Operational officer Col Munro said farmers played an important role in preventing fires from igniting during periods of greater fire risk.
“Using harvesting or farm machinery on days of increased risk can be very dangerous, as any sparks in dry crops can start fires that spread very quickly,” Mr Munro said.
“These fires have the potential to threaten property and also destroy millions of dollars’ worth of crops.”
Mr Munro said farmers should stop harvesting regularly to check the weather conditions against the Grain Harvesting Guide before deciding whether to continue due to the increased risk of fire.
“If conditions fall within the guidelines and harvesting operations are to continue, you should continue to check regularly,” he said.
Those harvesting are advised to do the following:
• Stop — stop harvesting operations.
• Check — check weather conditions, check the Grain Harvesting Guide, and check your equipment.
• Decide — only resume operations if safe to do so, and regularly reassess the conditions.
Guides are available for farmers at local fire control centre and online at rfs.nsw.gov.au/harvesting-guide
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