With warm and dry conditions now following a wet spring on the Fleurieu it is timely to think about preparation in bushfire-prone landscapes.

The City of Onkaparinga encompasses many such landscapes, with many residents living, and working in, as well as travelling through hazard areas. 

The council says managing fire risks and building resilience is a shared responsibility, with protecting life, property and ecological and cultural assets all top priorities.

It has initiated a Bushfire Preparedness and Resilience Project to help mitigate bushfire risks and prepare the community. 

It will implement extra fuel reduction works on council land, consult experts to gain a greater understanding of bushfire risks in the area, educate residents and support community-led disaster resilience groups.

A $3.57m grant from the National Emergency Management Agency has facilitated the project.

It includes many practical measures, including reduction of fuel loads, rural roadside pruning and clearing roads for clearer exits in the event of a bushfire.

This work will be staged over the next three years and be prioritised according to bushfire risk.

Over the next few months the council will visit reserves, roadsides, and trails to cut long grasses, remove flammable weeds and reduce overall fuel loads.

The Bushfire preparedness and resilience project map can be viewed online.

Full details of  the bushfire preparedness and resilience project and how to be bushfire ready can be found on the Cit of Onkaparinga website.