That an appropriate geographic information systems capability be maintained to enable the production of fire-specific maps as the need arises and that personnel from the Emergency Services Agency and other agencies be trained in the operation of map production systems, so that 9maps can be modifi

That measures be taken to ensure that ACT and NSW Rural Fire Service radio communications systems are integrated, so that ACT and NSW firefighting units can communicate with each other

That the Australian Federal Police and the Emergency Services Agency agree on a policy on community safety and evacuation during bushfires, based on the Australasian Fire Authorities Council position outlined in its paper Community Safety and Evacuation during Bushfires.

That it be a matter of policy and practice that the relevant land management agency is responsible for the initial response to any fire or fires on the land under its care or management – within the overall operational response of the ACT Rural Fire Service

That the Emergnecy Services Agency publicise and demonstrate the use of the Standard Emergency Warning Signal and provide to the community adequate explanation of the application of the signal. This should occur at least annually, in conjunction with any pre-summer fire awareness initiatives

That senior officers of the Emergency Services Agency give greater recognition to the skills, knowledge and experience of people from other agencies – particularly the land management agencies – as well as rural residents and private individuals and use these people in roles commensurate with the

That formal protocols be developed and agreed with NSW authorities, so that a concerted effort that combines the resources of both NSW and the ACT can be brought to bear in the future - without impediment caused by lines on a map that make the ACT an island within the state of NSW

That the Emergency Services Agency conduct investigations - and liase with emergency services agencies in other jurisdicions - in order to ascertain what technologies exist and are effective for use in disseminating warnings and associated information to the community of the ACT

That courses and programs be conducted to increase the level of Incident Control System training and augment the expertise of people who are likely to perform functions in an incident management team

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

That a system of public warnings that uses grid references shown on the maps in the Canberra telephone directory be adopted

That senior officers in the Australian Federal Police and the Emergency Services Agency maintain regular and meaningful contact during fire emergencies, to ensure full dissemination of information and thus facilitate the making of good operational decisions

That the ACT Attorney-General and the ACT Government - in consulation with the Chief Justice of the ACT and the ACT Chief Magistrate - take legislative action that would have the effect of funds being directly appropriated annually to the courts, preferable along the lines of the Commonwealth mod

That appointments of personnel to functional positions within the incident management team be based solely on competence and experience and be made by the Chief of the ACT Rural Fire Service or, in the absence of that officer, the Deputy Chief of the ACT Rural Fire Service

That the views and concerns expressed by the ACT Sustainable Rural Lands Group be taken into account when implementing the recommendations in this report

That the Emergency Services Agency be removed from the Department of Justice and Community Safety and transformed into an independent statutory authority reporting directly to the responsible Minister.

That, if he is willing to participate, Mr John Lowe be made a member of the implementation taskforce to which I refer in recommendation 70

That the Emergency Services Agency take measures to ensure that the community regularly receives up-to-date information on the risks of bushfires

That the Emergency Services Agency adopt a more rigorous risk management approach to incident management and prediction – with particular emphasis on the development of improved community information strategies and protocols

That, because of the small jurisdiction of the ACT (equivalent to one fire district in NSW) the ACT Government consider all possible options for the provision of fire services to the ACT, among them:

That the Emergency Services Agency reconsider and revise the arrangement that exists between the ACT Fire Brigade and Canberra airport in relation to the provision of assistance

That the ACT Government consider taking measures to implement the provisions of Australian Standard 3959, Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas, for the ACT urban area

That training of all personnel involved with emergency services be under constant review

That the Emergency Services Agency establish annual targets for the introduction of community education programs and provide resources to conduct regular independent assessments of the level of community preparedness engendered as a result of the programs

That the ACT and NSW authorities conduct a comprehensive risk analysis based on the most up to date knowledge relating to fire behaviour and spread in order to establish the degree of risk to each others' jurisdiction from fires ignitting in the other jurisdiction and to ensure that both jurisdic

That the Emergency Services Agency have authority over the land management agencies and other landholders in order to implement preparedness and prevention measures – including fuel-reduction works where there are failures in compliance

That the ACT Government commission a review of coroners’ jurisdiction in order to determine whether that jurisdiction ought to be limited or expanded and, if so, to what extend

That the ACT Government and ActewAGL jointly develop and implement protocols that will create a procedure whereby each of the water and sewerage, electricity and gas distribution networks, or parts thereof, can safely and promptly be manipulated, controlled, shut off, isolated or disconnected und

That consideration be given when building to the positioning of outbuildings around residential structures such that their potential impact on the main structure is reduced

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 importan

That the Emergency Services Agency review the level of understanding among firefighting personnel of the latest information available nationally and internationally about wildfire behaviour and suppression and provide additional training if warranted

That the ACT’s Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1990 be amended by repealing s. 6(d) of the Act

That implementation of the Bushfire Wise Program continue and include a letterbox drop of the updated Bushfire Information Booklet

That protocols and arrangements between the ACT and NSW require that each jurisdiction be fully involved in examining and planning for the threat posed by any fire likely to affect one or other jurisdiction and in coordinating the response to that fire

That the policy and practice just recommended be the subject of a memorandum of understanding between the Emergency Services Agency and the Department of Territory and Municipal Services (previously the Department of Urban Services) or other relevant department or agency, so as to ensure that the

That regular periodic reviews be undertaken of changes made to the operational and management arrangements for dealing with wildfires and other emergencies in the ACT, to ensure that those arrangements continue to comply with the Australian Inter-Agency Incident Management System Incident Control

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

That land managers ensure their staff are properly trained in the effective use of large bulldozers at wildfires and that staff are available to be assigned to supervise bulldozer operations

That s. 59 of the ACT Coroners ACT 1997 be amended by deleting the words ‘by instrument’ in s. 59(1) and by deleting the words ‘by his or her instrument of appointment’ in s. 59(2)(b)

That consulations and negotiations occur between the Emergncy Services Agency and the NSW Rural Fire Service to ensure that fire risk and safety messages to the community are coordinated.

That the Emergency Services Agency, with the support of the ACT Government, develop a single, new memorandum of understanding with the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and the NSW Rural Fire Service, providing for liaison and joint operations as soon as it becomes apparent to whiche

That the taskforce review the extent to which the recommendations in the McLeod report have been implemented in order to ensure implementation of those not yet implemented

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 th

That a review be conducted of the adequacy of training and the numbers of firefighters experienced in performing effective, safe large-scale back-burning operations

That s. 47 of the ACT Coroners Act 1997 be expanded to explicitly state that an inquest and the inquiry are not adversarial in nature and are solely inquisitorial, with a view to establishing the truth

That the Emergency Services Agency develop a clear policy for disseminating information to the public and the media in times of emergency and that, as required, that policy incorporate advance door-knocking of homes in the area affected, as well as regular broadcasts by local radio and television

That the Emergency Services Agency, with the suport of the ACT Government, seek to establish with the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation and the NSW Rural Fire Service a protocol that will provide for the establishment of a joint incident management team as part of unified control arr

That the taskforce review the recommendations of the seven reviews of the Emergency Services Bureau carried out before the McLeod inquiry and ensure implementation of any of those recommendations that remain relevant but have not been implemented 

That prescribed burning operations be conducted according to agreed standard burning prescriptions

That public land management agencies ensure that their senior personnel have appropriate experience in fire management and are provided with adequate resources and suitable experienced and trained staff to effectively implement fire management programs

That the ACT Government consider amending the Coroners Act 1997 to include what were ss. 56(1)(d) and 56(2)(c) of the 1956 Coroners Act

That the ACT Government allocate sufficient funds to enable full-time and volunteer firefighters to participate in relevant courses and programs

That the Canberra Urban Development Working Group referred to in Mr Peter Dunn's letter consider the report prepared by Mr Leonard and note particularly that the community awareness information currently available to householders in connection with measures they can take to better protect their h

I recommend that, as appropriate, the ACT cooperate with the Commonwealth in the implementation of the committee's recommendations and, in particular, give careful consideration to adoption of the following recommendations:

That before each fire season the Emergency Services Agency, in conjunction with the Bush Fire Council – after consultation with the relevant ACT agencies, the Bureau of Meteorology, relevant NSW agencies and the community – conduct a qualitative risk analysis of the conditions and circumstances p

That the Emergency Services Agency be relocated into accommodation that is purpose-built and more sited to the agency’s operations than the current facility at Curtin

That councils develop flood risk management practices consistent with best practice risk management, and that these incorporate:

That Melbourne Water ensures that stakeholders (and especially local councils) are fully consulted before and during the development of drainage strategies and plans. These plans should consider councils’ drainage systems.

That all agencies develop drainage asset management plans, consistent with best practice, and that these incorporate:
- service levels and community expectations
- a demand management plan
- a condition assessment and monitoring program
- lifecycle costing principles

That councils plan for, and implement, formal consultation arrangements with stakeholders to set drainage goals and objectives, and desired service levels.

That councils implement a condition assessment and monitoring program conforming to best practice principles.

That councils formulate, track and report on measures that show their performance in managing drainage assets.

That Melbourne Water and councils explore opportunities for working collaboratively to address the management of flooding risks with a view to optimising the efficient and effective use of their flood mitigation resources.

That agencies develop a detailed improvement plan and commit resources to its implementation.

That agencies integrate condition information into their asset management decision-making practices and use it as the basis for validating asset valuations and depreciation calculations.

That agencies assess the cost-effectiveness of establishing a dedicated and proven asset management information system which is integrated with the other information systems used to manage drainage assets.

That Melbourne Water ensures stakeholder expectations are fully considered when setting flood risk reduction targets.

Give priority to the establishment of risk management processes across all stages of prescribed burning within the Department’s broader risk management strategy: 
• incorporate risk management skill development in training programs

Strengthen internal and external communications to ensure adequate stakeholder involvement throughout the prescribed burning program: 
• coordinate public information and media about prescribed burns in the DSE corporate communications policy

Develop new prescriptions for prescribed burning to accommodate local conditions in those areas where standard prescriptions are assessed to be inappropriate: 
• develop prescriptions for heathland/peat at Wilsons Promontory
• finalise development of prescriptions for the Mallee

Align policies and processes, within the year round 365 day focus on fire management, to provide consistency in the approach to fire regardless of its origins,- that is fuel reduction burning, regeneration and ecological burning or unplanned fire;

Integrate information management systems relating to the prescribed burning program to provide consistency across the networked emergency organisation:
• upgrade FireWeb as a map based application
• include risk management tools on FireWeb

Develop a component of the DSE Workforce Strategy to build organisational capacity and sustainability of the prescribed burning program across the networked emergency organisation: 

Update education and training programs relating to prescribed burning to reflect revised organisational priorities including year round (365 day) fire management program:
• update training manuals
• revise content of training programs

Clarify, strengthen and document roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of DSE and its partner organisations in the prescribed burning program: 
• fire management should be added as core business • update and reissue policies and procedures

The Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner convene a working group of key emergency services and emergency management agencies to develop a flow chart based on scenario testing, to support decision making and the assessment of response requirements to medical, hazardous materials and CBR e

Melbourne Airport Emergency Planning Committee review the Airport Emergency Plan to ensure the capabilities of agencies are adequately documented and understood by all stakeholders, and that all agencies including airlines are represented at the appropriate organisational level on the Airport Eme

Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting service review and enhance the existing mutual response Memorandum of Agreement to provide more timely notification and therefore immediate access to appropriate resources to respond to emergencies.

All agencies review formal and informal incident notification processes to ensure they support the earliest possible reporting of emergencies to all stakeholders involved in the Airport Emergency Plan and in so doing, ensure early access to specialist advice and support.

Melbourne Airport Emergency Planning Committee review the Airport Emergency Plan to confirm that planning and response arrangements appropriately consider the protection of public safety, the current security environment and the timely restoration of airport operations, and that it is consistent

Melbourne Airport management, the emergency services and airlines develop risk based tactical plans that, where safe and appropriate, allow the staged or progressive closure or re-opening of terminal space to support continuity of airport operations during emergencies.

Melbourne Airport Emergency Planning Committee review the Airport Emergency Plan, to consider the use of alternative locations for staging, evacuation, assembly and incident coordination, to increase separation of emergency operations from non emergency activity be adopted.

Victoria Police, Melbourne Airport management, airlines and emergency services develop a Memorandum of Understanding for media coordination and public communications at Melbourne Airport that documents the responsibility for media coordination during emergencies to Victoria Police.

Reference to the Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting service in Part 6 of the Emergency Management Manual Victoria, table of control and support agencies, be extended to include its responsibility for hazardous materials emergencies at the airport.

The Committee recommends that the Native Vegetation Council continue to seek mechanisms to interact with, and educate the individual farmer and landholder with respect to the Native Vegetation Act, its regulations and exemptions.

The Committee recommends that, after a fire, as much vegetation as feasible be retained to minimise soil erosion from wind and first rains.

The Committee recommends that the Native Vegetation Act be amended to allow for prescribed burning.

The committee recommends that the government actively manage native vegetation for fuel loads, weeds and pests.

The Committee recommends that native vegetation, excluding road reserves be fenced.

The Committee recommends that the Native Vegetation Council have a consistent approach to prescribed burning on both public and private lands.

The Committee recommends that when preparing the plan for fire management (including identifying where and when to undertake prescribed burning, firebreaks and fire access tracks) consideration must be given to the impact on local fauna.

The Committee recommends that the native vegetation planning and approval process for prescribed burning be amended to allow flexibility for burning on optimum days.

The Committee recommends that the government assess the impact on fauna movement prior to managing native vegetation.

The Committee recommends that prescribed burning should only be undertaken by professionally trained personnel.

The Committee recommends that relevant government departments implement an ongoing management program for the eradication of feral pests and weeds.

The Committee recommends that the government in cooperation with local authorities identify if: sufficient firebreaks and access track exist; they are strategically located; and they are being managed.

The Committee recommends that the government in cooperation with local authorities assess fire tracks and breaks to determine if firebreaks and access tracks need to be wider and/or native vegetation removed so that it does not impinge on firebreaks or tracks.

The Committee recommends that the government in cooperation with local authorities prepare a management plan that includes firebreaks and access tracks in the region, including the location of current breaks and access tracks and where breaks and tracks need to be established.

The Committee recommends that training be provided to landholders to enable them to assist with prescribed burns.

The Committee recommends that the government establish designated fire safety areas within native vegetation and at road intersections.