A number of fire risk reduction actions have been instigated at the Stawell tyre stockpile.
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Northern Grampians Shire Council has reassured residents that Council and emergency services are continually working on the issue in the wake of a large tyre blaze in Melbourne’s north.
Authorities are working daily to continue to reduce the risks.
Shire Mayor Cr Murray Emerson said authorities, including council, have been working hard to ensure the safety of residents should the Stawell pile be threatened by fire.
Cr Emerson said that to date, a number of large volume fire hydrants had been installed and power delivered to the site to ensure the efficacy of the emergency services that would need to respond to such a fire.
“The tyre pile has also been split into a number of smaller piles to allow better access for fire trucks, with enough room between the mounds to allow the movement of fire trucks,” he said.
“The council is acutely aware of the fire risk at the site and with other emergency services, is working diligently to minimise the risks and protect our residents as much as possible.”
Cr Emerson said a working group made up of council, the Country Fire Authority (CFA), Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is working daily on risk reduction actions at the Stawell tyre pile site.
Cr Emerson said this work was continuing to see significant improvement at the site.
The site is owned by Used Tyre Recycling Corporation (UTCR), which is working with council and authorities to reduce the fire risks.
UTRC is expected to start shredding the tyres on site by the end of this month. The project will start reducing the pile with the company aiming to use the material to produce recyclable resources.
Used Tyre Recycling Corporation chief executive, Dr Matthew Starr, said the company was working well with authorities and had invested considerable resources to help make the site more secure and reduce its fire risk.
“Within the next 12 months we expect to have invested $10 million in infrastructure in Stawell,” Dr Starr said.
“We are very serious about reducing the stockpile and as soon as our processing plant is operational, we will be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to do just this.”
Under the State Planning Policy Framework, UTRC will require a planning permit to develop a recycling facility or transfer station on the site. It is likely that if the planning permit is granted, a building permit will also be required.