Fire Access and Fire Trail (FAFT) Plans
NSW is one of the most bush fire-prone regions in the world. As communities continue to grow and expand into bushland areas, maintaining safe and reliable access for firefighters has become increasingly important.
Fire Access and Fire Trail (FAFT) Plans help ensure firefighters can access areas at risk of bush fire safely and efficiently. These plans identify and prioritise a strategic network of fire trails and access routes across the landscape to support bush fire prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities.
Under the Rural Fires Act 1997, each Bush Fire Management Committee (BFMC) is required to prepare and maintain a FAFT Plan for its area.
What is a FAFT Plan?
A FAFT Plan identifies the strategic network of fire trails and access routes required to support bush fire operations within a BFMC area.
The plan records the location of identified fire trails and access routes and outlines any works required to ensure they remain suitable for operational use.
FAFT Plans are developed collaboratively by local BFMCs, with input from firefighters, land managers, government agencies, local councils and other stakeholders.
The plans provide a strategic framework for the ongoing management and improvement of the fire trail network and help guide investment in fire trail infrastructure across NSW.
Why are fire trails important?
Fire trails play a critical role in bush fire management by providing firefighters with access to remote areas and strategic locations during bush fire operations.
An effective fire trail network supports:
- Rapid response to bush fires
- Safe access and egress for firefighting personnel and vehicles
- Hazard reduction activities
- Fire suppression operations
- Asset protection and community safety
- Coordination of emergency response efforts
Fire trails may also be used by land managers for emergency management and land management purposes.
Not all roads, tracks or management trails are fire trails. Only those identified through the FAFT planning process and recorded within an endorsed FAFT Plan form part of the strategic fire trail network.
How FAFT Plans are developed
The FAFT planning process combines local operational knowledge with contemporary bush fire risk modelling to identify the most effective fire trail network for the future.
The planning process considers a range of factors including:
- Bush fire risk and fire behaviour modelling
- Landscape characteristics and terrain
- Access requirements for firefighting operations
- Community and asset protection needs
- Environmental and cultural heritage considerations
- Existing road and trail networks
- Land management objectives
Each plan is developed through a series of workshops and consultation activities involving RFS volunteers and staff, public land managers, local councils, utility providers and other government agencies and BFMC members. This collaborative approach ensures local knowledge and operational experience are incorporated into planning decisions.
How volunteers contribute
Local RFS volunteers possess valuable knowledge of fire behaviour, local terrain, access limitations and operational challenges within their communities. Volunteer participation is a critical component of the FAFT planning process.
Throughout plan development, local brigades are consulted to:
- Identify access issues and operational constraints
- Review existing fire trails and access routes
- Recommend improvements or new strategic trails
- Share lessons learned from previous incidents
- Assist in validating bush fire risk and operational modelling outcomes
This local knowledge helps ensure the strategic fire trail network reflects real-world operational requirements and remains practical and effective for firefighting operations.
Fire trails on private land
In some circumstances, a BFMC may identify the need for a strategic fire trail that traverses private land.
Where this occurs, the RFS works closely with landholders to explore appropriate arrangements for access and maintenance.
A Private Land Agreement (PLA) may be established to enable the construction, maintenance and use of a fire trail for bush fire management purposes. These agreements clearly define responsibilities and provide a framework for managing access while respecting private property rights. The RFS consults directly with affected landholders throughout this process.
For more information, please refer to the Private Land Agreement Fact Sheet.
Treatment Registers and work programs
FAFT Plans establish a long-term vision for the strategic fire trail network. Each FAFT Plan includes an initial treatment horizon of five years. To support implementation, each BFMC develops a Treatment Register that identifies and prioritises works required across the fire trail network.
These works are then scheduled through annual work programs and delivered by the responsible land managers and agencies. This staged approach allows improvements to be delivered progressively over time while ensuring resources are directed towards the highest-priority locations.
Current FAFT Plans
For a list of current FAFT Plans for each BFMC, please click here.
Next Generation Fire Access and Fire Trail Plans
Over the coming years, every Bush Fire Management Committee across NSW will develop a Next Generation Fire Access and Fire Trail Plan.
This new planning framework combines advanced bush fire risk modelling, strategic planning principles and local operational expertise to create a more integrated and effective fire trail network across the state.
The next generation approach seeks to:
- Improve firefighter access to high-risk areas
- Support community and asset protection
- Better align fire trail planning across land tenures and agency boundaries
- Improve prioritisation of future investment
- Enhance operational readiness
- Establish a consistent statewide planning methodology
The result will be a strategic network of fire trails that supports bush fire management outcomes now and into the future.
For more information on the next generation FAFT planning process please see the Next Generation FAFT Plans fact sheet.
More Information
For further information regarding Fire Access and Fire Trail Plans, or to learn more about the Next Generation FAFT Planning Program, please contact your local Fire Control Centre.
Alternatively, email fire.trails@rfs.nsw.gov.au
