Bushfire Risk Management Framework in Western Australia

1. A Framework for Bushfire Risk Management in Western Australia MURRAY CARTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR| RURAL FIRE DIVISION DEPARTMENT OF FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

2. Why? • Western Australia is one of the most bushfire prone areas on the planet • We experience a large number of fires annually • The frequency and severity of these will continue to increase as a result of changing climate without intervention • Significant occurrence of natural (lightning caused) fires • These ranged between 174 (2008/09) and 610 (2015/16) per annum over last ten years • Fire triangle - manage fuel!

3. Swing the pendulum back! • From response and recovery to managing risk • Australian Productivity Commission – Natural Disaster Funding (2015) • WA Government – Rural Fire Reforms (April 2018) • Interdepartmental Committee (IDC) – Bushfire Mitigation on Crown Land

4. Where are we currently at? • Many varied approaches to managing bushfire risk across WA • Across the WA “fire agencies” – DFES, DBCA and local government – two different, complementary approaches (equally valid!)

5. DBCA Bushfire Risk Management Framework • Focussed on the land it manages (landscape scale) • Details the principles and rationale for programming fuel management • State divided into eight Bushfire Risk Management Zones (BRMZ) – each with a characteristic risk profile • Each BRMZ further divided into four fire management areas (FMAs) • Indicators of acceptable risk are set for each FMA • These indicators are then a key input into the agencies strategic and program level planning for fuel management

6. The DFES / local government approach

7. Bushfire Risk Management Plan (key features) • Local government based • Tenure blind • Identifies bushfire risk at the strategic level and prioritises areas of the LG for further risk assessment • Identifies assets (four categories) at risk from bushfire – rates risk and identifies priority for treatment • Determines appropriate treatment strategy to reduce risk to an acceptable level • Assigns accountability – “those that own the land own the risk” • Once BRMP approved by OBRM access is available to the Mitigation Activity Fund (MAF) for crown land.

8. Treatment Strategies (BRMP Guidelines) • Fuel management • Ignition management • Preparedness • Planning • Community engagement • Other??

9. BRMP – Progress to date • 45 LGs active in the program • 28 Plans approved by OBRM • Over 21,000 assets identified and recorded in the BRM System • Over 5,000 of these assigned a treatment in the system • Incentivising through the MAF has been the key!!

10. Where to next? • Continue to grow the BRMP program (& revise Guidelines) • Integrate the current frameworks to the extent they can be (IDC) • Build capability – WA Bushfire Centre of Excellence

11. WA Bushfire Centre of Excellence (BCoE) Focus areas: • Training • Knowledge Management • Engagement and Outreach • Business Management

12. BCoE - Training • Development and delivery of bushfire management and prescribed burning training • Strengthening regional and local delivery • Prescribed burning training includes both “Introduction to Prescribed Burning” and “Prescribed Burning”

13. BCoE – Knowledge Management • Traditional fire knowledge and practice • Academic understanding of bushfire, its risk and management • Lessons learned through experience working with bushfire and its risk

14. BCoE – Engagement and Outreach • Strengthen partnerships and relationships within the sector • Enhance communication across the sector and wider community • Small dedicated team to coordinate this function

15. Questions?