The head of the ACT’s rural fire service is confident he has got the crew and equipment in place to protect the capital ahead of the coming summer. But while the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting an ‘average’ bushfire season for the territory, with some experts arguing authorities are not prepared for the worst-case scenario.
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00:00Tony Bartlett knows the bush around the capital like the back of his hand, along with the
00:08risk of fires that threaten it.
00:10If it was a more severe fire season like we saw in 2020 or back in 2003, I'm not convinced
00:18that we're well enough prepared.
00:20While the Bureau of Meteorology is predicting an average fire season, there's still potential
00:25for the risk to increase.
00:27And the bushfire expert doesn't believe we're prepared for the worst-case scenario.
00:32So Tony, walking along here, what are the risks that you see?
00:36The two main risks are the amount of fuel here on the ground, both the fine fuels, the
00:40leaves and small twigs, and then some of the heavier fuels.
00:43He's calling for a five-fold increase to hazard reduction burns by the ACT Rural Fire Service.
00:50As best I understand, they're doing about a total of 800 hectares of prescribed burning
00:55each year.
00:56Ten years after the 2003 fire, we were doing on average about 6,000 hectares a year.
01:02We don't just look for a target to burn for the sake of burning.
01:05Today's mild weather gave crews an opportunity to conduct hazard reduction burns here at
01:10Lower Molonglo, with hot and windy conditions forecast for tomorrow.
01:14Uriara Village, west of Canberra, is no stranger to bushfires.
01:19The town was devastated in 2003.
01:23Fearing the worst, some residents are calling for more resources.
01:27It's very dry actually in the bush at the moment, considering the lack of rain that we've had.
01:32But the RFS argues the area is well protected.
01:35Strategically, where we've got our brigades, we're very comfortable with response times,
01:40and also we're getting stronger detection through our fire detection cameras, the triple
01:45zero networks.
01:47Even so, residents are urged to have a bushfire survival plan just in case.
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