Why we need a plan
Bush Fire Risk Management Plans are an effective instrument for managing risk to human activity and valued community and environmental assets. They are a key component in a multifaceted bush fire management approach for NSW.
We are planning together to manage bush fire risk in the Illawarra area by preparing a new five-year plan of strategies and actions.
How will your input be used
The data from the Have Your Say survey responses has been anonymously supplied to your area’s Bush Fire Management Committee. They will assess data collections rather than individual answers, so that they can establish a clearer community sentiment and gain insights from a large sample size.The personal details you submitted will be used to validate your submission and to allow notifications to be sent to you when the status of this BFRMP changes.
Our community
The Illawarra Bush Fire Management Committee area spans 112,930 hectares. The area covers the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama and features National Parks covering an area of 14,094ha (12.4% of the BMFC area).
The Illawarra area has approximately 96% bushland and 2% grassland with the balance being the built environment or water bodies. A bush or grass fire can happen at any time of the year, but the risk is higher during the warmer months, when bush, grass or scrub is drier.
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According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census Community Profile there are 86,119 residential dwellings in the Illawarra BFMC area with an approximate population of 202,171.
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According to the ABS data on the counts of Australian businesses, there were 7,329 businesses in the Illawarra BFMC area. The top three included construction, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services accounting for approximately 48% of businesses in the Illawarra BFMC area.
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The last major bush fire happened in the 2012/13 bush fire season with 1,387 hectares burned.
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There are several valuable community assets across the area along with a number of culturally significant sites and environmentally important sites.
Current Bush Fire Risk Management Plan for Illawarra
The Bush Fire Risk Management Plan for Illawarra was published on 30 March 2017.
These plans identify the bush fire risks in each location and sets out the types of work scheduled to deal with the risk of bush fires.
Bush Fire Risk Management Plans are updated within every five-year period, however, the treatments and works set out in the plans are subject to change on a yearly basis due to fire activity, weather and new risk factors. This plan may not have been updated with the latest treatment and works plans/information.
Illawarra Bush Fire Management Committee is made up of a range of stakeholders from the area including emergency services, land management agencies, local government and local aboriginal land services, and local community groups. This ensures key community stakeholders have a say on bush fire management activities for the benefit of their communities.
Illawarra Bush Fire Management Committee is made up of the following representatives:
- NSW Rural Fire Service
- NSW Department of Crown Lands
- Energy Australia
- Fire and Rescue NSW
- Local Aboriginal Land Council
- Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
- NSW Police Force
- Transport for NSW
- Wollongong City Council
- Kiama Council
- Shellharbour Council
- WaterNSW
- NSW Health
- Transgrid