Page 1066 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 3 May 2022
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your gutters are clear, preparing a survival plan kit and understanding the risks associated with your area.
The ACT government has made considerable investments in advancing the use of technology to support our preparedness and response to natural hazards. As I have highlighted to members previously, recent technological investments include the installation of fire detection cameras on all four of the ACT fire towers; the trial of automated rain gauge alerting for potential flash flooding in Sullivans Creek; and the introduction of an ESA radio positioning platform which improves the safety of our frontline personnel by allowing real-time viewing of the location of any radio user who has activated the emergency duress button.
Many of Canberra’s streams are in urbanised catchments and stream water levels can rise in a matter of minutes, giving little warning of the impending danger to lives and property. ACT Healthy Waterways, in partnership with ESA, ACT SES and the ACT Data Analysis Centre, are trialling a flash flood warning capability for the ACT.
Using the existing rainfall gauges and streamflow gauges across the ACT, the new capabilities within the ACT data lake are being used to provide an automated alerting service for ACT SES based on rainfall intensity and stream level changes. ACT government and the Bureau of Meteorology have numerous rain gauges in and around built-up areas across the ACT. The data from these rain gauges may be used to assist ACT SES and other government agencies 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.
In relation to aerial capability, the ACT, through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre, contracted one light helicopter with specialist intelligence-gathering capability and two medium helicopters to provide dedicated aerial firefighting services to the ACT for the 2021-22 bushfire season. The use of the SIG helicopter for the season provided a valuable asset in 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 and flood recovery efforts by allowing key decision-makers to better understand the extent of situations as they unfold. The SIG assisted New South Wales SES in the recent storm and flood events, providing data on flood level impacts and damage assessments.
Through its annual bushfire operations plan, PCS scheduled activities to manage fire fuels across the territory’s parks and reserves, including prescribed burns, fire trail maintenance, vegetation control, stock grazing in grassy areas, and grass slashing. Thanks to the ongoing work and commitment of our fantastic PCS team, a number of these activities have been completed, noting that many scheduled burns were disrupted due to wet weather.
Prescribed burns can only be delivered under particularly favourable weather conditions to ensure both crew and public safety, but also to ensure that the desired
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