A WA farmer believes the Grassland Fire Danger Index (GFDI) should be lowered and rural shires should reassess their harvest ban policies.
In a letter to Farm Weekly in February this year, Dumbleyung farmer Malcolm Gooding said fire control in rural WA was careless and it was necessary for uniformity amongst shires when imposing fire bans.
The letter was written after last year's harvest in response to a series of fires during harvest, and the high number of harvest ban days which occurred.
Mr Gooding said there were many shires throughout WA with a GFDI above 30, which was too high, and if the fire risk was to be reduced, fire warnings needed to be reviewed.
"A GFDI of 32 is the transition between a high fire danger and a very high fire danger," Mr Gooding said in his letter.
"It seems ludicrous that harvesting is allowed to continue just prior to that threshold.
"There are too many shires with the harvest ban fire index set too high, when the harvest ban is invoked."
Recent changes to the total fire ban now means that farmers can harvest or move vehicles across paddocks during a total fire ban.
But when weather conditions result in a GFDI reaching 35 or less in some shires, local governments will be responsible for placing harvest and vehicle movement bans.
Mr Gooding believes shires south of the Great Eastern Highway should ideally have a GFDI of 25 and a rating of 30 for those shires north of the highway.
"In the past in some shires it was left to a couple of individuals in the shire to put a ban on if they felt the prevailing conditions had reached a dangerous level in their eyes, and don't even use instruments to guide them," he said
Mr Gooding said harvest operations were becoming more intense, increasing the fire risk, another reason why the standards should be tightened.
He said continuous cropping meant that there were less pasture paddocks to assist in reducing the fire intensity and perhaps gaining control.
"The fact that crops are harvested at near ground level to enable better trash clearance for next year's crop, high capacity headers travelling at high ground speeds increases the comb/rock ignition risk enormously," he said.
Mr Gooding also said to reduce the risk of a fire shires should impose harvest bans earlier.
"In the past some shires were too relaxed about bringing in bans," he said.
"I think it's important the fire bans are placed early to make it safer for everyone.
"But it would appear some shires seem to be placing bans earlier than they have in the past, which is a good thing."
FESA Midlands Area Manager John Wheelock said the GFDI ranged from 25 to 42 throughout the South West Land Division depending on the shire, based on the McArthur Grassland Fire Danger Meter MK4 .
Mr Wheelock said the Moora Shire, for example, had a GFDI of 42 which was measured on the gust wind speed.
He said after FESA declared a total fire ban, each local weather officer will do their check and all harvest and vehicle movement bans will be imposed once the GFDI reaches 35.
"Each local government has fire weather recording officers who take proper recordings," Mr Wheelock said.
"If a GFDI comes up to or greater than 35 after a total fire ban has been declared, they must impose a harvest and vehicle movement ban.
"But it is likely that a shire like Moora will already have imposed a harvest and vehicle ban before a total ban is released.
"Weather officers use kestrel meters, which measures wind speed, temperature and relative humidity, which is what the FDI's are based on.
"Moora is a very proactive shire."
