Councillors were presented with Latrobe City's response to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission Interim Report at Monday night's meeting which detailed changes made to comply with the report's recommendations.

Mr Buckley told The Express changes that had not yet been made would be the most difficult. ``The refuges and neighbourhood safer places will be the most challenging for us,'' Mr Buckley said.

The State Government is currently reviewing its fire refuge policy which will set out guidelines for identifying refuge sites. A new policy is expected to be in place before June next year.

Mr Buckley said council would work with the CFA to identify refuges and neighbourhood safer places once the criteria was set.

``I think there will be some areas it won't be possible to meet the criteria,'' he said.

``I would assume the criteria would be a clear area unlikely to be threatened by fire and easily defended.

``If those assumptions are correct, there's going to be real difficulty.''

The report recommended councils review their Municipal Emergency Management Plans (MEMPs).

According to a council officer's report, council reviewed its plan in 2008 and in response to the report recommendations, reviewed the section of the plan which identifies relief centres.

Those set out were the Moe Town Hall, Latrobe Performing Arts Centre in Traralgon and Kernot Hall, Morwell.

They will not act as neighbourhood safer places on days of extreme or catastrophic fire danger. The MEMP is subject to ongoing review. The officer's report states until fire refuges were identified, council's recommendation to residents and visitors would be ``to leave well in advance of a fire event and be guided by the CFA's advice''.

Mr Buckley said regular fire prevention activities would continue this fire season. He said fire prevention inspections of properties would start this week and owners of properties who did not comply with standards would be issued with a notice.