Page 74 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 9 February 2016
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Turning to community resilience and preparedness, the ACT Rural Fire Service has over 500 well-equipped and trained volunteer firefighters, and our community fire unit program has over 1,000 volunteers as an important community preparedness initiative for residents living on our urban-rural interface. The 2003 fires provided the ACT, Australia and the world with a new level of wisdom regarding bushfire behaviour. Significant scientific study has emerged in a range of areas, including the effects of smoke on weather patterns, the development of fire storms, fire channelling and pyro-tornadoes. What we have learnt is that the power generated by a large wildfire can be enormous and may be unable to be contained. Therefore, in a bad summer we cannot mitigate the risk of bushfire through suppression by fire crews and helicopters.
The science and lessons learnt since 2003 further tell us that we cannot save every property in a major wildfire. Fires are an interaction between the weather and terrain. At times their size and complexity will test the men and women of our emergency services beyond their capability to respond. 2003 has shown us that we must recognise our human limitations in responding to major wild fires and realise we cannot always provide absolute community protection.
When fire suppression is not possible, we need to evacuate people to safe places. Therefore, I am pleased to advise members that the government has a very robust evacuation and recovery planning framework, and our emergency response also harnesses a wide range of non-government organisations, such as Red Cross, St John Ambulance and a large number of community volunteers.
The standing committee notes that it has been 13 years since the 2003 Canberra bushfires and raises concerns around the potential for complacency. Let me assure the Assembly that the government and our emergency services are not complacent in their preparations and planning to combat bushfires and keep our community safe. (Extension of time granted.) To prevent complacency in the community, our emphasis must be on educating the community about bushfires and how they need to be prepared.
ESA continues to roll out the Canberra bushfire ready campaign and alert the community of the need to prepare for bushfires. Residents need to take their responsibilities for preparing bushfire survival plans seriously and, if threatened, implement their plans early. Bushfire survival plans involve the preparation of properties, keeping informed, having an emergency kit and knowing when to evacuate. The importance of ensuring this message reaches our community is demonstrated by our emergency personnel doorknocking homes in our bushfire-prone areas encouraging them to make preparations.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to be able to table this comprehensive response to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts report. Bushfire preparedness is a whole-of-government and whole-of-community requirement, working together to prevent and prepare for the threat of bushfire. The government response demonstrates to the Assembly that the work undertaken across ACT government directorates in relation to bushfire preparedness is comprehensive and effective.
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