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A Total Fire Ban (TFB) is declared on days when fires are most likely to threaten lives and property. This is because of predicted extreme fire weather or when there are already widespread fires and firefighting resources are stretched.
Occasionally TFBs may be declared outside of a fire season (such as in May or June) due to other factors such as higher temperatures and expected strong winds preceding a storm front.
On a Total Fire Ban day, it is illegal to light an open-air fire or conduct any activity that could start a fire. You can find the full list of prohibited activities below. Some of these activities are prescribed in the Bush Fires Regulations 1954 meaning they can be carried out during a TFB, providing you comply with the conditions listed here.
Businesses, public authorities or industries may be given an exemption for activities not prescribed in the Regulations, as long as conditions are met to ensure the activity does not start a fire. You can find more information about exemptions below.
You can view all declared bans on the Emergency WA website.
You could receive an infringement of $1,000 by police, local government or DFES for breaching a Total Fire Ban. Upon conviction, you could receive a fine of $25,000 and/or be jailed for 12 months.
If you see someone acting in a manner that breaches a TFB, contact the relevant local government authority directly. If the behaviour is related to arson, report this to police immediately, if it is an emergency, i.e. has caused a fire, call 000.
When a Total Fire Ban is in place, it’s important to be aware of what you can and can’t do. Here’s a list of FAQs to help you understand the rules during a TFB.
Hot work (welding and grinding), road work (grading and bituminising), off-road activity (using internal combustion engines on land with vegetation), gas flaring, and catering (cooking outside with an open flame or wood fuelled equipment) are some activities that no longer require an exemption during a total fire ban because they are now prescribed in the regulations.
If you are a business or a public authority, you can carry out these activities without an exemption if you meet the specific conditions outlined in the regulations that must be followed in order to carry out the work during a Total Fire Ban (TFB).
For a list of the full conditions required to carry out the work without an exemption during a total fire ban, please see the relevant fact sheet or checklist for each activity below.
Before conducting any of the prescribed activities during a Total Fire Ban, one of the regulatory conditions is to notify DFES and the relevant local government via this Online Notification Form at least 30 minutes prior to the activity commencing.
Some activities still require an exemption to be carried out during a Total Fire Ban if they involve the lighting or use of fire, or if they are deemed an activity that is likely to cause a fire, and they are not one of the activities already prescribed in the regulations, information here.
Fireworks, hot fire training, rail grinding, and religious and cultural ceremonies involving fire are all examples of work or activities that still require an exemption.
More information about applying for an exemption is below.
