Fire and Fire Management

The Fire Danger Period for Knox has been declared by CFA (Country Fire Authority). It will commence at 1am on Monday 8 February 2021.

What does this mean for you?

Lighting a fire in the open air without a permit is an offence, and can bring a penalty of over $19,000 and/or 12 months imprisonment.

Permits will only be considered for specific purposes (i.e. carrying out necessary work). Applications that don’t fit a specific purpose will not be granted.

If you are issued a permit, you are still required to register your burn with the Burn-Off Notification Line on 1800 668 511.

For further information on what you can and can't do during the Declared Fire Danger Period visit CFA website.

Burning off in the open air in Knox is prohibited unless you have a valid written Permit to Burn.

For further information, please visit our Burning Off page.

The Fire Danger Rating for each weather district is forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology in consultation with fire agencies. The Bureau of Meteorology use predicted weather (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and dryness of vegetation) to set the Fire Danger Rating. The higher the rating the more dangerous the fire conditions are. A ‘Code Red’ Fire Danger Rating is the worst conditions for bushfire. If a Code Red Fire Danger Rating day is declared this will have significant impact on our community as they prepare and take actions against the threat of a bushfire.

How will Council be involved?

Victoria is divided into five Total Fire Ban Districts. A day of Total Fire Ban is only declared in the Districts where hazardous conditions prevail. The Chief Officer of the Country Fire Authority can declare a Total Fire Ban in one District or all Districts and does so to reduce the likelihood of fire starting on these days.

The City of Knox is in the Central Total Fire Ban District. For more information on this and other Districts, visit the Fire Ban Districts page Country Fire Authority website.

Phone 1800 226 226

The VicEmergency Hotline provides information regarding Total Fire Bans, Fire Restrictions and Parks/DELWP prescribed burns, and to provide bushfire preparedness information (brochures and resources) to the community (see below).

Access to this current fire information will greatly assist residents in knowing when to activate their individual bushfire plans that must be prepared prior to high-risk days.

Call takers have access to current fire information directly supplied from Fire Controllers in the field and are also trained to provide advice on appropriate actions to take during a bushfire.

View current warnings and information

Community Information Guides have been developed for identified high risk bushfire locations.

The Community Information Guides provide important direction and information for communities to assist with planning before, during and after a fire. The Country Fire Authority advises that everyone should have a written Bushfire Survival Plan. For more information and to develop your plan, attend a community meeting in your area or see the FireReady Kit, visit the Plan and Prepare page on the Country Fire Authority website.

CFA Community Information Guides are available for the following areas:

Bushfires are an intrinsic part of Victoria's landscape. We all need to learn from the experiences of major bushfires and improve the way we prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from fires.

The Knox Municipal Fire Management Plan, prepared by the Knox Municipal Fire Management Planning Committee, reflects the shared responsibilities of government, fire agencies and communities. It demonstrates a collaborative approach between the responsible agencies and covers both public and private lands.

In this plan, approaches to fire management are framed by the assessment of risk. This includes an analysis of the fire risks and identification of options for positive change. It places greater emphasis on addressing underlying causes and seeking long-term, sustainable solutions that incorporate the four essential elements of Emergency Management of planning, preparedness, response and recovery.

View current warnings and information
View the Municipal Fire Plan 2019-2022