Page 2021 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 4 June 2019
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safety and wearability. The more modern designs are better fitting, allowing less restricted movements, and provide for male and female cuts.
The benefit of 15 years of strategic planning and actions undertaken to mitigate our most extreme risk through the strategic bushfire management plan, SBMP, has seen many of the bushfire risks mitigated this season. The SBMP provides a planned and measured approach to managing the risk of bushfire in the territory and is reviewed every five years and presented to this Assembly.
All actions in the SBMP version 3 are in the final stages of completion, which culminates five years of work from across numerous areas of government. Preparations for SBMP version 4 are well underway, with the views of community members and key stakeholders being sought. A draft version of the SBMP version 4 will be released for public consultation in the near future and the final version will be presented to the Assembly later this year.
The early declaration of the bushfire season had a minimal impact on the fire preparedness of the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, EPSDD. Fire preparedness is a year-round function within the ACT parks and conservation service, and crews continually engage in implementing required works under the EPSDD bushfire operations plan 2018-19. The EPSDD delivered a range of bushfire preparedness activities including prescribed burning, strategic stock grazing, fire trail maintenance and upgrades and slashing of fuels. Essential activities such as fire training, seasonal recruitment and establishment of contracts for slashing and heavy plant were all ongoing.
Hazard reduction burns in the ACT are one of many important activities undertaken to protect life, property and the environment. Since the 2003 fires a comprehensive mosaic of hazard reduction burns has been implemented across the ACT by the ACT parks and conservation service.
The exceptionally dry period that has existed across the ACT over the past 18 months has significantly impacted the ability to deliver these burns in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The parks and conservation service, however, monitor and review conditions on a weekly basis and are ready to commence hazard reduction operations as soon as the weather allows. More recently hazard reduction burns were undertaken during the early part of 2018 during favourable weather conditions. ACT RFS also continues to assist the PCS to complete these burns.
These activities are all outlined in the approved and published 2018-19 EPSDD BOP. This year’s EPSDD BOP contained over 700 separate tasks aimed at collectively preparing the territory for bushfire. I note the ACT Bushfire Council’s acknowledgement of the work completed against the 2017-18 EPSDD BOP, given the difficulty of decreasing windows of opportunity to safely conduct hazard reduction burns as the climate changes.
The Chief Officer of the ACT State Emergency Service coordinated a doorknock campaign in the lead-up to the bushfire season, targeting an increased number of properties in areas of bushfire risk. Throughout October and November last year ESA
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