Echuca Village Fire Brigade

19/08/2026

AFAC News has released the Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Spring. The outlook suggests an earlier start to the bushfire season this year. Drought-affected areas in parts of eastern and western Victoria are facing an increased bushfire risk leading into spring and summer.

Under the forecast conditions, there is potential for multiple large fires starting as early as October across parts of the state.

Now is a great time to start preparing your plan and property, including:
📋 Updating your fire plan
🌱 Mowing long grass
🏡 Clearing gutters.

For more tips on how you can get ready for the upcoming fire season, visit cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/how-to-prepare-your-property.

19/08/2026

Today, AFAC News released the Bushfire Seasonal Outlook for Spring. NSW experienced unseasonably warm conditions over winter, while rainfall has been variable. With parts of northern and south-eastern NSW receiving below-average rainfall, these areas are entering spring drier than usual.

Forecasts for early spring continue to point to below-average rainfall and unusually warm conditions with fuels expected to continue drying across NSW. The highest risk is expected to be in northern and south-eastern NSW, as these areas are already rapidly drying out. Forested areas in these regions are experiencing high fuel loads and are dense and well-connected, which is of particular concern.

While fire risk is expected to be elevated through early spring, rainfall prospects for late spring into early summer have shifted to a slightly wetter outlook, although some uncertainty remains.

If you live, work, or travel through bush fire-prone areas, ensure you are prepared. Review and discuss your bush fire survival plan so you know what to do if threatened by fire.

For more information, visit: www.afac.com.au/public-resources/seasonal-bushfire-outlook-spring-2026

19/08/2026

19/08/2026

08/08/2026

💧 Is your water pump ready for fire season?

If your firefighting pump has been sitting idle over winter, now is the time to give it a test run.

Before fire season:

✅ Start it and make sure it runs properly.
✅ Check fuel and oil.
✅ Inspect hoses, fittings, O-rings and seals for leaks or damage.
✅ Check the suction hose and strainer.
✅ Make sure it primes and delivers a strong flow of water.

Don’t wait for a high fire danger day to find out something isn’t working.

Test it now. Service it if needed. Be ready. 🚒

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan AFSM has advised that he will be stepping down from his position as Chief Officer to accept the role of Chief Executive Officer at St John Ambulance NSW.

During his time at CFA, CO Heffernan has led the Victorian community through major fires and led CFA through significant change with his clear and calm leadership.

CO Heffernan will continue his work with CFA until November.

We thank him for his leadership and dedication to our members throughout his six years at CFA.

27/07/2026

Monday 27 July 2026… are you ready for it? ✅

AusAlert will be ready to use in October 2026, but before it launches, the system needs to be tested across Australia.

The national test of AusAlert is on Monday 27 July 2026 at around 2pm AEST.

AusAlert has 2 types of alerts, depending on how severe the emergency is. The national test is a Critical Alert.

Critical Alerts override 'silent' and 'do not disturb' device settings, and they can’t be opted out of. When you receive a Critical Alert, it will appear like a system notification on screens and make a loud siren sound for about 10 seconds.

This is the highest level of warning. It means you may be in danger. You should act immediately.

AusAlerts contain important information to keep you safe and informed during disasters.

The only way to stop your devices from receiving Critical Alerts is to switch them off or put them in aeroplane mode. If you don’t wish to receive the AusAlert national test, do this before the test time in your location and leave them off or in aeroplane mode for at least one hour.

27/07/2026

27/07/2026