Firefighters from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) have begun rolling out an enhanced Hazard Reduction Program for the upcoming fire season.
Minister for the Environment, Matt Kean said the essential burns were designed to protect NPWS neighbours, assets and significant habitat to ensure ongoing recovery of the wildlife impacted by last summer’s bushfires.
“I am incredibly proud of the amazing National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighters who are getting on with [the] job of making our communities safer by undertaking hazard reduction burns,” Mr Kean said.
He said to support them further, the additional funding had been allocated to appoint an additional 125 NPWS firefighters plus a helicopter for hazard reduction and remote area wildfire response.
Deputy Secretary of NPWS, Atticus Fleming said the additional resources would enable NPWS to increase hazard reduction activity by nearly 20 per cent in high risk zones.
“Included in the funding is an increase in the NPWS rapid response remote area firefighter team by up to 80 people (20 per cent),” Mr Fleming said.
“The role of NPWS remote area firefighters has been critical in ensuring that, over the last five years, 83 per cent of all fires starting on national park have been contained on national park,” he said.
Mr Fleming said NPWS firefighters were recognised in the recent Bushfire Inquiry, which noted that NPWS had undertaken 79 per cent of all hazard reduction burning in the seven years leading up to the 2019–2020 season.
He said NPWS worked closely with the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue in planning and undertaking the vitally important hazard reductions.
