Communities across the State, including the Hawkesbury, will be better prepared to fight bush fires with more than $6 million worth of hazard reduction and fire trail maintenance underway as part of the Bush Fire Mitigation Funding program.
Minister for Emergency Services Troy Grant said the program, administered by the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS), is just one measure the NSW government is investing in to ensure land management agencies are able to reduce the threat of bush fire.
“We have had a particularly dry winter, which raises serious concerns about an early start to the bush fire season,” Mr Grant said.
“The Bureau of Meteorology’s climate and water outlook for the next three months indicates warmer temperatures and low levels of rain across the state.
“Last summer in NSW we saw some of the worst fire conditions on record, and this Government is committed to doing everything it can to protect communities in fire prone areas when the hot weather hits again.
“This program also supports our aim to provide protection to 600,000 properties from bush fire and treat almost 750,000 hectares of bush fire prone land through hazard reduction and fire trail maintenance by 2019.”
NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said bush fire preparations are a cooperative effort between emergency services, land agencies, state and local governments and the community.
“Local brigades, government agencies and land managers are undertaking as much hazard reduction as possible ahead of the bush fire season and it is never too early for residents to start preparing their property and updating their Bush Fire Survival Plan,” Commissioner Fitzsimmons said.
