Government reiterates record funding for Rural Fire Service
17th September 2009Ministerial media release
Minister for Emergency Services Steve Whan says claims by the Opposition in a Sydney newspaper that the NSW Government was providing only $3 million for Hazard Reduction are false and that the story should be treated as a sick joke.
The article comes just a day after the Government and RFS announced they were on track for record levels of Hazard Reduction this year - a direct result of increased funding.
"The article wrongly states that towns with high bushfire risk are under funded for Hazard Reduction from a fund that the Opposition claims is only $3 million. This is simply wrong," said Mr Whan.
"The fund referred to is a supplementary funding source - in other words it comes on top of the funds allocated by the land managers themselves, which is in addition to the RFS's bush fire mitigation budget.
"Local councils and land managers are encouraged to apply for funding to assist in carrying out their statutory obligation for Hazard Reduction on land that they manage.
"The local Bushfire Management Committees prioritise funding based on a risk assessment that looks at factors including community threats, fuel loads, fire history and forecast weather patterns.
"To assist land managers in carrying out their responsibilities, the NSW Government has provided more than $17 million for bushfire mitigation, including $2 million to help elderly and vulnerable residents reduce their bushfire risk.
The newspaper article also printed false claims by the Opposition that Hazard Reduction would take 214 years to complete at the current rate.
"Neither the RFS Commissioner or myself as Minister can work out how the Opposition has invented this mythical figure of 200 years for Hazard Reduction.
"Data collected to date by the Rural Fire Service indicates that about 70 per cent of the ambitious schedule of programmed hazard reduction activities will have been completed in 2008/09," he said.
"This is up from 58 per cent the previous year. This is testament to the determined efforts of our fire services and land agencies to use every window of opportunity to complete as much of their scheduled works program as possible.
"Agencies across NSW are on track to achieve more hazard reduction and protect more homes than we have seen in a number of years," Mr Whan said.
"This Government knows we can never be complacent about hazard reduction, which is why we have boosted spending for hazard reduction and fire trails by $36 million over four years.
"This included funding for the RFS to hire seasonal works crews to assist with hazard reduction work. These crews carry out the labour-intensive preparatory works such
as cutting containment lines, leaving our firefighters to concentrate on conducting safe, effective burns.
"On top of this $9 million annual increase, this year's budget included another $8 million to help the elderly and vulnerable to reduce their bushfire risk and employ seasonal work crews to assist firefighters with hazard reduction burns," Mr Whan said.
Claims that volunteer firefighters will no longer be supplied with bottled water on the Lower North Coast are also
"There was a discussion at a routine meeting about the use of bottled water for non-operational activities and that a common sense approach should be applied to use tap water for general brigade activities.
"At no stage has it been suggested that bottled water would not be supplied for firefighters during operations.
"Water is currently available for firefighters on the Lower North Coast. The district received two pallets of bottled drinking water for firefighters two weeks ago and a further two pallets are due to arrive in coming weeks. The Sydney newspaper that chose to print these false claims was supplied a picture of the pallet being unloaded.
"The RFS spends hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on bottled water for firefighters.
"The decision to purchase this bottled water prior to the coming fire season was made at a meeting of the local senior management team, including volunteer group officers," Mr Whan said.
The 2009/10 Rural Fire Fighting Fund is $216 million. Spending includes:
- $31.3 million for more than 200 bushfire tankers
- $16 million for new and upgraded brigade stations and fire control centres and the installation of rain water tanks
- $17 million in maintenance grants to local councils
- More than $17 million for bushfire mitigation, including $2 million to help elderly and vulnerable residents reduce their bushfire risk and
- $6 million to boost aerial firefighting resources.
Government reiterates record funding for Rural Fire Service (PDF 43KB)