The bushfire season kicks off on October 1, and local firefighters are prepared and ready for what they expect to be a busy time.

NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Chifley acting zone manager Superintendent Greg Wardle said he was concerned at the outlook for the coming bushfire season.

“We’re expecting summer days of intense heat. You might see three or four days in a row of intense heat with temperatures close to 40 degrees,” he said.

“They [hot days] will certainly draw the moisture out of the ground, dry the fuel loads and it will lead to a higher fire danger.”

Superintendent Wardle added that good rainfall during late winter, and subsequent warm weather, had led to good growth across the region.

“Everything’s nice and green at the moment, but it will only take a couple of weeks for things to dry out and fire danger to rise,” he said.

“If predictions are right for the fire season, it’s not looking real good.”

Weatherzone meteorologist Tristan Meyers said predictions are for an increased “fire potential” for the Bathurst region.

“We are in a particularly strong El Nino weather pattern at the moment,” he said.

Rainfall is predicted to be below average until the end of November, but temperatures are predicted to be higher than average.

“The outlook for September to November has a median of 167 millimetres, but there is a chance of below average rain,” Mr Meyers said.

So far this month just 7.6mm of rain has been recorded for Bathurst, a long way off the month’s average of 46.8mm.

Mr Meyers added that the average daily temperature for the same quarter was 19.9 degrees, but predictions are for a warmer daily average.

Superintendent Wardle has urged people not to be complacent in the lead-up to and during the bushfire season.

He said now is the time to ensure families and properties are prepared and has asked people to download a copy of the NSW RFS Bushfire Survival Plan to help them prepare.

Visit www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare to download the plan or visit the NSW RFS Fire Control Centre in Bathurst at 7 Lee Street, Kelso.

During the bushfire season, a fire permit must be obtained by contacting the Bathurst Fire Control Centre on 6333 1333.

The bushfire season for the Chifley Zone runs until March 31, 2016.