Hazard Reduction
Bush Fire Hazard Complaints
Making a Bush Fire Hazard Complaint
All bush fire hazard complaints relating to private or Council managed land within the local government area need to be directed to the NSW Rural Fire Service Cumberland Zone Office. Please see the contact page for more details.
Should your complaint relate to land managed by a public authority other than Council, your complaint should be directed to the NSW Rural Fire Service .
Hazard Reduction on your property.
What is Hazard Reduction?
Hazard reduction (HR) means either reducing or removing bush fire fuel (combustible material) around an asset (i.e. your house or sheds). This is done for two reasons:
- to minimise the threat of damage to life, property and the environment
- to provide adequate space for people to work in while fighting fire.
Under the Rural Fires Act, 1997 , land managers and owners are responsible for carrying out hazard reduction to protect existing dwellings, major buildings or other assets susceptible to fire.
Completely removing fuel means an area will no longer support fire, but doing so can be harmful to the environment. It is more common to reduce the amount of fuel, in which case a fire would:
- generate less heat and be less dangerous for firefighters and the general public
- travel more slowly
- have a lower flame height and be less likely to develop into a crown fire
- be less likely to produce embers that cause spot fires.
There are three main methods of hazard reduction:
- hand clearing: raking up leaves, clippings, clearing out gutters
- mechanical clearing: mowing, slashing, ploughing, trittering, bulldozing, grading
- burning: pile burning, or “controlled” or “prescribed” burning which use fire to reduce the amount of flammable fuel.
As of 1 July 2003, all bush fire hazard reduction work conducted in NSW requires a Bush Fire Hazard Reduction Certificate (and possibly other approvals as well). The aim of these certificates is to streamline the assessment process for hazard reduction work on private properties whilst maintaining adequate protection for the environment.
A permit to light a fire will also be required for burning hazards during the Bush Fire Danger Period and if the fire may pose a threat to a building.
The RFS has several publications available on living in bushfire prone areas:
More about Hazard Reduction:
Other useful information:
| 
