With the exceptional dry conditions bringing forward the start of the fire danger season, Member for Stuart, Dan van Holst Pellekaan MP, is encouraging individuals and community groups to assess their bushfire survival plan and ensure it takes into consideration (among other things) the potential for a loss of power or mobile phone service.

The fire danger season will begin on October 22 for the Flinders, North East Pastoral and North West Pastoral districts. The fire danger season for the other districts in Stuart – Mid North and Murraylands – will start on November 1.

“As many people in the electorate would know, bushfires can be devastating and it is very important to take the time to prepare your property and look at your bushfire survival plan,” Mr van Holst Pellekaan said.

“It is also important to consider the potential for a loss of power or mobile phone service, as while these outages are rare, they do happen and often it’s when we least expect it.

“Even those people in a non-bushfire risk area are at risk of losing power as it is likely the power lines run through a bushfire risk area.”

South Australian Power Networks (SAPN) also advises in a bushfire situation, outages may last for extended periods depending on the location and extent of damage and SAPN’s ability to access fire grounds for repairs.

SAPN also recommends people consider having their own back-up electricity generation.

“On days of extreme heat or bushfire risk, it is recommended keeping radio, torch and mobile communication device batteries fully charged to keep in touch with the latest weather, fire and power information,” Mr van Holst Pellekaan said.

For information about preparing for the bushfire season visit www.cfs.sa.gov.au. For information about electricity supply issues visit www.sapowernetworks.com.au or phone 13 12 61.