Published on Wednesday, 9 February 2022 at 9:24:43 AM

Dear Narembeen residents,

Thank you to our Bush Fire Brigade Volunteers, Shire workers and agency employees and others who assisted with the Shackleton fire on Sunday 6 and Monday 7 February in testing conditions.

In true Narembeen spirit, our people gave up their Sunday to help our neighbours battle the blaze that was one of the worst fires in this region in recent times. At time of writing, conditions have eased and the threat reduced however we remain on alert should conditions change.

Our thoughts go out to residents in the Shires of Bruce Rock, Corrigin, Wickepin, Denmark and Bridgetown and to people in other parts of the state who have been impacted by bush fire over the weekend.  For those who want to help with recovery efforts I recommend waiting until direction is provided by relevant Shire Recovery Co-ordinators.

There was some confusion and concern from community members on Sunday night around what action Narembeen residents should take and with fire alerts generally. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services is the Incident Controller in this case and all warnings and alerts come from DFES as the responsible agency, which is reflected in the Shire of Narembeen’s Local Emergency Management Arrangements. The Shire of Narembeen forwards warnings and alerts from DFES via its social networking platforms when it becomes available to keep its community informed. The Shire itself is not in a position to provide specific advice.

Feedback has been provided to DFES reflecting the lack of communication specific to the Narembeen Shire, particularly on Sunday evening. Other feedback from this incident will assist the Shire to improve its internal processes relating to emergency management.

Special thanks to Murray Dixon, our Chief Bush Fire Control Officer for overseeing our volunteer efforts professionally and safely.

The last few days have been a timely reminder to us all to stay vigilant, to reduce bush fire risk where appropriate and ensure that we have a good bushfire action plan in place.

Kellie Mortimore
Shire President

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