Plenty Valley shoppers plan ahead

A team of fire safety experts will be ready and waiting to answer shoppers’ questions at an information hub, which will run from Thursday 15 December until Sunday 18 December and features a multi-media display, the latest bushfire planning materials and plenty of giveaways for the kids.

David Rhodes, Community Education Coordinator for CFA district 14, encouraged people to take a break from their Christmas shopping to chat with CFA staff about their fire plan for summer.  

“The information is aimed at locals but also at people from surrounding areas. Towns such as Whittlesea, Eden Park, Plenty and Yarrambat are all bushfire risk locations and we hope to catch residents who are coming into town to do their shopping,” he said.  

“It’ll be a convenient opportunity to have a face to face conversation, especially for anyone who might be feeling unsure about making a start on their fire plan.

Rob Taylor, Assistant Chief Officer of MFB, said people need to take the time now to get prepared.

“This is an extremely busy time for families with Christmas coming up but with the Fire Danger Period set to be declared in the coming days, everyone should have their household fire plan in place as soon as possible.

“If you live or travel near bush or grasslands, this should be at the top, not the bottom of your to-do list,” said Mr Taylor.

The Bureau of Meteorology recently released its Seasonal Climate Outlooks for December to February which predicts a 60-65 per cent chance of below average rain, and a 60-80 per cent chance of above average maximum temperatures in Victoria.

The Plenty Valley display is one of nine shopping centre stands CFA is setting up between November and February.

The CFA stand will be open during regular Westfield Plenty Valley opening hours: Thursday 9am-9pm, Friday 9am-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 10am-5pm.