The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is ramping up fire preparedness in the proposed Great Koala National Park, deploying new technology, equipment, surveillance, and more frontline firefighters to strengthen bushfire detection and response.
Tapping into the latest technology, satellite wildfire detection is being expanded across the entire Great Koala National Park footprint, giving NPWS 24/7 awareness of any fires within the landscape.
Once a fire is detected by a satellite, a network of 5 remote cameras, strategically placed on the highest peaks for the clearest visuals, triangulate the location of the fire, check intensity and pinpoint the response requirements.
Two remote cameras have been updated with remote 360-degree control and more are being planned for deployment.
Fire response will also be boosted with around 100 additional roles in NPWS, including frontline fire fighters and additions to the highly trained Remote Aerial Firefighter Team (RAFT).
The NPWS North Coast fire fleet will be strengthened with more equipment including 2 tankers (Category 7) and 14 small trucks (Category 9), providing more resources for direct knock down and mitigation when required.
NPWS is working cooperatively with Forestry Corporation and the Rural Fire Service (RFS) in behind the scenes planning and operational response.
Planning is underway for a third NPWS North Coast Fire Mitigation Team to be stationed in the northern part of the park at Grafton.
Fire trails are being assessed and prioritised for maintenance and upgrade. New mapping tools are being developed to model fuel conditions and fire risk, feeding into management planning.
Fire-risk assessments have been completed and fire-management zones developed to guide a three-year program of prescribed burning and mechanical fuel treatment to help protect communities.
Five landscape plans are nearing completion identifying threats, Aboriginal and European built heritage, and environmental assets.
The park will deliver enhanced fire management, feral animal control and weed management to help protect the region’s environmental values.
Final creation of the Great Koala National Park is subject to the Bill passing both houses of Parliament and conditional on the Clean Energy Regulator’s approval of the North East Regional Forest Agreement carbon project submitted under the Improved Native Forest Management method.
NPWS Great Koala National Park Project Officer Glenn Storrie said:
“The fire history of the mid north coast shows preparedness is crucially important.
“Preparedness is about more than responding to fires. It’s about understanding risk, maintaining access, planning fuel management activities and working closely with other agencies and stakeholders.
“By combining advanced technology with experienced personnel and strong interagency partnerships, we are making sure fire management capabilities are strengthened across the entire landscape from day one.
“Cooperative fire management is the key to managing fires in this landscape and across the Great Koala National Park footprint we have a well-developed and positive partnership across all of the fire-fighting agencies.”
