevailing winds in the summer months, and location of forests and bushland.
All low risk areas should have sufficient drinking water supply to enable stock to remain in this area during periods of high to extreme temperatures for many hours or days.
If you have large numbers of sheep and cattle, you may need to designate and manage several areas on your property as safe areas. It is important to remember that low risk areas are only of use if they can be used at short notice.
Should fire affect stock on your property, the Department of Primary Industries will provide expert advice on the need for destruction, or options for treatment.
Cutting Fences
It is recommended that you do not cut fences to allow stock to move with the movements of the fire. Containment in a secure, low risk area is more suitable and may reduce stock confusion and distress as the fire front passes.
Fences along roadsides also should not be cut as loose stock can cause accidents during fire, particularly when visibility is low due to smoke haze, and can be difficult to manage after the fire front passes.
Don’t lock gates, switch off electric fencing
If you do not have an appropriate low risk area it may be an option to truck them to another property or open internal gates to give stock the ability to move away from the path of the fire.
Do not open gates onto roadways as livestock on the roads creates hazards for vehicles. The CFA recommends that you do not lock gates and that you switch off electric fencing.
