Page 72 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 February 2016
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Turning to strategic planning and risk analysis, I mentioned earlier that the strategic bushfire management plan version 3 was tabled in the Assembly in September 2014. The bill provides the framework for our planning, prevention, preparedness, response and recovery arrangements for bushfire. The SBMP brings together all the necessary ingredients that are fundamental to preventing fires starting, preventing the spread of fire and reducing the effect of bushfire. This includes strategies in relation to reducing bushfire emissions, implementing bushfire fuel reduction programs, providing appropriate land use policy and planning regulations, the development of bushfire management standards and preparing the community for bushfire.
As part of the large suite of activities that are undertaken each year, ESA conducts risk assessments on the vegetation throughout the ACT. This analysis drives our comprehensive risk mitigation and treatment strategies. Canberrans can be assured that the level of planning undertaken to protect the ACT from fire is well developed and comprehensive.
Turning to response capability and planning, in relation to the ACT’s preparedness since 2003, the government has invested significantly in our emergency services capability, including new fleet acquisitions and station upgrades for both ACT Fire & Rescue and Rural Fire Service response units, additional personnel for ACT Fire & Rescue, improved communications and personal protective equipment, a new ESA headquarters with improved incident management facilities, a new training centre and helibase at Hume, and contracted helicopters for bush firefighting during the bushfire season.
ESA finalised a strategic bushfire capability framework in June last year, and that framework is also attached to the government’s response. The framework was a recommendation of the Auditor-General, who suggested that the ACT should describe our target level of service to ensure we have adequate response capability and resources on hand. ESA’s strategic bushfire capability framework sets measurable targets in relation to the level of service needed to be provided to the community. The framework outlines the ACT’s level of bushfire capability and a number of areas where the ACT is either investing additional resources or monitoring our requirements.
Beyond a certain level of bushfire size and complexity the ACT will rely upon supplementary capability from interstate resources which can significantly increase our overall response capability. A recent example is the Hercules brought into lay retardant lines on the remote fire near Mt Clear in the south of the ACT on 19 December last year. Our capability is appropriate to manage a reasonably predicted level of risk in the territory and arrangements are in place with other jurisdictions to seek their assistance when needed.
The ACT has well-tested emergency management arrangements. The whole-of-government emergency coordination centre can be activated for all types of emergency, including bushfire. The ECC involves liaison officers from ACT government directorates, commonwealth agencies and utility operators coming together in order to coordinate the full resources of the government, infrastructure providers and the community in responding to an emergency.
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