Plan to protect assets from bushfire
05/05/2015
The Lower Eyre Bushfire Management Area Plan will shortly be released for public consultation.
The first of its kind, the strategic plan identifies assets at risk of bushfire and outlines the treatment measures required to mitigate bushfire risk.
District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula, City of Port Lincoln and the District Council of Tumby Bay have been involved in the pilot program which will now be rolled out to other areas of the state.
"The Bushfire Management Area Plan takes into account human settlement, economic and cultural heritage assets in the Lower Eyre Peninsula region," said Robin Marlin, Chair of the Lower Eyre Peninsula Bushfire Management Committee.
This planning process was developed after recommendations from a Ministerial Review of bushfire prevention throughout South Australia to have a strategy to protect assets from the impact of bushfire and involve key stakeholders.
"In the Lower Eyre Peninsula alone we have identified over 400 assets which will come under this plan, including the SA Water managed lands." Mr Marlin said.
CFS Director Preparedness Operations, Leigh Miller said it is important vital assets in the community are not lost.
"By being bushfire ready and undertaking steps to manage the landscape before a bushfire even begins will mean the damage caused by a large event can be mitigated," Mr Miller said.
"By adopting this plan at the end of the Fire Danger Season it will give Councils and stakeholders the opportunity to undertake the preparation they need to ensure their assets can be well protected by the start of the 2015/16 season."
The Lower Eyre Peninsula Bushfire Management Area Plan will be available on the CFS website (www.cfs.sa.gov.au) and the above mentioned local councils websites from the 12th May 2014 and will be subject to public consultation for six weeks.
Once this plan is endorsed, Bushfire Management Committees in other parts of the state will begin identifying assets in their bushfire management area to come under a similar plan of their own.
