South West Slopes Bush Fire Risk Management Plan
Under the Rural Fires Act 1997 the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee (BFCC) must constitute a Bush Fire Management Committee (BFMC) for each area in the State, which is subject to the risk of bush fires. Each BFMC is required to prepare and submit to the BFCC a Bush Fire Risk Management Plan (BFRMP).
A BFRMP is a strategic document that identifies community assets at risk and sets out a five-year program of coordinated multi-agency treatments to reduce the risk of bush fire to the assets. Treatments may include such things as hazard reduction burning, grazing, community education, fire trail maintenance and establishing community fireguard groups.
Annual programs to implement the treatments identified in this plan will be undertaken by the relevant land managers and fire fighting authorities.
In exercising its functions under the Rural Fires Act 1997, including the preparation of a bush fire risk management plan, the South West Slopes BFMC is required to have regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development. This document and the accompanying maps together form the BFRMP for the South West Slopes BFMC area.
This BFRMP has been prepared by the South West Slopes BFMC and covers both public and private lands. This BFRMP must be reviewed and updated within each successive five-year period from the constitution of the BFMC.
The BFCC recognises that climate change has the potential to increase bush fire risk. The risk assessment process applied in this BFRMP is based on current climatic conditions. The BFCC will monitor information on climate change and will modify the process when necessary.
Aim and Objectives of the BFRMP
The aim of this BFRMP is to minimise the risk of adverse impact of bush fires on life, property and the environment.
The objectives of this BFRMP are to: (1) reduce the number of human-induced bush fire ignitions that cause damage to life, property and the environment; (2) manage fuel to reduce the rate of spread and intensity of bush fires, while minimising environmental/ecological impacts; (3) increase the community’s resilience to bush fires by improving its preparedness, response and recovery; (4) provide advice and strategies to plan, prepare and implement activities to effectively contain fires with the potential to cause damage to life, property, infrastructure and environmental, economic, cultural, agricultural and community assets.