Discover how Council prepares for bushfires by maintaining fire access tracks and breaks, managing fuel loads with reserve and roadside slashing programs and ensuring our emergency management capabilities.
Our bushfire prevention plan
We have a detailed bushfire prevention plan to protect lives and reduce the impact of bushfires on property and our environment.
Backed by a $675,000 grant from the National Emergency Management Agency, this project is helping us take practical steps to improve Mitcham’s bushfire resilience.
We are using local knowledge and existing reports to deliver targeted on-ground actions across six key areas:
- Boosting community signage and awareness
- Managing fire risk at a landscape scale
- Controlling woody weeds
- Providing green waste disposal options
- Reducing fire risk in Craigburn Farm
- Improving how we manage fuel loads across the City
To get ahead of the 2025/26 fire season, we are fast-tracking priority actions and working closely with the CFS, DEW and neighbouring councils. The project includes planning and delivery, engaging with the community and making sure we are ready to respond, both before and during an emergency.
We reduce fuel loads throughout the hills before and during the fire danger season by removing vegetation, creating fuel breaks, brush cutting, and burning debris on-site.
We do these works in hills areas covering Lynton, Torrens Park, Mitcham, Brown Hill Creek, Leawood Gardens, Crafers West, Upper Sturt, Belair, Glenalta, Hawthorndene, Coromandel Valley, Craigburn Farm, Blackwood, Bellevue Heights, Eden Hills, Panorama and Pasadena.
We have a number of fire management plans with an extensive network of fuel break.
Prescribed burning is only one fuel load reduction tool. Burning can promote weed growth after a fire, and a lot of fires in one area tends to favour some native species and eliminate others.
To ensure the best outcomes, we carefully plan prescribed burning with our staff, CFS volunteers, and in consultation with our community. We consider vegetation and weather conditions, and the availability of CFS volunteers and trucks to work out when prescribed burns can be done.
We have about 500h of bushland and road reserves in the Mitcham hills.
Fire breaks are areas where vegetation has been reduced to lower the risk of bushfires starting or spreading. They provide protection from fire for people, equipment and property while providing a clear edge from which fire crews can fight fires.
We build and maintain fuel breaks on reserves in our hills.
A regular maintenance program involves:
Controlling weeds
Pruning large trees (remove low hanging foliage);
Thinning-out native vegetation (with government approval);
Extensive brush cutting;
Prescribed burning.
Fuel breaks, reduce rather than remove the fuel load and still provide habitat for native animals. The fuel break vegetation can also lessen soil erosion and weed invasion.
Sheoak Road fuel break
We’ve developed a strategic fuel break along Sheoak Road with funding from Federal and State Government grants.
The strategic fuel break is a 3.2km section of Sheoak Road, east of Pony Ridge Road, and we established it by thinning vegetation, controlling weeds, controlling burns and brush cutting.
The roadside looks more open with sight lines for motorists. We reduced grassy fuels with brush cutting and will continue to maintain the fuel break with weed control in native vegetation.
We did this work with approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and the Sheoak Road Vegetation Management Plan, August 2008 approved under the Native Vegetation Act 1991.
We manage 23 fire access tracks, covering around 15km, to help emergency services safely reach reserves and suppress bushfires. These tracks are carefully constructed and maintained to provide reliable access for fire crews during emergencies.
As part of our Bushfire Preparedness and Resilience Project, we have audited all tracks using the South Australian Fire Access Track and Sign Standards Guidelines. The audit identified areas that need upgrades, including widening, vegetation removal and new turnaround or passing bays.
This work ensures safer access for fire trucks and better protection for our community, homes and natural environment.
Managing reserves and verges for the bushfire season
The City of Mitcham, located in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Bushfire Management Area, uses the Bushfire Management Area Plan to assess risks and plan prevention activities. This plan guides our strategies for vegetation management and fuel reduction on reserves, road verges, and unmade road reserves.
We prioritise high-risk areas, carefully balancing community safety with scenic and biodiversity values. Before bushfire season, we cut verges in these areas as part of our annual program, which includes managing 148 hectares of open spaces and 560km of roadside verges.
To reduce fire risks, we use various methods, including creating asset protection zones, establishing bushfire buffer zones, managing invasive weeds, and reducing fuel loads. We work closely with environmental groups and government departments to ensure reserves and roadsides are managed safely and sustainably.
For land managed by other authorities, such as national parks, please contact the relevant agency.
Here's a quick overview of our preparation for the Fire Danger Season:
- Reserve Slashing Program: Our reserve slashing program has commenced. This initiative aims to reduce fire hazards and create safe spaces in case of emergencies.
- Roadside Slashing Program: Our priority and local roadside slashing program has commenced. Clearing roadside vegetation is crucial for fire prevention and ensuring safe evacuation routes.
Download the Roadside Slashing Program to find out more
Download the Reserve Slashing Program to find out more
Council’s bushfire prevention slashing program focuses on improving safety for road users and protecting property and public infrastructure. The program includes Council reserves and roads, using various methods such as vegetation management and bushfire fuel reduction.
Prioritising high-risk areas, Council annually manages 140 hectares of open space reserve and 560kms of roadside verges. This approach includes asset protection and bushfire buffer zones, invasive weed control, and fuel load reduction, in preparation for the bushfire season.
Council’s bushfire prevention slashing program is conducted by staff and contractors. The program usually starts in spring, depending on weather conditions and is undertaken based on operational needs and identified priorities. It begins in the dry northern areas which generally dries faster, then to the south, aiming for completion by Christmas, however this may be impacted by weather and vegetation curing rates.
Priority areas, typically along major roads and larger reserves are slashed first. The program aims to balance cutting needs with grass curing so areas are only cut once, reducing costs. We try to hold off as late as possible in the season before slashing, prioritising community safety while effectively managing the bushfire risks.
During spring, residents may notice long grass, which can be concerning. Our plan is to slash all Council-managed roadsides and reserves identified as bushfire management priorities before Christmas and before the driest parts of summer arrive.
Our program commences in September and progresses across the Council area with completion by Christmas based on weather and vegetation curing rates.
We cut and slash over 560kms of verges, laneways and road reserves before the fire season to strategically manage potential fire risks.
Why certain areas? Well, they might serve as a fire ignition spot, provide a strategic control line or high-priority emergency routes.
We refer to the bushfire management area plan to identify high-risk areas and key assets that need protection. This plan directs the development of bushfire management strategies of high-risk areas under Council’s control, guiding the establishment of protection and bushfire buffer zones, ensuring the safety of our community and key assets.
Council slashes approximately 148 hectares of reserves, following the bushfire management area plan. We aim to create protection and buffer zones in identified reserves, to safeguard key assets and communities. These works are undertaken from September when grasses and vegetation dry out. Some areas need multiple cuts, while others require one cut each year.
An asset protection zone is an area around a valuable asset, like a home or business, where vegetation is reduced to minimise bushfire impact. This doesn’t mean removing all vegetation, some trees can remain. These zones act as buffers, reducing heat and ember attack, aiding firefighters’ access, and providing a safer space for property defence and back burning during bushfires.
View the location of our protection and bushfire buffer zones
We cut and slash over 560kms of roadside before the fire season. If your area hasn’t been cut or slashed it’s likely because it’s not on our strategic bushfire management list, it’s scheduled for a cut soon, or our contractors just haven’t reached your area yet.
View the bushfire slashing program map
We encourage all property owners and residents to help maintain verges by removing weeds and keeping the grass trimmed. You can also landscape your verge with lawns, garden beds or mulch find out more.
Our staff and/or contractors will cut long grass they can safely access using tractors, slashers or brush cutters. However, certain spots might be too rough or unsafe to access. While these small patches might seem untidy, they usually do not pose significant fire hazards.
Our roadside slashing program covers 560km of roads, but with a limited budget, we must balance the need for cutting and slashing with grass curing. Our aim is to cut once, saving money for both the Council and the community. We start as late in the season as possible, ensuring road and fire safety. We focus on strategic fuel management, ensuring priority areas are slashed. We aim to complete this work before Christmas. During spring, the risk of long green grass causing a fire hazard is lower.
We conduct regular inspections throughout the area, addressing concerns before a complaint is made. However, if you happen to notice tall grass in a neighbouring property or Council managed reserve that needs our attention, please call us on 1300 133 466.