Page 667 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 31 March 2021
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the new capabilities within the ACT Data Lake are being used to provide an automated alerting service for ACTSES based on rainfall intensity and stream level changes.
The ACT government and the Bureau of Meteorology have numerous rain gauges in and around the built-up areas of the ACT. The data from these rain gauges can be used to assist ACTSES and other government agencies to make rapid operational decisions and increase the visibility of flash flood events as they happen, to ensure that the Canberra community are prepared and safe during these types of events.
In relation to aerial capability, the ACT, through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, NAFC, contracted one light helicopter with specialist intelligence gathering capability and two medium helicopters to provide dedicated aerial firefighting services to the ACT for the 2020-21 bushfire season. One of the medium helicopters is through a shared contract with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
The SIG helicopter used for the season provided a valuable asset for the early detection and confirmation of active fires. The high definition and infrared camera on board allows imagery to be streamed into the ESA incident management room in real time, providing critical fire line and hotspot information. This significantly enhances bushfire fighting operations by allowing key decision-makers to better understand the extent of situations as they unfold.
Whilst, thankfully, the conditions of the season did not warrant the use of the helicopter too often, the SIG helicopter was utilised in other ways to keep Canberrans safe. For example, it helped ACT police to locate an 18-year-old missing person in the Cotter Dam area and to investigate a smoke sighting in rugged bushland in the Blue Range area that was determined to be dust in high winds.
The ACT Parks and Conservation Service, through its annual bushfire operation plan, has scheduled over 700 activities to manage fire fuels across the territory’s parks and reserves. This year has seen the scheduling of the following fuel reduction activities across areas managed by PCS and Transport Canberra and City Services: 1,958 hectares of prescribed burns; 483 kilometres of fire trail maintenance; 490 kilometres of chemical treatment of fuels, including fire trail verge vegetation control; 4,505 hectares of stock grazing in grassy areas; and 4,273 hectares of grass slashing.
Thanks to the ongoing work and commitment of our fantastic PCS team, a significant number of these activities have been completed, noting that four prescribed burns were delivered in late February and many other burns are scheduled to be delivered later this year. It is important to note that prescribed burns can only be delivered under particularly favourable weather conditions, to ensure both crew and public safety but also to ensure the desired reduction in the fire fuels. If conditions are too wet, too windy or too dry and hot, prescribed burning cannot be carried out.
The clear expert consensus following the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements is that while hazard reduction burns are part of a toolkit, they have a limited impact on reducing fire risk under extreme weather conditions. Their
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