Inquiry Search
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC316-4037 | 17 - Assets and technology | Consideration be given to developing alternate website contingency in the event of a critical failure and an assurance review across all community facing Government websites. |
REC316-4046 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Emergency Plan and Recovery sub-plans should be amended to better define recovery mechanisms and responsibilities, including hand over points to recovery authorities and community engagement for the delivery of long term recovery mechanisms. |
REC316-4030 | 17 - Assets and technology | Continue to explore options in the short term to improve the functionality and relationship with NSW RFS ‘Fires Near Me’ with respect to ACT specific information before the 2020-21 bushfire season. |
REC316-4044 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | A Relocation and Evacuation working group be established from stakeholder organisations to consider and develop an Evacuation and Relocations Sub- Plan. The Sub-Plan should consider the lessons learned this year and address principles, lead agency, WHoG coordination, trigger points etc. This could be the same working group formed for reviewing the Emergencies Act, Plan and sub-plans. |
REC316-4045 | 42 - Culture and Heritage | WHoG desktop exercise should be conducted to test and support relocation and evacuation planning. |
REC316-4029 | 17 - Assets and technology | ACT Government continues to develop the concept for an ACT specific emergency app whilst also using national coordination mechanisms to support an affordable nationally standard all-hazards mobile app. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC291-1237 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Department of Fire and Emergency Services, utilising the Office of Bushfire Risk Management, to develop a simplified and fast track hazard reduction burn (and other fuel mitigation techniques) planning and approval process to ensure the timely conduct of township and asset protection burns by Bush Fire Brigades and individual property owners. The process is to be agile and adaptable for the range of stakeholders which may participate in low risk, small scale, low complexity burn planning and approvals. |
REC291-1235 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Department of Parks and Wildlife to continue emphasis on landscape hazard reduction burning with the annual objective of treating 140,000 hectares per annum in Land Management Zone C. In combination with Recommendation 2 (above) the strategic objective will be that a fuel age of less than six years will be maintained across 45% of the landscape on State Forest, National Parks and other Parks and Wildlife managed lands in the South West and Perth Hills. This will address the current backlog (created from under achievements of the recent two decades of burn programs) by the end of the 2020-2021 burning season (i.e. within the next 5 years). |
REC291-1234 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Department of Parks and Wildlife to plan for the highest priority hazard reduction burning effort around settlements and critical assets in the South West and Perth Hills. The annual objective is to treat a total of 60,000 hectares of priority hazard reduction per annum, comprising 20,000 hectares per annum of Land Management Zone A and 40,000 hectares per year of Land Management Zone B. |
REC291-1244 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | The Department of Fire and Emergency Services to work with the Department of Planning and Local Governments to adopt a policy which enables Local Governments to identify, register and communicate, ‘Places of Bushfire Last Resort’ in settlements and townsites where the life risk from bushfire is very high or greater. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC290-1219 | 17 - Assets and technology | Live resource tracking system that can be used by all response agencies |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC265-1127 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Consultation should be undertaken with agencies and organisations that are engaged in emergency welfare provision to identify more effective ways to provide a consistent message to the community that non-cash donations are not required. |
REC265-1123 | 17 - Assets and technology | Every effort should be made to enhance the ability of communications personnel to cope with fast moving and time critical fire events by providing and maintaining: ongoing extensive communications training; advanced vehicle capability for clear communication within areas of radio coverage dead spots; ability to receive Air intelligence live streaming; map production facilities; deployment of multiple Incident Control Vehicles when required; all Incident Control Vehicles with access to DFES Information Technology Systems. |
REC265-1126 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Development of a template contract for the clean-up of affected properties to speed-up the process; |
REC265-1117 | 17 - Assets and technology | Automatic Vehicle Location technology should be adopted to enable a better appreciation of the deployment and location of appliances at an incident, in order to increase situational awareness |
REC265-1125 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Consultation with the Board of the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund and other disaster appeal organisers should be undertaken to determine the potential for software development to consolidate the application and approval process, including provision of templates and application forms; |
REC265-1116 | 17 - Assets and technology | Procedures should be established to monitor the use of heavy plant during a bushfire incident, including the tasking of support appliances. Procedures should provide for the appointment of a dedicated Machinery Supervisor as prescribed within the Australasian Interservice Incident Management System. |
REC265-1112 | 17 - Assets and technology | Radio infrastructure in the Perth Hills should be reviewed to assess whether it is practicable for radio and/or mobile phone coverage to be improved to achieve better coverage across the area. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC254-1582 | 17 - Assets and technology | As a minimum requirement, all vehicles entering the fireground must be fitted with an accessible fire blanket – one per person in each vehicle plus roll down, in-cab, radiant heat shields. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC227-2851 | 17 - Assets and technology | I recommend that consideration should be given to acquiring two personal water craft for deployment by appropriately trained and equipped staff of the AFP or the VMRS or both on Christmas Island. |
REC227-2850 | 17 - Assets and technology | I recommend that the AFP be provided with a search and rescue vessel which is suitable to the specific conditions of Christmas Island. I further recommend that steps be taken to ensure that if for any reason the search and rescue vessel is not available, there is a replacement vessel on Christmas Island capable of providing an emergency response in difficult sea conditions. |
REC227-2848 | 17 - Assets and technology | I recommend that the AFP take steps to determine whether access can be obtained to the National Search and Rescue Council endorsed SARMAP program covering the Australian Search and Rescue Region as well as adjoining tiles for Indonesia. Steps should be taken to ensure that if possible coverage would include high traffic areas where SIEVs enter the Australian Search and Rescue region allowing timely search and rescue plans to be drawn up for any potential incidents. |
REC227-2846 | 17 - Assets and technology | I recommend that Border Protection Command continues to examine ways of improving its surveillance capability around Christmas Island so that the risk of SIEVs arriving undetected is reduced. |
REC227-2859 | 17 - Assets and technology | I recommend that the issue of RHIB jet intake protection be allocated a high priority and that there be ongoing investigation of possible solutions to reduce the problem. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC226-0596 | 33 - Relief and recovery | An early decision on relief funding enables timely responses. D CP should review their communication of relief arrangements to ensure that they are clear. |
REC226-0582 | 17 - Assets and technology | The state should progressively align on a shared platform, such as WebEOC, to establish a COP [Common Operating Picture or Platform?]. |
REC226-0544 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Prescribed burns which meet the ‘red flag’ criteria should have mandated risk Establish risk management criteria for management criteria imposed. |
REC226-0595 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Shire experiences in managing these traumatic events should be captured and passed into emergency management procedures. |
REC226-0543 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | There should be clearly established criteria for burns which are specially challenging, and these criteria need to extend beyond the intended boundaries of the prescribed burn. |
REC226-0594 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Procedures to resolve issues surrounding financial assistance need to be reviewed to ensure they are as smooth, fast and transparent as possible possible. Review and streamline current financial relief procedures. |
REC226-0542 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | A risk management approach is needed which considers risks both inside the prescribed burn and the risks that will need to be managed if the fire escapes. This risk assessment should be dynamic in line with the four day and seven day weather forecast. |
REC226-0592 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Decisions on evacuations need to be made early enough for people to be fully informed, prepared and to move to a place of greater safety. Failure to conduct good planning can create situations where loss of life can occur |
REC226-0598 | 33 - Relief and recovery | When communities are grieving there is a need to provide special forms of support to affected residents. |
REC226-0583 | 17 - Assets and technology | The state should converge on a single communications platform for all emergency management and support agencies. |
REC226-0553 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Rolling risk assessment conducted during ignition of prescribed burns should identify whether an escape is likely to develop into a Level 3 incident. As soon as possible after it has been identified that the escape cannot be contained, the incident should be declared a Level 3. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC225-0533 | 17 - Assets and technology | As a minimum requirement, all vehicles entering the fireground must be fitted with an accessible fire blanket – one per person in each vehicle plus roll down, in-cab, radiant heat shields. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC224-1633 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Treasurer undertake a review by the next bushfire season of the ability of RiskCover to efficiently undertake loss assessing and compensation activities for victims of major natural disasters, such as a bushfire, in an empathic and timely fashion. |
REC224-1632 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The State Government prepare a consistent policy on how to assist or compensate the victims of future major natural disasters, such as bushfires, in an equitable fashion. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC223-0515 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Department of Environment and Conservation urgently undertake a review of its risk management practices as they relate to prescribed burns including but not limited to: *reviewing risk management practices to ensure that they are in accordance with AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009; * finalising and implementing the new complexity model developed in house by the DEC; * considering a broader set of parameters of risk by conducting an environmental scan or similar tool for areas under consideration for a prescribed burn; *updating the prescribed fire plans to reflect the broader risk considerations discovered through environmental scanning; *better informing the risk considerations by updating the ‘Red Book’ to reflect current research on burning in coastal heath; and * reconsidering the utility of the ‘Red Flag Burn’ notification on files and either adopting it as a policy across the State or removing it as a consideration. |
REC223-0514 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Department of Environment and Conservation review its current policies and operational guidelines in particular by: * strengthening the governance of operations by ensuring the Guidelines are relevant and practical; * ensuring the processes that are implemented for prescribed burns are: (a) value adding to the decisions and approvals required (b) informed by substantive input (c) focussed on outcome rather than process; *completing the draft management plan for the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Capes Area Parks and Reserves in accordance with the provisions of the Conservation and Land Management Act 1989; * exploring the possibility of automating and streamlining the various processes for formulating a prescription for prescribed burns for ease of access and updating; and * clarifying the guidance provided to decision makers as to the ‘edging’ and security of prescribed burns. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC221-2860 | 19 - Offences | Housing should ensure it has sound systems, processes and controls in place that minimise the opportunity for fraud and gives it the best chance of detecting it by: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC204-1920 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | The Attorney General gives urgent consideration to determining an ex gratia payment for: |
REC204-1910 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | As part of its review of its contract management processes, Tourism WA (with the Board of Tourism WA taking a lead role) should amend its contract template for event sponsorship to ensure that: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC203-0278 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Prescriptions should mandate consideration of measures to retire risk. |
REC203-0283 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Core ignition, particularly of red flag burns, should be informed by the 4 & 7 day forecasts (including a longer term perspective over 3 to 4 months) |
REC203-0277 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | A risk-management approach is needed which considers risks both inside the prescribed burn and the risks that will need to be managed if the fire escapes. The risk assessment should be organised and in line with the four and seven day weather. |
REC203-0282 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The burn prescription should capture the fuel characteristics and potential rate of spread for those areas outside the burn that will likely be critical during the initial attack on any escaping fire. |
REC203-0276 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | There should be clearly established criteria for burns which are specially challenging, and these criteria need to extend beyond the intended boundaries of the prescribed burn. The criteria should be clarified and adopted as agency S OPs. |
REC203-0281 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Prescriptions need to be interpreted by experienced and knowledgeable personnel to ensure risk is fully understood. It is important that the background and justification for these decisions are captured at each stage and are visible to all levels in WA fire management hierarchy. |
REC203-0286 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Decisions taken on the basis of this risk assessment need to be captured and distributed across district and state. |
REC203-0280 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Contingency plans for escaping burns should be prepared in advance. |
REC203-0285 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | A rolling risk assessment is required which captures the risks of the burn escaping and provides adequate resources. |
REC203-0308 | 33 - Relief and recovery | Early resolution and clear communication of the financial and other support measures that will be available to affected residents is an important contributor to community resilience. |
REC203-0279 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Once a burn is ignited, it needs to be the subject of continuing risk assessment and appropriate mitigation. |
REC203-0284 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | DEC should investigate embedding an experienced forecaster in the state operations centre. |
REC203-0307 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | When people are being moved away from their homes it’s important that they move to a place of greater safety and that their movement is relatively assured. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC202-0506 | 17 - Assets and technology | The Minister for Emergency Services ensure that FESA has the funds to implement the installation and use of WebEOC for use during the 2011-12 bushfire season and immediately put in place common protocols with the Police and DEC to record significant events during a bushfire. |
REC202-0496 | 17 - Assets and technology | The Minister for Emergency Services ensure that a whole-of-government equipment register of the firefighting equipment held by FESA, DEC and local government authorities is in place for the 2012-13 bushfire season. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC201-0259 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | FESA seek legal and policing advice regarding the policy to leave residents who chose not to evacuate in a declared ‗dangerous area‘ after a bushfire. |
REC201-0249 | 17 - Assets and technology | FRS fire appliance allocation and training needs to be reviewed to enhance offensive bushfire capability within the metropolitan area. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC200-0387 | 17 - Assets and technology | The State Government transfer responsibility for the installation, removal, maintenance of fire hydrants to the Water Corporation, in accordance with the Recommendations of the 2006 CDJSC Inquiry into Fire and Emergency Services Legislation. |
REC200-0356 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The State Government reaffirm its 2009 decision to approve DEC exercising greater flexibility in managing smoke within national guidelines, in order to achieve its prescribed burn program. |
REC200-1691 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The State Government consider resourcing the Department of Environment and Conservation and local governments to develop and administer a comprehensive prescribed burning program in Perth‟s urban/rural interface to compliment DEC's existing landscape-scale program. |
REC200-0378 | 17 - Assets and technology | Western Power and the Water Corporation continue to work collaboratively to assess options to better protect the power supply to water pumping stations in bushfire prone areas. |
REC200-0351 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the Department of Environment and Conservation and local governments take proactive steps to conduct their prescribed burning programs as joint exercises. This will give effect to: Reducing fuel load Improving inter-operability A mutual understanding of the fire fighting techniques of each agency. |
REC200-0365 | 17 - Assets and technology | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) review its program to decommission vehicles and ensure that when such vehicles are offered during an incident that FESA staff adhere to FESA’s own policy of ‘Use of Private Vehicles in Fires’. |
REC200-0350 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The State Government consider resourcing the Department of Environment and Conservation and local governments to develop and administer a comprehensive prescribed burning program in Perth’s urban/rural interface to compliment DEC’s existing landscape-scale program. |
REC200-1724 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | Emergency Management Western Australia develop mechanisms to calculate the estimated total cost of a fire to the community. |
REC200-1714 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Hazard Management Agencies overseeing the response to incidents on the urban fringe select evacuation centres that are well within the urban environment and unlikely to be impacted by the incident. |
REC200-0364 | 17 - Assets and technology | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority review its use of the Australian Interagency Incident Management System to ensure that the most appropriate resources (including aerial resources) are used to respond to an incident. If resources are rejected during an incident either through the decision making process or other grounds, the reason for the decision should be documented. |
REC200-0373 | 33 - Relief and recovery | The Department for Child Protection, the Western Australian Police and the Fire and Emergency Services Authority develop improved arrangements for communicating the loss of home and possessions to persons gathered at evacuation centres with a view to increasing privacy. |
REC200-0374 | 11 - Evacuation and shelters | Hazard Management Agencies overseeing the response to incidents on the urban fringe select evacuation centres that are well within the urban environment and unlikely to be impacted by the incident. |
REC200-0388 | 17 - Assets and technology | The Water Corporation immediately review the outstanding orders for hydrant repairs and develop strategies to reduce the backlog. |
REC200-1692 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the Department of Environment and Conservation and local governments take proactive steps to conduct their prescribed burning programs as joint exercises. This will give effect to: |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC183-0119 | 17 - Assets and technology | The development of a three year aerial firefighting strategy for W.A. would ensure optimal development of a joint air capability. |
REC183-0120 | 17 - Assets and technology | Maintaining the DEC fleet of tankers, bulldozers and low loaders is crucial to DEC’s fire management and control capability. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC182-0135 | 33 - Relief and recovery | FESA revises its standard operating procedures to provide guidance on the format and timing of post-incident community meetings. |
REC182-0134 | 17 - Assets and technology | FESA reviews its air reconnaissance capability and determines if multiple multi-sensor air reconnaissance aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles are required for managing concurrent and/or complex incidents. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC173-0105 | 19 - Offences | That the Department of the Attorney General, in consultation with FESA and Western Australia Police (WAPOL), consider options for legislative amendments to extend criminal liability to all damage, injury or death directly caused by arson. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC172-0029 | 17 - Assets and technology | Provide a photocopier in the Mobile Communications Facility or the mobile equipment cache that is capable of large volume production of collated documents. |
REC172-0026 | 17 - Assets and technology | At large incidents a communications bus should be provided for the use by Air Ops and a designated work space should be provided for the Air Ops management group. |
REC172-0025 | 17 - Assets and technology | Suppression resources should be ordered and mobilised as 2 truck Strike Teams with a STL and consistently deployed to the fire ground as a unit. |
REC172-0019 | 17 - Assets and technology | A centralised, regional, multi-agency resource coordination and tracking system/facility be established to accommodate and coordinate the movement of resources from all agencies within and between regions. |
REC172-0047 | 17 - Assets and technology | There is an established need to develop mobile accommodation and accommodation facility support solutions that allows an acceptable standard of accommodation to be provided to fire fighters in close proximity to the incident. |
REC172-0028 | 17 - Assets and technology | Ensure the S61 helicopter has all appropriate channels for water bombing operations throughout the State by including this requirement on a pre-deployment checklist. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC171-0069 | 17 - Assets and technology | That in any consideration being given to the allocation of responsibility for control of operations in respect of major fires, consideration be given to the availability of technology and other resources, particularly when particular skills are required to make best use of such technology or resources. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC143-3580 | 17 - Assets and technology | That FESA investigate the use of new technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for supplementing the dissemination of WANDRA information in cases where landlines have been disrupted. |
REC143-3588 | 33 - Relief and recovery | That, in line with recommendations contained in the 2004 Report to the Council of Australian Governments, greater flexibility should be introduced to WANDRA to enable damaged infrastructure to be upgraded to a more resilient standard where that is both feasible and cost-effective. |
REC143-3585 | 33 - Relief and recovery | That the Professional Assistance Grant is formally extended by WANDRA to include non rural businesses and that it be made available to assist with the clean up of disaster related damage to farms and businesses. (The Committee recognises that the amendments to WANDRA as of March 2007 address this recommendation). |
REC143-3583 | 33 - Relief and recovery | That the newly proposed index linked limits for Personal Hardship and Distress Relief Payments as outlined in the paper “National Disaster Relief Arrangements - An Analysis and Recommendations for Personal Hardship Distress Measures” be accepted by government. |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC126-1975 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | That prescribed burning operations be conducted according to agreed standard burning prescriptions |
REC126-1973 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | If it is not part of the proposed version 2 of the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan, that the plan be revised to provide for a fuel-reduction burning regime in the ‘Land Management Zone’ that is equivalent to that contemplated for the corridors designated as the ‘Landscape Division Zone’ and that the regime involve burning areas in rotation to achieve an appropriately varying fire age spectrum across the entire landscape |
REC126-1972 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | That clarification be provided and information be made public in connection with the hazard reduction proposed under the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan for the area designated ‘Land Management Zone’, which appears to cover about 70 per cent of the ACT landscape and might be excluded from fuel-reduction burning |
REC126-1967 | 40 - Equipment and consumables | That the Emergency Services Agency give priority to ensuring it has guaranteed access to an adequate number and type of bulldozers, as well as experienced operators, during the fire season, for immediate deployment as required |
REC126-1971 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | That a hazard-reduction program be introduced, involving regular and strategic burning in all areas of the ACT – including the catchment areas – with a view to having fuel-reduced areas in a pattern across the landscape, excluding only small areas of particular ecological or conservation importance |
Rec-ID | Code | Recommendation |
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REC019-4142 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | Landowners desiring to carry out developmental burns be required to inform the local authority sufficiently early to enable that body to direct them or request the local bush fire brigade to carry out protective burning around the area before the prohibited season starts. |
REC019-4152 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | The Forests Department make every endeavour to improve and extend the practice of control burning to ensure that the forests receive the maximum protection practicable consistent with silvicultural requirements. |
REC019-4143 | 5 - Hazard reduction burns | It be made clear to all fire control officers that the conditions for burning prescribed in the Bush Fires Act are minimal only, and that it is their duty to prescribe such further conditions as will ensure that should unfavourable weather conditions un-expectedly develop a situation would not arise which the local bush fire control organisation could not reasonably be expected to handle. |
REC019-4139 | 19 - Offences | Local authorities prosecute in all cases of deliberate breaches of the provisions of the Bush Fires Act and thay failing this the Bush Fires Board take appropriate action to initiate such prosecutions. |
REC019-4153 | 17 - Assets and technology | No opportunity be lost by the Forests Department to improve the efficiency of their fire fighting gangs, radio and other equipment in the light of the latest practical and scientific developments. |
REC019-4146 | 6 - Insurance and legal liability | Insurance companies be asked to subsidise the bush fire equipment fund by an amount at least equal to the amount they at present remit on premiums received for fire insurance in approved districts and that the Government contribute an amount to the fund at least equal to that contributed by the Insurance Companies. |