Residents in bushfire-prone areas across the Tweed are being urged to attend one of two community workshops on how to prepare for the risk of fire in the future.
The Know Your Risk community workshops will be held on the afternoon and evening of Thursday 20 October at the Murwillumbah Civic Centre and Auditorium.
Some 16,000 residents in the Tweed live in bushfire-prone areas, meaning at some point their homes could be impacted by fire. And despite the La Nina weather system expected to bring higher forecasts of rain across the region during spring and summer, bushfires will be a reality for the region in coming years.
A crucial step in mitigating the danger from future bushfires is knowing what your risks are and developing a bushfire survival plan for you and your loved ones.
Council's Bushfire Resilience Project Officer Jonathan Lynch said it was crucial residents did not allow the rain to make them complacent.
"If you live near bushland, now's the time to do a few things around your house and property to help reduce your bushfire risk," Mr Lynch said.
"Not knowing your bushfire risk or having a bushfire survival plan ready, places you and your family in danger from the threat of bushfires when they happen.
"Our aim is to build community resilience through knowledge of these types of natural disasters so we can keep people informed, prepared and safe."
The workshops will be delivered by Catherine Ryland and Lyn Liston from CR Bushfire. Both are qualified bushfire consultants with over 20 years' experience working in the field of bushfire and environmental management.
Throughout the workshop, residents will learn to be aware of their own property's bushfire risks and how to develop a bushfire survival plan. Also covered will be the latest bushfire management practices such as water storage, property access and building for bushfire safety.
Workshop attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions during a Q&A session.
The workshop is part of a wider Bushfire Resilience Project currently underway at Tweed Shire Council in partnership with the NSW Rural Fire Service.
The 2 workshops will be held on Thursday 20 October at Murwillumbah Civic Centre and Auditorium from 2 pm - 4 pm or 5.30 pm - 7.30 pm.
