Christopher Amol John Whittington Chief Officer Secretary Tasmania Fire Service Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Tasmania’S Submission
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GPO Box 1526 HOBART TAS 7001 Australia Ph 1300 135 513 Tasmania Fire Service Email [email protected] Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committees on Environment and Communications PO Box 6100 Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Sir/Nadam Please find attached Tasmania's submission to the Environment and Communications References Committee's inquiry into the response to, and lessons learnt from, recent bushfires in remote Tasmanian wilderness affecting the Tasmanian WildernessWorid Heritage Area (TWWHA). Tasmania has well-established emergency management arrangementsthat are robust, well-practised and reflect world best practice in remote area fire management. Operational activities in response to the fires were prioritised using a risk assessment approach consistent with the National Emergency RiskAssessment Guidelines (NERAG). This included consideration ofthe impact of fires on natural and cultural heritage values, as well as life and critical infrastructure. Tasmania's submission highlightsthat the response to the fires was largely successful in protecting the community, infrastructure and many natural values in Tasmania over a two-month period during which over 600 bushfires impacted the state. It also provides important historical context for the environmental impact ofthe recent fires. It is important to note that Tasmania is independently examining a number of issues relevant to the terms of reference for the inquirythrough: . the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Council's (AFAC) review ofthe response of Tasmania'sfire management agenciesto the recent bushfires, including: incident management arrangements; resourcing decisions; communication activities and procedures; and steps taken to protect the TWWHA; and . a $250 000 study to consider how Tasmania can best manage the ongoing risk of bushfire in the T^VWHA, which will provide a preliminary report before the start ofthe 2016-17 bushfire season and a final report in mid-2017. Appropriate senior departmental officials will be availableto attend public hearingsthat the Committee conducts to expand upon the information contained in Tasmania's submission. In the meantime, should your Committee have any queries in relation to the submission, the Tasmanian contact officer is Mr Simon Roberts, Director, Office of Security and Emergency Management, Department of Premier and Cabinet. Yours sincerely /Christopher Amol John Whittington Chief Officer Secretary Tasmania Fire Service Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Tasmania’s submission to the Senate Inquiry into the response to, and lessons learnt from, recent bushfires in remote Tasmanian wilderness April 2016 Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3 1.1 January 2016 Tasmanian bushfire conditions and response ........................................................ 4 1.2 January 2016 bushfires in the TWWHA ......................................................................................... 5 1.3 Historical context of bushfires in the TWWHA ........................................................................... 7 2 Context of Tasmania’s response: TWWHA land and emergency management ............... 8 2.1 Requirements for land management in the TWWHA ................................................................. 8 2.2 How Tasmania assists in meeting Convention obligations .......................................................... 9 2.2.1 TWWHA Management Plan .......................................................................................................... 9 2.2.2 Bushfire management and mitigation in the TWWHA ......................................................... 10 2.2.3 Evaluation report – fire management in the TWWHA ......................................................... 11 2.2.3 Fire response in the TWWHA ................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Tasmania’s emergency management arrangements .................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Emergency Management Act 2006 ............................................................................................. 12 2.3.2 Tasmanian Emergency Management Plan.................................................................................. 13 2.3.3 Ministerial committee ................................................................................................................... 13 2.3.3 SEMC and SEMAG ......................................................................................................................... 14 2.3.4 Tasmania’s multi-agency firefighting arrangements ................................................................. 15 3 Impact of climate change on fire frequency and magnitude ................................................ 16 3.1 Climate Futures for Tasmania .......................................................................................................... 16 3.1.1 Extreme Weather Events project .............................................................................................. 17 3.1.2 Future Fire Danger project .......................................................................................................... 17 3.1.3 Potential climate change impacts on the geodiversity of the TWWHA ........................... 18 4 Availability and provision of financial, human and mechanical resources .......................... 18 4.1 Budget of Tasmania’s firefighting and management agencies: fire response & mitigation .. 18 4.1.1 TFS budget, human and mechanical resources ........................................................................ 19 4.1.2 PWS budget, human and mechanical resource ....................................................................... 20 4.1.3 Forestry Tasmania budget, human and mechanical resource .............................................. 20 4.1.4 Fuel reduction program ................................................................................................................ 20 4.2 Tasmania’s multi-agency firefighting arrangements ..................................................................... 21 4.2.1 Interoperability Arrangements .................................................................................................... 21 4.3 Interjurisdictional support arrangements ...................................................................................... 21 4.4 National arrangements ...................................................................................................................... 21 4.4.1 National Aerial Fire Fighting Centre .......................................................................................... 21 4.4.2 Other arrangements ...................................................................................................................... 22 4.4.3 Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) ........................................ 22 4.4.4 Other emergency management arrangements: COMDISPLAN ......................................... 22 Page 1 5 Adequacy of fire assessment and modelling capacity .............................................................. 23 5.1 Bushfire Risk Assessment Model: risk mapping in the TWWHA ............................................ 23 5.1.1 The future of BRAM: a decision support tool ........................................................................ 25 5.2 Fire assessment and modelling to inform response .................................................................... 25 5.2.1 Application of National Emergency Risk Assessment Guidelines ....................................... 25 6 Australia’s World Heritage Convention obligations ............................................................ 26 7 World’s best practice in remote area fire management ...................................................... 26 7.1 Research................................................................................................................................................ 26 7.2 Risk management approach to bushfire in the TWWHA ......................................................... 27 7.3 Preparedness and response to remote area bushfires ............................................................... 27 7.3.1 Fire detection .................................................................................................................................. 28 7.3.2 Resource deployment ................................................................................................................... 28 8 Lessons learnt ........................................................................................................................... 28 Page 2 1 Introduction Tasmania welcomes the opportunity to provide a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the response to, and lessons learnt from, the recent bushfires in Tasmania’s remote wilderness affecting the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). The terms of reference for the Inquiry raise a number of important questions across a range of matters already identified in Tasmania. One of these is the way in which Australia’s obligations under the World Heritage Convention interact with both land management and emergency management arrangements for bushfire prevention and response. Another important question involves the identification and management of intensifying