Bushfire season began on Sunday, September 1st, and the current unseasonably hot weather has made people highly aware of the danger.

The RFS is very appreciative of community efforts. They have events coming up and some changes to the Hazards Near Me App to be aware of.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is hesitant to speculate on what these severe conditions mean for the upcoming season. Still, they understand what is causing it and what we may see as a result.

Daniel Ainsworth, District Manager for Rural Fire Services in the Northern Rivers said, “Today's (Monday) fire behaviour index is in the low 30s, which puts us in what we call high fire risk.

“The fire season started on the first of September, but prior to that, we had an above-average warm period with record August temperatures on Saturday. 

“We've had a number of fires where people have reported concern. About 10 or 15 fires that we've investigated and just checked up on.”

These have not caused any issues, so the community notifying about burn-offs and people being a little vigilant has been working to keep the region safer. 

“There have been a number of fires where landowners have actually asked for assistance just in case their fire gets away, which we really encourage them to do. 

“At the moment, we have three fires in the landscape that we're dealing with from the weekend, and all those fires will be contained by the afternoon, we're just going to get through these weather conditions. 

“With the stronger winds and lower humidity, the conditions will test these fires.“

At the time of writing, my watch zones in the Hazards Near Me app have sent me three notifications.

The RFS has not banned fires that have permits, but it asks that all non-essential fires be put off until better weather conditions make them safer.

The BoM confirms that the heat wave will cool down tomorrow.  

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Meteorology says, “Temperatures at Lismore and in north-eastern NSW are the highest for this time of year since 2009.

“On 31 August, maximum temperatures were 8 to 10 °C above the monthly average across the region.

“34.6 °C at Lismore Airport on the 31st is the second-highest in August, behind only 36.7 °C on 24 August 2009.

“6 consecutive days above 30 °C (28 Aug – 2 Sep) will be the earliest such sequence on record (previous earliest was 22-27 Sep 2003, daily data at Lismore starts in 1957 at the former town site).”

“Reprieve from the warm temperatures across eastern NSW are expected from today with a southerly change. Maximum temperatures are expected to be more than 10 °C cooler and stay in the low 20s on Wednesday as well. 

“Maximum temperatures gradually warm again through the back half of the week, returning to high 20s on the weekend for Lismore.”

It's too soon to know if we can expect more record-breaking events, but the BoM reports that spring is forecast to be warmer than usual almost everywhere – by day and overnight.

The BoM attributes this to higher sea temperatures and notes the implications of what that might mean for this season.

“Global sea surface temperatures were the warmest on record for every month between April 2023 and June 2024. Sea surface temperatures in July and August 2024 have been the second-warmest on record, slightly cooler than in 2023 but much warmer than any earlier year. 

“Warm oceans can provide increased moisture and energy that can enhance rainfall and increase the severity of storms while also increasing the chance of above average temperatures for coastal locations.”

El Nino is set to neutral, and the Bureau is still at La Nina watch.

If you haven't done so already, now is the time to get prepared for the warmer months.  

The RFS has a Get Ready Weekend in September, and it falls over the 21st and 22nd in 2024.  

(The locations of Get Ready Events around the region)

The RFS will be at Bunnings in Lismore and the RFS station at Wyrallah. Check out their website below for more details and other areas surrounding Lismore.

If you don’t have a 'watch' zone set up on your Hazards Near Me App, now is the time to get that done.  

You will notice a change on the App shortly - the descriptions of the fires are being altered to more accurately describe the events at fire situations.

Daniel explained that the current use of the term “Out of Control” is a little misleading and does not truly reflect what is happening at the fire.

“Once we get a unit on scene, it automatically comes up on the Hazards Near Me App as Out of Control, but we're just investigating it further.”

There are three categories currently in use - Out of Control, Being Controlled or Under Control.

After a fire has been reported, when the RFS arrives and verifies that there is a fire, it is currently classed as Out of Control, regardless of danger, size, conditions etc.

Once there is a plan to contain the fire, a fire break may need to be put in place or other crews called out, the status changes to Being Controlled.

Once the plan has been actioned and the fire crews are satisfied the fire is going to dissipate due to the plan in place, the fire is considered Controlled.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was not able to tell us the actual wording that it is changing to at this point.

Daniel added, “Don't hesitate to ring triple zero for help. We'd rather come and help you before a fire gets away, rather than having to chase it down afterwards. And most landowners have been very responsible this weekend, which I congratulate.”

If you would consider joining the RFS, now is a good time. Check out the information here.

Here is the link for details of the Get Ready Weekend - meet the local team, talk to them about what they do, or say thanks for being there! 

And here is the link for the four simple steps to help you be prepared now!

A simple way to view the weather is through the Lismore App Weather & Travel, with links that take you directly to the BOMs website, no need to Google.