Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Forests Act 1958 - SECT 67

Duty to prevent spread of fire etc.

67. Duty to prevent spread of fire etc.



(1) Every person who finds any fire burning in any State forest protected
public land or national park or in any fire protected area during any period
when there is danger of the spread of fire shall do everything that is
reasonably within his power to prevent such fire from spreading and shall as
soon as practicable report the existence of such fire to the nearest
authorised officer or member of the police force.

(2) When any fire is unlawfully burning on any land in any fire protected area
during the prohibited period the occupier of such land shall take all
reasonable measures at his own expense to extinguish such fire and shall as
soon as practicable report the existence of such fire to the nearest
authorised officer or member of the police force.

(3) Every person who holds a lease licence permit or authority under this Act
or is employed by any person holding any such lease licence permit or
authority or is employed by the State of Victoria or who is a timber harvester
shall furnish as soon as practicable to the nearest authorised officer or
member of the police force any information he may possess regarding any
outbreak of fire during the prohibited period in any fire protected area.

(4) In subsection (3) timber harvester means a person-

   (a)  who has entered into an agreement with VicForests under the
        Sustainable Forests (Timber) Act 2004 for the harvesting and sale of
        timber resources or the harvesting or sale of timber resources within
        the meaning of that Act; or

   (b)  undertaking timber harvesting operations within the meaning of that
        Act.