A Nation Charred: Report on the inquiry into bushfires

EXH.160.0235
202 A NATION CHARRED
Decline of volunteers in land management
6.44 The majority of evidence received by the Committee on the role of
volunteers related to fire suppression activities. However, there was
significant reference to the role of volunteers in implementing land
practices that mitigated the treat of severe bushfire.
6.45 Mr Peter Webb contended that there is a significant disparity between
the responsibilities of the NPWS and the resources made available to
it. This has resulted in a situation where:
the <strong>Nation</strong>al Parks and Wildlife Service are in fact poorly
resourced for fire control, yet they manage and have
jurisdiction over a very, very large area of land. Put simply,
they rely on the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales to
help them control fires and they are calling on them to help
them do hazard reduction work. That would work all right if
the Rural Fire Service personnel were in fact given the
authority and were tasked and if the fire control operation
were set up with the Rural Fire Service in control. 41
6.46 However, evidence from volunteer fire brigades suggested that
under-resourced land management agencies are now limiting the
involvement of volunteers in land management activities designed to
mitigate the severity of bushfire such as prescribed burning.
6.47 The Colo Heights Rural Fire Brigade stated that:
Over recent times, the <strong>Nation</strong>al Parks and Wildlife Service
have greatly reduced hazard reduction within the parks
situated in the Colo Heights area and have actively
discouraged hazard reduction by local Rural Fire Brigades. 42
6.48 The Rushworth Fire Brigade described the development and decline
of a working relationship between a volunteer fire brigade and the
DSE in Victoria in fuel reduction activities:
For some 20 years the brigade had burnt private land, shire
land and crown land, to reduce the fuel load and clean up
tracts of land so that they would become lineal breaks should
a significant fire threaten the town.
Years ago a fire protection plan was instigated … for a
coordinated fuel reduction in the forest surrounding the town
and with the [Department of Natural Resources and
Environment] coordinating this jointly.
41 Peter Webb, Transcript of Evidence, 14 July 2003, p. 4.
42 Colo Heights Rural Fire Brigade, Submission no. 154, p. 1.