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 Northern Tablelands 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 Northern Tablelands BFMC area spans 2,228,125ha. The area covers the Glen Innes Severn, Inverell and Tenterfield Local Government Areas (LGA) and features National Parks covering an area of 288,857ha (12.96% of BFMC area) and State Forests covering an area of 111,111ha (4.98% of BFMC area).
The Northern Tablelands area has approximately 64% bushland and 34% 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 16,665 residential dwellings in the Northern Tablelands BFMC area with an approximate population of 33,675.
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According to the ABS data on the counts of Australian businesses, there were 2,507 businesses in the Northern Tablelands BFMC. The top three included construction, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services and agriculture, fisheries and forestry accounting for approximately 73% of businesses in the Northern Tablelands BFMC area.
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The last major bush fires happened in the 2019/20 bush fire season with 502,834ha 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 Northern Tablelands
The Bush Fire Risk Management Plan for Northern Tablelands was published on 17 December 2018.
This plan identifies the bush fire risks in Northern Tablelands 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.
Northern Tablelands BFMC 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.
The Northern Tablelands BFMC is made up of the following representatives:
- NSW Rural Fire Service
- NSW Department of Crown Lands
- Essential Energy
- NSW Farmers' Association
- Fire and Rescue NSW
- Glen Innes Severn Council
- Inverell Shire Council
- Tenterfield Shire Council
- Local Aboriginal Land Councils
- Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
- Forestry Corporation of New South Wales
- NSW Police Force
- Transport for NSW
- John Holland Group
- Local Land Services