INQ126

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

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

That the Emergency Services Agency introduce a program with land management agencies in the ACT to ensure that maps of all public and private land in the ACT are subjected to regular review and amendment as required.

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

That the Emergency Services Agency review the communications systems used by the four services (the ACT Ambulance Service, the ACT Rural Fire Service, the ACT State Emergency Service and the ACT Fire Brigade), by the Australian Federal Police, by NSW emergency services and by aircraft and ensure

That version 2 of the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan be completed and introduced without delay

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 priority be given to ensuring that the ACT has an adequate resource of remote area firefighting teams consisting of personnel with high levels of fitness and training in remote fire suppression

That all firefighting agencies adopt a policy and practice that all fires in remote areas of the ACT be responded to as quickly as possible, with vigorous and sustained efforts made to suppress the fires and not leave them unattended – especially at night – unless there are compelling reasons rel

That remote area firefighting resources be deployed to a fire in a remote area as a matter of priority and in preference to the deployment of large tankers

That helicopters be used wherever possible to facilitate the rapid deployment of remote area firefighting crews

That the Emergency Services Agency investigate and implement arrangements that will provide the capacity to use fire retardant in remote areas

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 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 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 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 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 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

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 responsibility for fuel management lie with the land management agency that controls the area and that land managers be given authority to implement prescribed fuel-reduction burns within their area

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

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 a program be implemented to ensure that existing fire tracks and trails are cleared and accessible at all times and that a network of additional fire trails be established so as to allow direct fire suppression operations without undue delay in the event of a wildfire

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 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 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 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 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 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 the Australian Federal Police and the Emergency Services Agency ensure that personnel in their respective organisations are fully briefed on the agreed policy on evacuations

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

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

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.