Do you know who is responsible for the bushland and grassland near your home? Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
There’s no simple fix when it comes to keeping the Illawarra bushfire safe, but if you worry about the fuel load in nearby bushland there are some things you can do.
The first thing is identifying who is responsible for the patch. Forestry, Crown Lands, Wollongong City Council and private owners all have oversight of significant swathes of our region.
The Illawarra Bushfire Management Committee brings together representatives from NSW Fire and Rescue, the Rural Fire Service, energy providers, Crown Lands, Transport NSW, Parks and Wildlife and Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama councils to decide how best to manage bushfire risk.
Wollongong City Council Natural Areas Coordinator Greg Fikkers said the council managed just shy of 400 areas critical to defending homes and infrastructure from fire.
Asset protection zones, or APZs, are managed to provide a defendable space for firefighting and reduce radiant heat impact on nearby homes.
APZ works involve the removal of fuels from site, managing vegetation and working with fire agencies to undertake planned pile burns when conditions are appropriate.
“We make sure they’re up to RFS standards, conduct fuel reduction and follow the guidelines set by the RFS handbook on everything from the amount of leaf litter on the ground to the density of live vegetation,” he said.
“These areas can be bushland or grassland, in the escarpment or on the coastal fringe.
“We can face challenges. On hot windy days it isn’t safe to burn, but if there’s too much moisture pile burns can be affected by that.
“Access can be an issue in steeply sloping areas, especially when it’s as wet as it has been for the past few years.”
At a more personal level, there are a few programs available to support anyone who is keen to reduce fire risk in their neighbourhood.
Wollongong City Council’s Fiready Program is similar to Landcare – you can get involved with a local branch to help with the removal of weeds, reduction of fuel load, and work with other fire management agencies to conduct pile burns.
The council, Fire and Rescue NSW and the Rural Fire Service work with high-risk communities – those closest to the escarpment – on community protection plans.
The NSW Rural Fire Service’s AIDER program is a free, one-off service for the elderly, disabled or infirm.
Volunteers help make homes safer by thinning vegetation, clearing gutters and trimming branches.
NSW Fire and Rescue also offer free home safety visits to install fire alarms, check the batteries of existing fire alarms and offer personalised safety advice.
If you’re unsure where to go, your local council can be a good first stop.
“We’re only a phone call away,” said Greg.
Loading ...
