RSCH.016.001.1136 - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

RSCH.016.001.1161
Bushfires 21
· Cooperation and stakeholder participation varies across districts;
· That the dual accountability issue for Fire Control Officers had not been resolved;
· Communications require improvement and further work – with respect to radio
communications in particular;
· Aircraft have limited effectiveness in bushfire suppression;
· There is a need for adequate post fire evaluation;
· There is a duplication of resources (stations, equipment and personnel) in many areas
of the state;
· There is no automatic linkage of Standards of Fire Cover (SOFC) to the resource
bidding process;
· Hazard reduction strategies need improvement and greater guidance and assistance
needs to be provided to local communities in this regard;
· There is an uneven distribution of trainers and assessors in NSW which has led to
varying fire fighting competency levels.
The Government and Rural Fire Service have made several changes in response to the
Auditor-General’s report, most notably the dual accountability of Fire Control Officers.
From July 1 2001 the Officers were transferred from local government employment to the
control of the Rural Fire Service.
3.4 NSW Legislative Council, General Purpose Standing Committee No 5, Report
on Inquiry into the NSW Rural Fire Service, June 2000.
The Committee self referred its reference to inquire and report on the adequacy of fire
suppression services provided by the Rural Fire Service. Apart from the Auditor-General’s
Report as noted above, the Committee’s review of the Service was the first since the new
Act commenced. The Committee noted that there had clearly been a transformation of the
Service in the last decade. It identified a move towards a more professional Service with
a greater emphasis on safety. It was also acknowledged by the Committee that the Service
was very responsive to the Inquiry, which pre-empted the need to make recommendations
in certain areas. 48
The Legislative Council Committee made recommendations on a wide diversity of issues,
including: distribution of resources; training; communications; and roles and duties of Fire
Control Officers.
4.0 BUSHFIRE HAZARD REDUCTION WORKS
A recurring debate throughout the bushfire and fire ecology literature, as well as the wider
community, is the effectiveness of hazard reduction burns in controlling bushfires. This
48
NSW Legislative Council, General Purpose Standing Committee No 5, Report on Inquiry into
the NSW Rural Fire Service. Report No 6 June 2000 at xv.