A draft of the first Illawarra Bush Fire Risk Management Plan in a decade went on public exhibition yesterday and the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) is calling on everyone to share their feedback
Last updated in 2015, the plan aims to protect the community and its assets by describing the level of risk and ways to reduce it.
“The biggest difference with this plan is that it is using the latest fire modelling, from a program called Phoenix,” said Bush Fire Risk Management Committee Executive Officer, Acting District Manager Insp David Bartlett.
The Phoenix program is different to Athena, which the RFS uses day to day to predict what a fire will do under current weather conditions. The PHOENIX RapidFire program can model fuel, topographic conditions and multiple weather scenarios in multiple locations, coming up with myriad fire possibilities.
“What it does is works on putting numerous fires in the landscape, hypothetically, and running about a thousand to 10,000 sort of scenarios across the landscape as to what may happen under different weather conditions," Insp Bartlett said.
"And it works out what the impact might be to residential homes, or economic assets, cultural assets and environmental assets.
“That information then allows the bushfire management committee, as well as the public now, to make informed decisions on what we need to do to mitigate that risk over the next five years.”
Insp Bartlett said Bush Fire Risk Management Plans generally last for five years and the new draft was held up due to the mapping technology.
“It's taken some time for us to go through this new modelling process across the state,” he said. “The current plan was still certainly relevant.
“Those sites that we've identified in the landscape for hazard reduction burning, and for asset protection zone work, so clearing in behind houses – the modelling that's been run as part of this process has really just verified what we know and what we've already put in place.
"So it's not always telling us a new way of doing things. It also helps us verify to say, 'Yes, what we've been doing in the past and what we know is certainly the right path forward'.”
The plan on exhibition contains six maps, showing the risk to residential properties, economic assets, environmental zones (including vulnerable flora and threatened species), Aboriginal cultural assets, historic heritage sites and a Fuel Management Register with a list of hazard-reduction activities and fire breaks, as well as key focus areas.
The five focus areas singled out in the plan are:
- Darkes Forest, home to Glenbernie, the last commercial orchard in the area;
- Garrawarra, with its aged care centre and vulnerable residents;
- Helensburgh to Stanwell Tops, where the plan notes: “There is potential during periods of elevated fire danger rating for rapid impact upon nearby assets”;
- Scarborough to Mount Pleasant – “The towns contain steep roads, residential homes, schools, hospitals, infrastructure and mining that is extremely vulnerable in the event there is a bushfire, given its location on the escarpment, limited access routes and proximity to the National Park”;
- Carrington Falls, a popular recreational spot, also home to commercial businesses including Treetops Adventures and a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, and “several telecommunication towers and assets”.
The draft Bush Fire Risk Management Plan has been in the works for the past 18 months to prepare for the community consultation phase.
“It's up for exhibition now until the 1st of June,” said Insp Bartlett. “If people need to speak to anybody in regards to it, they can contact us here at the fire control centre, that's no problem. Happy to talk through parts of the plan with people.
“If people have got some comments, issues, concerns, this is their opportunity to let us know. Because once we get on the other side of 1st of June, this plan will be in place for the next five years and what we'll work towards.”
The draft plan can be viewed online, at Wollongong, Shellharbour, & Kiama Council libraries; and at RFS Illawarra District Office, 37 Airport Road, Albion Park Rail.
There are three ways to comment: online, via email or post.
- Online feedback via the RFS website
- Email: C/- BFMC Executive Officer Illawarra.sutherland@rfs.nsw.gov.au
- Post: C/- Executive Officer, Illawarra BFMC, PO Box 375, Albion Park 2527