Bush Fire Notice

BUSH FIRES ACT 1954

TOWN OF CAMBRIDGE

Public Firebreak Notice

Firebreak Notice to all property owners and occupiers

Pursuant to Section 33 of the Bush Fires Act 1954, you are hereby required, on or before 1 November to remove from the land owned or occupied by you, all flammable material and/or clear firebreaks in accordance with the following land areas and thereafter to maintain that land and/or firebreaks up to and including 31 March:

Where the area of the land is less than 2,000sqm
  • Slash or mow all grass and vegetation to a height of no more than five (5) centimetres.
  • Remove all slashed or mown grass and vegetation from the land.
  • Prune trees and shrubs and remove all flamable matter from the whole land except regulated trees.
  • Ensure that the roofs, gutters and walls of all buildings on the land are kept free of flammable matter.
Where the area of the land is greater than 2,000sqm
  • Slash or mow all grass to a height of no greater than five (5) centimetres.
  • Remove all slashed or mown grass and vegetation from land.
  • Install a continuous firebreak at least three (3) metres wide and at least three (3) metres vertical clearance along all external boundaries of the land.
  • Prune trees and shrub and remove all flammable matter from the whole land except regulated trees.
  • Ensure that the roofs, gutters and walls of all buildings on the land are kept free of flammable matter.

If it is considered impracticable to clear a firebreak, or to remove flammable material from the land as required by this Notice, written approval may be sought from the Town of Cambridge (the Town) to create or modify firebreaks in alternative positions, or to take other measures to mitigate the fire hazard. Where approval is sought, this must be made in writing to the Town prior to 31 October. Unless written approval is granted from the Town, compliance with this Notice is required. 

Pursuant to section 33(4) of the Bush Fires Act 1954, where the owner or occupier of a property fails or neglects to comply with this Notice within the specified timeframes, the Town may enter the land and carry out any requirements of this Notice that have not been complied with. The Town may also recover from the owner or occupier any costs and expenses incurred in achieving compliance. 

Burning off is strictly prohibited within the Town at all times pursuant to the Town of Cambridge Health Local Law 2016. Pursuant to section 24B of the Bush Fires Act 1954, burning refuse, rubbish or garden waste without written authorisation is strictly prohibited.

Further details on your firebreak requirements can be found here(PDF, 2MB). 

 

Appointment of Bush Fire Control Officers 2026 - 2027

In accordance with Section 38 of the Bush Fires Act 1954 the following officers have been appointed Bush Fire Control Officers:

Chief Bush Fire Control Officer

Nichola Clarke

Deputy Chief Bush Fire Control Officer

Matthew Lynch

Bush Fire Control Officers

David Drodskie, Darren Smart, Nate Cowley, Hayden Challinor, John Jamieson, Laurence Yap and Shan Perera.

All previous appointments are hereby cancelled.

Enquiries in relation to this notice may be directed to the Town's Ranger Services and Community Safety Team during business hours at (08) 9347 6000 or via email at mail@cambridge.wa.gov.au

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