Devastating bush fires haven't reached the Mid-Western Region, but reminders of the dangers - and dryness - of the state have been frequent recently.
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The huge Gospers Mountain fire, right on the local doorstep in the Wollemi National Park, has burned more than 120,000 hectares as of Monday and lead to multiple smokey awakenings.
A wind change from the South East blanketed the Region in smoke on Sunday and Monday mornings, with an air quality alert issued. This also continued the spread of the fire along its western edge, on the escarpment above Glen Davis.
Last week also saw the local air quality affected from the opposite direction, by dust spread west across the region. This brought particles in the air of less than 10 micrometers in diameter - a level at which the Office of Environment and Heritage advises that people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid exercising outdoors.
The Cudgegong RFS District received calls about dust and smoke and remind residents to to contact triple-zero if they see an unattended fire.
Residents brush up on survival
With their north of the state ravaged by deadly bush fires and hot weather predicted to pose a fire threat at week's end, residents of the Mid-Western Region flocked to impromptu bush fire survival training workshops provided over the weekend by local RFS volunteers.
Cudgegong District Superintendent Troy Porter sent out an email on Friday morning asking for volunteers to provide training on Saturday, as part of a state-wide effort to hold Get Ready workshops to help people prepare.
"To say the reaction from the local community was huge is an understatement, with over 100 survival plans being handed out and lots of conversations over the two-hour period. Locals and visitors sought out our RFS members with lots of questions," he said.
Superintendent Porter urged residents to pay attention to the daily Fire Danger Ratings, which can be found on the RFS website and in weather reports and apps. As well as the three Bush Fire Alerts - Advice, Watch and Act, and Emergency Warning - sent out via texts to phones in the threatened area and messages scrolling across the bottom of TV screens.
"This is extremely unusual weather, and it's not yet summer. If we keep getting temperatures like this, we're going to have a very dangerous and difficult summer," he said. "Everyone should make sure their Bush Fire Survival Plan is up to date and has been practiced by all members of the family. If anyone missed our workshops and needs help creating a plan, they can call the Fire Control Centre on (02) 6372 4434 or visit the RFS website.
"The alert levels are used once a fire has started to give you an indication of the level of threat from the fire. If you get a Bush Fire Alert you must take it seriously.
"But don't wait for a warning if there's a bush fire near you. Some start and spread so quickly there might not be time for a warning."
