Bushfires: landholder responsibilities

In the Northern Territory (NT), managing bushfire and vegetation on your property is your responsibility.

You must also understand which organisation is responsible for where your property is located.

This will determine:

• what your legal responsibilities are for fire management
• which organisation can help enable you to effectively manage fire and plan for bushfires on your property.

The NT Fire and Rescue Services takes care of emergency response areas (ERAs), which include all major towns.

To find out if your property is in an ERA, check your local area on the NT Police, Fire and Emergency website.

Outside ERAs are fire management zones. The zones are handled by Bushfires NT.

Support

Bushfires NT supports landholders and the community with:

• coordination of fire management plans
• support for volunteer brigades and landholders
• coordination of major bushfire response
• advice for rural and remote area residents and communities.

Fire protection zones

Certain areas within fire management zones are declared as fire protection zones (FPZ).

These areas usually have more assets and smaller property sizes.

They include some rural residential areas and areas of intensive agriculture or horticulture adjacent to the major towns.

Check if you're within a fire protection zone.

Rural properties within FPZ and ERA have additional responsibilities.

Responsibilities include having to prepare firebreaks, manage fuel loads, and get a permit to burn.

Fire danger periods

Fire danger periods are declared during the dry season in the north and during summer in central Australia.

All landholders and occupiers must get a permit to burn during this time.

Fire bans

A fire ban can be declared when fire conditions are dangerous.

All permits to burn are void during a fire ban.

Read more about fire bans and how they're announced.

Landholder responsibility to control fire

The landholder or occupier of land must take all reasonable steps to protect property on the land from fire and inhibit the fire from spreading.

If a landholder or occupier is unable to control a fire and prevent it from spreading to other land, they must:

• notify fire control officer or fire warden and all neighbouring property holders
• call 000 in an emergency.

The landholder or occupier commits an offence if the fire has the potential to spread to other land and they fail to take reasonable steps to control the fire and to notify all parties.

Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units or imprisonment for 5 years - under s90(3) of the Act.

For information on penalty units, go to the Department of Attorney-General and Justice (AGD) website.

Duty of a person who lights a fire

A person who lights a fire on land must take reasonable steps to protect property or prevent the fire from spreading to other land.

It is an offence if a person:

• intentionally lights a fire on land where the fire has the potential to spread to other land
• fails to take reasonable steps to control the fire or notify a fire control officer, fire warden or the occupier of the land where the fire is likely to spread.

Maximum penalty: 500 penalty units or imprisonment for 5 years, under s94(4) of the Act.

For information on penalty units, go to the AGD website.

Firebreaks

The landholder or occupier of land must establish and maintain a 4m firebreak around the perimeter of your property.

There must also be a firebreak around any house or other permanent structure, stationary engines or any flammable material on the land.

All need to be installed annually by 1 June. Read more about how to install and maintain firebreaks.

Use equipment safely during fire periods

Lawnmowers and slashers can cause bushfires.

Fires can happen when:

• residents try to reduce fuel too late when grass has already dried out
• cutting is done during hot and dry conditions.

It can also be a combination of both.

Make sure you reduce, eliminate and manage vegetation before the start of the fire danger period.

Slashing or mowing lawns

If you need to carry out slashing or mowing on non-maintained or irrigated lawns during a fire danger period, follow these steps:

• Check the weather conditions before you start.
• Avoid days with hot and dry conditions and try on cooler damp mornings.
• If it’s a fire ban, postpone until a more suitable day.
• Rocks or other items can cause sparks if they’re hit - reduce the risk by clearing the area you want to mow/slash and adjust blades to cut higher off the ground.
• Maintain your machinery to ensure it's free from faults or defects that could start a fire.
• If you choose to mow:
  • Start from the outside and work inwards. By decreasing fuel loads around the perimeter, you're creating a fire break. This will help prevent the spread of a fire if one starts.
  • Ensure you can extinguish a potential fire. Have a water chemical fire extinguisher or water source available such as a knapsack spray unit or a firefighting unit fitted with a pump. Hand tools such as shoves or steel rakes can also be used to break fuel loads and smother small fires.
  • If a fire starts and you can't control it, call 000.

Grinding, welding and cutting equipment

You must only use grinding, welding or cutting equipment in the open if you are sufficiently clear of flammable material.

You should have firefighting equipment on hand.

Check weather conditions before using machinery and power tools. They can start fires in dry conditions.

Disposal of burning matter

It is an offence to dispose of any matter that is still burning or smouldering, such as a cigarette, by throwing it on the ground near flammable materials.

The maximum penalty for not thoroughly extinguishing disposable matter is a fine of 100 penalty units.

For information on penalty units, go to the AGD website.

Resources

For more information, read the:

• Bushfires Management Act information sheet PDF (959.2 KB)
• rural block fire safety PDF (2.5 MB).