RFS enjoying a quiet fire season two years after awful Black Summer

Two years ago, firefighters across the state were responding to the Black Summer bushfires, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, destroyed 2448 homes and scorched 5.5 million hectares of land.

READ MORE: Black Summer bushfire damage to agriculture tallied to $5 billion

Chifley/Lithgow Team firefighters were among those called to help.

After such a tough season, operational officer Brett Taylor said they were glad to have had very few incidents so far this season.

"It's been relatively quiet, which is good," he said.

"We have been assisting SES (State Emergency Service) a little bit with doing some flood work locally, but other than that, in terms of bush and grass fires, it's been very quiet."

He said that the bushfires in 2019-20 took their toll, and the quieter seasons that have followed have given them the opportunity to "refresh" and spend time with their families over the holidays.

"It's really good for our volunteers ... it's certainly given them a good break," he said.

The lack of activity in 2021-22 stems from wetter than usual conditions and cooler temperatures last year.

"There's plenty of moisture in the ground, so the grass is green. It is starting to turn now, so dry off and hay off, so that will certainly be an issue in the upcoming weeks when the grass starts to hay off a bit more and we get some warmer weather," Mr Taylor said.

"The issue with grass is that we can have some rain one day and then two or three days later it is dry enough again to be able to hold significant fire."

With the temperatures starting to warm up across the region, Mr Taylor said it was important for people to monitor the conditions.

Grass fires are the biggest threat this season.

"It doesn't take much for a grass fire to start if the conditions are right and certainly we've had a couple of days where it has been that way already," Mr Taylor said.

"With a few more days of dry weather coming through it wouldn't take much for an unmonitored campfire or something along those lines, a little bit of wind picking up, to start a grass fire and become a very dangerous situation."

People are also reminded to be aware of the fire danger rating, as sometimes there are total fire bans in place.

They also need to obtain a permit to carry out hazard reduction burns on their property.

These burns have been known to get out of hand, making it essential that the RFS knows when and where fires are scheduled to occur.

Should the situation change this fire season and suddenly become severe, the RFS will be ready to respond.

"All our volunteers have been out practising and training, as they normally do, and checking their equipment on a regular basis," Mr Taylor said.

"Certainly if something was to happen our volunteers and staff are ready to respond at a moment's notice."

If anyone sees smoke or a fire that is unattended, call triple-0 immediately.

"Don't call your local RFS volunteer. The way to get the quickest, most appropriate response is to call the emergency services on triple-0," Mr Taylor said.

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