The Northern Beaches is exposed to high levels of bush fire risk. Whilst bush fire loss can be reduced or avoided, it cannot be entirely prevented. The draft policy provides a framework for how Council and the community can better manage bush fire risk.

Prior to amalgamation, the three former councils had developed various strategies, policies and management plans relating to bushland and biodiversity management across the Northern Beaches; however there was no policy solely considering bush fire management. This draft policy fills this gap and considers research into how other government agencies tackle bush fire management, as well as considering best practice in the marketplace and relevant state and federal bush fire management frameworks and legislation, particularly the Rural Fires Act 1997.

The draft policy represents an opportunity to apply a consistent direction to the management of bush fire across the Northern Beaches to help reduce risk, by protecting life, property and our environment.

The draft policy applies to all land owned by Northern Beaches Council or for which Council has responsibility as land manager, and to all private land within Council’s boundaries. The draft policy does not apply to lands within the Local Government Area over which Council has no jurisdiction, including National Parks and some Crown and Federal lands.

Whilst the overriding priority within the draft policy is the protection of life and property, both bush fires and mitigation works can equally threaten the environment. The draft policy acknowledges the resilience of the natural environment to bush fires, but stresses the importance of assessing the impact of hazard reduction works on the environment in accordance with legislative requirements. The draft policy also goes beyond these requirements by ensuring that burn planning gives weight to the potential impacts on flora and fauna, and that impacts are minimised by implementing on-site mitigation measures.

No, the draft policy sets out Council’s bush fire management framework around already existing extensive planning requirements for building in bush fire prone areas, as outlined by the NSW Rural Fire Service document Planning for Bush Fire Protection, 2019. The draft policy does not prohibit development in bush fire prone areas, but points to the appropriateness of development with the knowledge that some areas in the Northern Beaches are exposed high bush fire risk. The draft policy highlights the importance of strategic planning and development to avoid unnecessary risk, provide adequate bush fire protection measures and emphasise private landholder obligations.

No, the draft policy sets the framework for Council’s already significant bush fire management program. Council works very closely with the Northern Beaches Bush Fire Management Committee (BFMC) to maintain an extensive network of Asset Protection Zones (APZs) throughout the Local Government Area; as well as with our partner fire agencies to plan, prepare and undertake a considerable prescribed burning program to manage fuel loads throughout Council bushland reserves.

Long-term forecasting and modelling predicts there will be increasing frequency and severity of fire events correlating with altered rainfall and drought patterns. As the dryness of more areas increases beyond levels historically considered normal, the footprint of areas with a propensity to burn is likely to increase (Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council, Bushfires and Community Safety Position Paper, 2019).

The draft policy is an important step towards planning for more people on the Northern Beaches being affected by bush fires, and more communities recovering from the often long lasting impacts on health and wellbeing.

Council already allocates a significant budget towards implementing our bush fire hazard reduction program throughout the Northern Beaches. Council’s internal funding is further supplemented by additional grant funding programs administered by the NSW Rural Fire Service. These funding streams work together to support extensive Asset Protection Zone and Fire Trail maintenance and upgrades; as well as the planning, preparation and undertaking of prescribed burns to manage fuel loads throughout bushland reserves and other fire management initiatives.

The draft policy considers the 76 recommendations of the Final Report of the NSW Bushfire Inquiry July 2020 as well as the proposals from the Draft Propositions Counsel Assisting, Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, August 2020. The NSW State Government continue to respond to these inquiries, which has already seen a recent announcement from the Minister of Police and Emergency Services on 7 October 2020 regarding new laws to empower some private landowners and the NSW Rural Fire Service to manage bush fire risk. Council will also continue to respond and work with our State partners as further changes develop.

Fuel is comprised of living and dead vegetation that accumulates over time and is typically measured in tonnes per hectare. Dead leaves, twigs and bark build up as they fall from trees and shrubs and some of the material is gradually decomposed by insects, micro flora and fungi. Fuel loads gradually accumulate over time until an equilibrium is normally reached between the rate of decomposition and the rate of accumulation.

Fuel can be characterised by type, size, quantity, arrangement and moisture content. Common types of fuels include:

• Grass;
• Forest litter lying on the ground;
• Small shrubs and scrub;
• Trees, logs, stumps and bark; and
• Decomposing humus and duff.

Fuel size is characterised as fine or heavy. Fine fuels, such as grasses and small twigs, are less than 6mm in diameter. Heavy (or coarse) fuels are greater than 6mm in diameter and include branches, logs and stumps. Heavy fuels do not contribute to rate of spread or flame size, but add substantially to the total amount of heat released and make fire suppression more difficult.

The arrangement of fuel can affect fire behaviour. Fuel that is tightly packed is less likely to burn and will smoulder due to lack of oxygen, whereas loosely arranged fuel will burn with more ferocity due to more oxygen. Fuel that is separated is less likely to carry fire than fuel that is continuous. In addition, more fuel means large flames and greater fire intensity.

Fire behaviour is affected by the moisture content of fuels, which in turn depends on a number of factors such as weather conditions, vegetation types and whether the fuel is living or dead. When fuel moisture is high there is less chance of a fire igniting than if the fuel moisture was low.

An Asset Protection Zone (APZ) is a fuel reduced area surrounding a built asset or structure. This is primarily concerned with protecting both public and private assets such as schools, hospitals, community centres, retirement villages and residential dwellings, but may extend to other assets or infrastructure.

An APZ provides:

• a buffer zone between a bush fire hazard and an asset;
• an area of reduced bush fire fuel that allows suppression of fire;
• an area from which backburning may be conducted; and
• an area which allows emergency services access and provides a relatively safe area for firefighters and home owners to defend their property.

Potential bush fire fuels should be minimised within an APZ. This is so that the vegetation within the planned zone does not provide a path for the transfer of fire to the asset either from the ground level or through the tree canopy.

No, residents are not allowed to maintain an Asset Protection Zone on Council managed land due to risks of personal injury and damage to our natural environment.

If you are passionate about looking after your local Council reserve, you should join a Bushcare group. Refer to Council’s website on how you can get involved using the below link.

https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/environment/bushland/bushcare-volunteers

The draft policy does not exclude or restrict the action of the 10/50 code which is permitted under the Rural Fires Act 1997; or any other approvals or entitlements under other legislation.

The Bush Fire Management Committee (BFMC) provides a forum for cooperative and coordinated bush fire management in the Northern Beaches. The Northern Beaches BFMC is responsible for preparing, coordinating, reviewing and monitoring the Bush Fire Risk Management Plan, Plan of Operations and Fire Access and Fire Trail Plan.

Members of the committee include Northern Beaches Council, the NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire + Rescue NSW, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Crown Lands NSW, NSW Police as well as other key land holders, agencies and infrastructure providers.

The Bush Fire Coordinating Committee (BFCC) is a NSW statutory body representing the Crown, established under the provisions of the Rural Fires Act 1997 and its associated Regulations. The committee meets quarterly and is the parent of all BFMCs. It determines the requirements for their operations through policy and directions and provides a forum through which a broad cross-section of Government and non-Government organisations with an interest in bush fire prevention, mitigation and suppression can come together to develop and progress policies that provide a coordinated, agreed approach.

A Bush Fire Risk Management Plan (Risk Plan) is a strategic document that identifies community assets at risk and sets out a five-year program of coordinated multi-agency treatments to reduce the risk of bush fire to the assets. Treatments may include such things as hazard reduction burning, grazing, community education, fire trail maintenance and establishing community fire units.

Each Bush Fire Management Committee is required to prepare a draft Risk Plan and submit it to the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee for approval. Each plan is reviewed every 5 years.

The aim of the Fire Access and Fire Trail (FAFT) Plan is to provide appropriate means of accessing land to prevent, fight, manage or contain bush fires. The document identifies a suitable network of fire trails across the Bush Fire Management Committee (BFMC) area, which includes both existing and proposed fire trails and access points.

Each Bush Fire Management Committee is required to prepare a draft FAFT and submit it to the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee for approval. Each plan is reviewed every 5 years.

Council from time to time creates detailed fire management plans for individual reserves that assist in determining our prescribed burnings programs, Asset Protection Zone configurations and Fire Trails. They can be a useful tool in integrating many of the site-specific requirements that need to be considered when managing bush fire risk at a local scale.

It is a requirement under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 that a map be produced for each Local Government Area to which a Bush Fire Risk Management Plan applies, recording all land within the area designated by the Commissioner of NSW Rural Fire Service that is bush fire prone land.

An area identified as bush fire prone land is land that can support a bush fire or is likely to be subject to bush fire attack. Special construction standards and development restrictions apply to areas mapped as bush fire prone land in NSW. Each Bush Fire Prone Land Map is reviewed every 5 years.

Fire can be used for very different reasons in the landscape, including:

• Hazard reduction burning, which aims to reduce the fuel loads in bushland areas to protect nearby assets.
• Cultural burning, which aims to revive traditional Aboriginal cultural practices of burning country.
• Environmental burning, which aims to use fire for ecological purposes, such as weed management or regeneration.

These can be collectively termed prescribed burning and share intimate relationships. For example, a hazard reduction burn may have important environmental and ecological benefits; and cultural burning may assist with reducing fuel loads to protect nearby assets as well as promote biodiversity. Environmental approvals are a key consideration before any prescribed burning is undertaken.

If you are concerned about a bush fire hazard on your property, or the property adjacent to you, the NSW Rural Fire Service can provide advice regarding preparing your property against bush fires and what you have to do in the event of a bush fire. This advice is free and can be arranged by contacting your local NSW Rural Fire Service Fire Control Centre.

The NSW Rural Fire Service is responsible for inspecting bush fire hazards, providing advice and if necessary, issuing notices to all landowners and managers to reduce hazards. If you believe there is a bush fire hazard near your property, you can make a formal complaint by:

• Contacting your local NSW Rural Fire Service Fire Control Centre, in person, via email, mail, fax or phone, or;
• Filling in the NSW Rural Fire Service online Bush Fire Hazard Complaint Form at: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/know-your-risk/Bush-fire-hazards-and-your-property/reporting-a-bush-fire-hazard.

The NSW Rural Fire Service will arrange for an inspection of the site to determine if a bush fire hazard exists. The landowner or the manager of the land will be notified separately of the results. Privacy legislation prevents the disclosures of your details.

The 2019/20 bush fire season highlighted the importance of being prepared and having a plan. Now is the time to get you, your family and property ready for bush fire. Take 20 minutes with your family now to discuss what you’ll do during a fire - you could save their lives, as well as your home.

You can make your plan online in as little as 5 minutes at myfireplan.com.au or by downloading the NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Survival Plan.

A well prepared home is more likely to survive a bush fire.

Even if your plan is to leave early, the more you prepare your home, the more likely it will survive a bush fire or ember attack. A well prepared home can also be easier for you or firefighters to defend, and is less likely to put your neighbours' homes at risk. A well prepared home will also give you more protection if a fire threatens suddenly and you cannot leave.

Here are some basic maintenance tips to prepare your property:

• Clean your gutters of leaves and twigs
• Install metal gutter guards
• Repair damaged or missing tiles on the roof
• Install fine metal mesh screens on windows and doors
• Fit seals around doors and windows to eliminate gaps
• Enclose the areas under the house
• Repair or cover gaps in external walls
• Attach a fire sprinkler system to gutters
• Keep lawns short and gardens well maintained
• Cut back trees and shrubs overhanging buildings
• Clean up fallen leaves, twigs and debris around the property
• Have hoses long enough to reach around your house
• If you have a pool, tank or dam, put a Static Water Supply (SWS) sign on your property entrance, so firefighters know where they can get water
• Check and maintain adequate levels of home and contents insurance. Ensure it is up to date.

You can assess your risk using the NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool.