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 Lake George 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 Lake George BFMC area spans 531,828 hectares (ha). The area covers the Local Government Area (LGA) of Queanbeyan Palerang and features National Parks covering an area of 84,040ha (15.08% of BFMC area) and State Forest covering an area of 23,605ha (4.43% of BFMC area).
The Lake George area has approximately 37% bushland and 61% 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 26,503 residential dwellings in the Queanbeyan Palerang area with an approximate population of 63,304.
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According to the ABS data on the counts of Australian businesses, there were 4,900 businesses in the Lake George BFMC. The top three included construction, professional, scientific and technical services and agriculture, fisheries and forestry accounting for approximately 50% of businesses in the Lake George BFMC.
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The last major bush fires happened in the 2019/20 bush fire season with 128,508ha burnt.
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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 Lake George
The Bush Fire Risk Management Plan for Lake George was prepared under one BFMC.
The Lake George BFRMP was approved on 26 July 2018.
This BFRMP identifies the bush fire risks in Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council area and sets out the types of work scheduled to deal with the risk of bush fires.
BFRMPs 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 information.
Lake George BFMC is made up of a range of stakeholders from the area including emergency services, land management agencies, local government, 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.
Lake George BFMC is made up of the following representatives:
- NSW Rural Fire Service
- Department of Industry (Crown Lands)
- Department of Defence
- NSW Farmers' Association
- Fire and Rescue NSW
- Forestry Corporation of NSW
- Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council
- Batemans Bay, Bodalla, Cobowra, Mogo, Ngambri, Pejar and Ulladulla Local Aboriginal Land Councils
- Nature Conservation Council of NSW
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
- NSW Police Force
- Transport for NSW
- John Holland Group
- Water NSW
- ACT Rural Fire Service
- Transgrid
- Essential Energy