Incident management teams from Forest Fire Management Victoria, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Country Fire Authority, State Emergency Service, Victoria Police and Department of Health & Human Services met on Tuesday to prepare for the season ahead.

FFMVic Loddon Mallee regional controller Rob Price said the preparations were not just about fire, with the region facing floods at this time last year.

“We know that while we’re focusing on fire, the emergency response agencies have to be prepared for things like storm events, wind events and potentially for this year, heat events,” he said.

“Our incident management teams are getting updated information on our protocols, new directions and arrangements and how we support our people on the ground that are actually responding to the incident.”

For the season ahead, CFA regional commander Scott Purdy said a dry winter had meant less grass growth than last year, but the bush was still extremely dry.

“This coming season presents the same sorts of challenges as we’ve had previously,” he said. “We know the bush is drier, we know to expect a long, hot summer; we also know that we need to prepare for the onset of storms and other types of natural hazard events.

“In many ways we are preparing like we always do and urge the community to do the same.”

The fire danger period has already commenced in parts of eastern Victoria and Mr Purdy said central Victoria’s season would most likely begin with the Mallee region at the end of October, and then cascade down from there.

Forest Fire Management Victoria began its spring planned burning program on Tuesday in Tarnagulla and Cohuna and acting Murray Goldfields district manager Adrian Parker said crews hoped to complete 12 burns across the region, weather permitting.

“We only ever burn to the conditions of the fuel,” he said. 

“The important thing about burning too, is not just about burn day, but the weather post burn day.”