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Fire behaviour specialists, improved hazard reduction to protect community

Published Date: 01 Apr 2016

Summary

Rural firefighters will be supported by fire behaviour specialists and weather balloons, as well as additional crews tasked with mid-week hazard reduction, to help better protect communities from the risk of bushfire.

The initiatives are part of the NSW Government’s combined response to the recommendations of the Parliamentary and Coronial inquiries into the Wambelong fire in 2013.

Four new fire behaviour specialists, weather balloons and portable weather stations will allow the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) to get on the spot assessments of atmospheric conditions at large bushfires in regional areas.

Furthermore, ten additional full-time mitigation crews will increase the level of hazard reduction work in NSW, supporting the Government’s commitment to protect almost 600,000 homes through hazard reduction activities by 2019.

The NSW Government has committed to giving the NSW RFS the powers it needs to create an improved, standardised and integrated fire trail network across the state.

“I would like to once again commend the efforts of our frontline firefighters and all those who supported them through the bushfire and the recovery efforts that followed,” Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott said.

The responses are available here.