The Departments of Parks and Wildlife and Fire and Emergency Services to develop options for the expansion of the ‘Bushfire Mitigation Grant Scheme’ 20 January 2016 Waroona Fire Special Inquiry utilising both State and Commonwealth Government funding to enable the implementation of hazard reduction works identified through the Bushfire Risk Management Planning process. This will target hazard reduction projects on land owned by private landholders in rural-urban interface areas, critical infrastructure protection, local government land, roadsides and land managed by utilities.

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).

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.

The State Emergency Management Committee, in consultation with Western Australian Farmers Federation, the Association of Bush Fire Brigades, the Contractors Association of WA, and the Forest Industries Federation of WA, to establish systems for the voluntary registration of: · farmer firefighting units; · contractor firefighting resources; and · forestry industry brigades.

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.

Appropriate and scalable resourcing models for remote locations

Resourcing models appropriate to local needs, including fire risk and remoteness

A unified and integrated fire sector across the whole fire hazard

IAP formats and processes appropriate to the nature of the emergency response.

Resolve reoccurring issues with systems and processes

Appropriately equipped Incident Control Centres should be identified and/or established throughout the Perth Hills to meet the requirements of a fully resourced Incident Management Team in future bushfire events.

DFES should increase and maintain urban interface bushfire skills and expertise. Appointments to senior roles within the agency should include people with experience and credibility in bushfire firefighting and management.

In due course, acts of bravery are considered and recommendations for awards are submitted, including commendations for the delivery of First Aid.

Western Australia Health should re-engage with St John Ambulance at a senior level to address strategic and complex issues including long term solutions to ramping

St John Ambulance should build on its regionalisation model and improve engagement with local services in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions

St John Ambulance should explore opportunities for extending the community paramedic model to other areas of identified need

Western Australia Health should develop criteria with St John Ambulance for the allocation of paramedics across the state

I recommend that the Christmas Island VMRS be given autonomy to maintain operational readiness for the VMRS rescue vessel(s) and an appropriate budget be provided to allow this to take place. 

I recommend that BPC establish an onshore presence as recommended by Lieutenant Commander Livingstone. 

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.

Experienced forecasters and fire behaviour experts should be embedded in DEC at least at a state level to ensure that fire risks are properly understood by decision makers.

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.

All forms of fuel modification should be available to fire managers.

Prescribed burns which meet the ‘red flag’ criteria should have mandated risk Establish risk management criteria for management criteria imposed.

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 Minister for Emergency Services should urgently review the technical issues with the Western Australia Emergency Radio Network  program that is forcing the State’s firefighters to revert to their older radio networks.

The Department of Environment and Conservation review the utility of its current regional model in terms of the capability of operational centres such as Kirup to service major fire activity on land proximate to the rural urban area (this recommendation should also be considered in the context of Recommendation 5).

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.

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.

The State’s emergency response agencies should offer exit interviews to all of their staff and volunteers and use the information they gather to improve their trauma management procedures.

The Ministers for Health, Emergency Services, Environment and Police provide additional funds to their agencies so that a detailed exercise is held on a regular basis based on a disaster that will create the worst outcome for the State.

The Minister for Emergency Services and the Minister for Police provide additional resources so that the Fire and Emergency Services Authority and the Western Australia Police can at least double their number of peer support officers, with an aim to increase the number in regional areas of the State.

The Ministers for Emergency Services, Environment and Police request their departments to place some of their staff and resources providing trauma-related services in regional Western Australia.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, Department of Environment and Conservation and Western Australia Police explore the usefulness of using retired staff as mentors or peer supporters, either directly employed or through a suitable nongovernment organisation.

Tourism WA must give specific regard as to whether land use approvals need to be sought, particularly from Department of Regional Development and Lands, when conducting due diligence for event sponsorship proposals that require sign off by both departments.

Department of Regional Development and Lands and Department of Environment and Conservation should consider how their respective land use approval processes can incorporate the input of Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) as part of risk assessments for high risk events and adventure sport activities.

As part of the current revision of its contract template for sponsorship agreements, Tourism WA should ensure that:
- Risk management plans are submitted for approval with all relevant agencies and local and state authorities no later than two months prior to a sponsored event being staged.
- Milestone payments should be linked to the strict adherence of this deadline 
- Evidence of approval of the risk management plans by all relevant local and state authorities is provided to Tourism WA by the event organiser.

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.

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.

Decisions taken on the basis of this risk assessment need to be captured and distributed across district and state.

Contingency plans for escaping burns should be prepared in advance.

A rolling risk assessment is required which captures the risks of the burn escaping and provides adequate resources.

Once a burn is ignited, it needs to be the subject of continuing risk assessment and appropriate mitigation.

DEC should investigate embedding an experienced forecaster in the state operations centre.

Prescriptions should mandate consideration of measures to retire risk.

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)

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.

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.

There would be benefit in progressively aligning the geographic boundaries of each of the agencies and seeking to co-locate their headquarters within those boundaries.

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.

Emergency Management Western Australia and the State Emergency Management Committee amend WESTPLAN-BUSHFIRE to require State Emergency Coordination Group meetings to be held at the State Coordination Centre in West Leederville.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority and local governments ensure that Community Emergency Service Managers are physically based in local government.

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.

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.

FESA and local governments jointly review radio communications capability prior to the 2011/12 bushfire season with a view to improving the current delivery of service to firefighters.

The State Government restructure the Fire and Emergency Services Authority as a Department. 22 As part of this restructure, Emergency Management Western Australia should either be: 1. clearly separated from the fire and emergency services response function (see figure 2); or 2. moved to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (see figures 3 and 4) or 3. moved to the Attorney-General’s department (see figures 3 and 5).

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.

Main Roads Western Australia undertake more frequent examinations of its bridges located in areas prone to bushfire and ensure that the risk posed to loss of infrastructure in a fire is understood by local authorities.

The State Government mandate that the title deeds for relevant properties be amended to indicate if the property is in a declared bushfire prone area.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority work in partnership with the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia to develop a package of information for new residents moving into bushfire prone areas, and a process to ensure this information is provided through real estate agents.

The Interagency Bushfire Management committee develop and oversee a work program to:
- conduct site specific assessments to assess current fuel loads
- assess, analyse and prioritise bushfire risk on land within and adjacent to communities
- develop a three year rolling mitigation works program with annual implementation and review.
This work should commence independently of any decision on the most effective online integrated system. All data collected should be uploaded to the SLIP.

State and locals governments: a) recognise that regardless of future declarations of bushfire prone areas, the existing planning and building problems in the Perth Hills related to bushfire risk will persist; b) urge residents in these areas to retrofit their homes and evaporative air conditioners in compliance with AS 3959 - 2009; c) examine options to retrospectively bring these areas into compliance with Planning for Bushfire Protection Guidelines.

The State Government transfer responsibility for declaring bushfire prone areas from local government to the Western Australian Planning Commission. The Western Australian Planning Commission should urgently assess those areas that should be declared bushfire prone.

The Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the Department of Environment and Conservation and local governments jointly develop a single, integrated system for fuel load assessment and management.
The system should enable public access to allow members of the community to access information about the fuel load in a given locality.

The Interagency Bushfire Management committee develop and oversee a work program to: conduct site specific assessments to assess current fuel loads assess, analyse and prioritise bushfire risk on land within and adjacent to communities develop a three year rolling mitigation works program with annual implementation and review. This work should commence independently of any decision on the most effective online integrated system. All data collected should be uploaded to the SLIP.

Emergency service agencies undertake more consultation and joint exercising involving the Fire and Emergency Services Authority, the Department of Environment, the Western Australian Police, the Department for Child Protection, local governments and volunteers – including Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades.
This should include field exercises which test:
- Evacuation centres
- Critical infrastructure (including at the local level)
- Traffic management, including road blocks.
Consideration should also be given to involving the community in exercising (see Recommendation 7) and using prescribed burns as exercises (see Recommendation 14).
More detailed planning for exercises should be included in a revised WESTPLANBUSHFIRE to be endorsed by the State Emergency Management Committee.

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.

It is sensible that, in considering planning development proposals on land adjacent to the DEC estate, that development authorities invite comment from DEC on the fire management consequences of development proposals.

The DEC corporate statement should affirm a strong commitment to fire management.

A DEC fire management staff succession plan would minimise the loss of core fire management skills and experience in the future and provide a planned approach to development of prospective fire management staff.

FESA identifies and documents its information requirements for end-to-end information exchange and then assess the adequacy of current systems to meet these information requirements.

FESA establishes a process (and associated systems and policies) to mobilise staff to an incident, incorporating pre-formed multi-agency Incident Management Teams. The development of Incident Management Teams should align with the principles of seamless and integrated escalation of command and control arrangements, and be based on a whole of capability approach (people, organisations, systems, training, procedures etc.).

That FESA assess the cost and other implications of proposed changes to bushfire prone zone declarations which would allow the whole State to be declared bushfire prone.

The prioritisation, by the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC), of bushfire preparedness activities including updating WESTPLAN - BUSHFIRE and coordinating bushfire exercises prior to the 2009/10 bushfire season.

A standard for signage at fire incidents be developed and caches of this equipment be established at DEC and Local Govt facilitates to enable its rapid and effective deployment by Ground Support Unit at fires.

Transport plans for BFB resources should be prepared by the Ground Support Unit in close liaison with FESA who will liaise with the home jurisdictions of the brigades. Moving personnel whilst leaving the equipment at the fire ground staging areas is preferred to moving equipment in and out with every shift.

Perishable food should be ‘stamped’ with an expiry date.

The role of ‘BFB Task Force Liaison’ be defined and appropriately trained personnel be provided by the HMA (possibly from support brigades) to facilitate brigade movements on and off the fire ground.

Food storage should be a design consideration in all fire ground appliances

Pre-season arrangements to provide high quality food should be encouraged in all emergency management plans

The secondment of a resource person(s) to an affected local authority to support the work of that authority in its response to a natural disaster be effected.

Firefighting organisations should: resolve existing telecommunication problems and work with other emergency service organisations to establish compatible telecommunications systems.

FESA should: in addition to its current initiatives, develop and implement structured programs (with clearly identified objectives, target groups and time lines for achievement) aimed at:
- increasing the level of adoption of AIIMS by local governments and volunteer Bush Fire Brigades
- improving local government bushfire emergency and response planning.

All members of the Board be selected for their interest in and experience and knowledge of matters directly associated with bush fire control and not merely as representatives of particular organisations, that the Chairman of the Board be appointed by the Governor instead of being an ex officio appointment of another forester, a member of the timber industry, a police officer and a person with a sound knowledge of weather and its effect upon fire behaviour. 

The relative seniority of bush fire control officers be determined with a view to appointing group leaders as chief bush fire control officers. The Shire Clerk should generally be a liaison bush fire control officer rather than a chief fire control officer.

A sub-committee of telecommunication officers and representatives of the Bush Fires Board be appointed to investigate and encourage the development of a modern system of radio equipment for bush fire brigades. 

The State Emergency Service be used to meet any additional needs but that as far as possible, requests for assistance be directed in the first instance to the Bush Fires Board or at least referred to that Board by the State Emergency Service for advice before action is taken.

Local authorities select bush fire control officers for their knowledge and experience of bush fires and their qualities of leadership and that as far as practicable, they be captains of bush fire brigades so that the person issuing the permit to burn has the responsibility of extinguishing the fire if it escapes. 

The Commonwealth Government be asked to complete as far as practicable, the connection of telephones to outlying country centres before the end of 1961.

The management of all National Parks in the State be concentrated under one authority to ensure co-ordination in administration and protective measures.

That care be exercised in recommending the application of emergency bush fire periods so that they will not be applied to districts where their application is unnecessary.

All local authorities form advisory committees of persons from bush fire brigades and of bush fire control officers to plan co-operation in effort and co-ordination between brigades, to group brigades under brigade group officers and to advise the local authority upon all matters of fire control, including the planning of the district firebreak layout and prosecuting for breaches of the Bush Fires Act.

A committee be formed and provided with the finance necessary to enable it to supplement the activities of the local bush fire brigades in districts in the far south-west of the State where ratable values are particularly low and the proportion of Crown lands high, and that the Forests Department be authorised to give approval for control burning of Crown lands throughout the State by bushfire brigades within two miles of a State Forest and that outside this distance the Bush Fires Board through its wardens have similar authority.

Before the bush fire season starts, the Minister on the recommendation of the Board nominate a person and a deputy person who will be instructed to take charge of fire fighting operations in each district should a dangerous fire occur and render such an appointment advisable.

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. 

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.

The Bush Fires Board appoint a Standing Committee of about six of its members, all of whom are likely to be available at any time during the bush fire season to meet and take executive action as necessary.

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.

The Forests Department direct more staff to the planning and co-ordination of its bush fire control organisation so that emergency conditions can be met immediately by ample reserves of labour and equipment and that co-ordination between the Department, the local authority, sawmills and other sources of man-power and equipment in and around forestry districts is as complete as possible. This particularly includes co-operative protective burning around the boundaries of forest areas.