During the recent Pindimar Bundabah Community Associations Market Day, festivities were unnecessarily interrupted just after lunch with a call out for a bushfire.

It was an unnecessary callout on a couple of counts.

One, the location of the fire did not have a permit to activate the back burn that the Rural Fire Service (R.F.S) had to respond to, and two, despite signs up and notification weeks in advance that the local R.F.S would be busy that particular day already with the Market Day was a real slap in the face for those that had already given up their time and had to give that bit more, all due to ignorance and stupidity.

Myall Coast News was on hand at the station as the truck and crew departed and followed them to this particular scene on Bundabah Road.

After discussions with the landholder, who believed a Burn Off Permit was still current, it was found that the permit had lapsed nearly a month prior.

The R.F.S were instructed by the Control Centre to put the blaze out despite the landholders assurances that a permit was in fact still in place.

Complacency can cause a disaster. If you have a permit this season, please check before you light up that everything checks out.

If it doesn’t, and an R.F.S crew is called out, you’ll be cautioned first and then any further illegal burns will see you hit with a minimum $1000 fine.

It’s fire season people, please use commonsense and help protect your property, family and neighbours.

If unsure on your legal obligations or to ask about any fire awareness strategies, please call your local Rural Fire Service unit.

Most importantly, in an emergency, call 000.

Please stay safe this fire season and consider others safety also.

By Dave BRAZIER