Page 2904 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 October 2022
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La Niña event in a row. This outlook means that the ACT is more likely to experience an increase in storm and flood incidents.
Grass growth due to increased rain also increases the risk of fast-moving grass fires this summer during the hot periods. Canberrans should continue to prepare by taking actions to reduce the bushfire risks around and within their property, and to review their survival plans.
The ESA’s annual preparedness program ensures the ACT community is bushfire, flood and storm prepared. The ESA has undertaken both internal and external preparedness workshops with key stakeholders, including the delivery of both incident management and operational exercise programs to suitably qualified personnel.
Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, the ESA has worked tirelessly to maintain skills and keep up to date on current safe practices through virtual and online training and refreshers.
The ESA, in collaboration with Emergency Management Australia, hosted the jurisdictional, annual, high-risk weather season briefing in September. This briefing provided a shared understanding across the emergency management spectrum of the risks and preparedness for the upcoming high-risk weather season.
The ESA continues to undertake significant planning to ensure its operational capability is able to be maintained in a COVID-restricted environment. ESA remains well equipped to enact business continuity plans, should the need arise, whilst ensuring that Canberrans are kept safe during the high-risk weather season.
The ACT government has led the way on utilising technology as part of our emergency service response to natural hazards, and the ACT government will continue to invest in state-of-the-art appliances, tools and equipment that keep our volunteers and members safe during frontline operations. The ESA has also begun work on the design, manufacture and supply of the first low or zero emission operational emergency-service heavy vehicles.
The ACT has contracted one light helicopter with specialist intelligence gathering capability and two medium helicopters to provide dedicated aerial firefighting services to the ACT for the high-risk weather season. The use of the SIG helicopter for the season will provide a valuable asset in early detection and confirmation of active fires. The high definition and infrared camera on board will allow for imagery to be streamed into the ESA incident management room in real time, providing critical fire line and hotspot information.
PCS, through its annual Bushfire Operations Plan, has proposed over 650 activities to manage fire fuels across the territory’s parks and reserves. Fuel reduction activities include nearly 1,300 hectares of prescribed burns, including approximately 160 hectares of ecological burns and 20 hectares of cultural burns; approximately 450 kilometres of fire trail maintenance and upgrades; scheduling of over 100 kilometres and 200 hectares of chemical treatment of fuels, including fire trail verge vegetation control. There is over 1,000 hectares of physical fuel removal, close to 4,000 hectares of stock grazing across unleased territory land and over
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