Page 3929 - Week 11 - Thursday, 26 September 2019
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support and shared training between ESA and EPSDD. This will enhance the already sound capability in the ACT. An interdirectorate steering committee, led by senior officials in the Justice and Community Safety Directorate and EPSDD, has resulted in all of the recommendations of the review being implemented.
The continuation of exceptionally dry conditions that have existed across the ACT over the past 18 months have significantly impacted the ability to deliver these burns in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The parks and conservation service monitor and review conditions on a weekly basis and are ready to commence hazard reduction operations as soon as the weather allows.
Fortunately, conditions over the autumn, winter and spring have allowed for a number of effective burns to be implemented. This has included ecological and research burns, which have studied the impact on regeneration compared with burns conducted in spring and autumn. The ACT Rural Fire Service continues to assist the parks and conservation service to complete these burns.
As part of the 2019-20 budget I announced $2.184 million to be allocated to contract the use of an additional medium helicopter in partnership with New South Wales to combat bushfires. The additional resource will be available during the 2019-20 bushfire season and will fully implement this government’s election commitment.
Another area of focus is community engagement which has developed over the past five years especially in the use of social media and digital platforms to provide critical information to the community. Motivating desired community behaviour remains a challenging space, of course, and the capability to inform the community in the event of an emergency remains key. Part of the ESA’s community information plan includes educating the community on the bushfire warning messages used by ESA and where to find information during an emergency. Support from community fire units, or CFUs, the Canberra be ready education program and ongoing support of community events continues to encourage our community to prepare themselves for bushfire.
CFUs are a valued volunteer service made up of local residents who live close to bushland areas across Canberra. On 12 October 2019, which is CFU Saturday, units across Canberra will meet at a number of locations such as local shops, parks and bushfire-prone areas to conduct community education activities. I encourage Canberrans to meet and speak with their local CFUs and consider joining.
Under the Canberra be ready program the ESA doorknock houses in the bushfire prone areas each year to help residents understand their risk and how they can take steps to prepare their family and property. In 2019-20 ESA will be revisiting those homes doorknocked in preparation for the 2018-19 bushfire season to assess the impact of the campaign and its effectiveness to raise the level of awareness, and to understand whether residents undertook preparedness activities following the doorknock.
Another major community awareness activity is the Emergency Services Agency open day to be held on 3 November 2019 at ESA headquarters in Fairbairn. The open
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