The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) website provides detailed information on bushfire planning and mitigation policies. Here are some key points:
- Building in Bushfire-prone Areas: QFES adheres to AS3959 – 2009 for constructing buildings in bushfire-prone areas. To improve building safety against bushfire threats, this includes recommendations on siting, design, materials, and construction methods. It is important to use non-combustible materials for walls and roofs, seal gaps to prevent ember penetration, and use fire-resistant windows and doors in high-risk areas.
- Bushfire Resilient Communities: BRC is a technical document supporting the State Planning Policy (SPP) from July 2017, focusing on bushfires, natural hazards, and risk. To mitigate bushfire risks, this policy assists local governments in planning and development applications.
- Changes to Fire Weather: Due to significant bushfire events, QFES has studied long-term fire weather patterns in Queensland in collaboration with the Bureau of Meteorology. To inform strategic and operational planning, this research aims to understand better the impacts of fire weather changes on bushfire risks.
- Program Grasstree and Operation Sesbania: Technology, cultural practices, and community engagement are all incorporated into these initiatives to ensure sustainable vegetation management and hazard mitigation. Operation Sesbania is a bushfire prevention effort that involves various stakeholders each year. By burning hazardous materials, building firebreaks, and educating the community, we reduce the risk of fires.
- Bushfire Risk Mitigation Plan (BRMP): To support bushfire response efforts, local Area Fire Management Groups develop risk mitigation plans focusing on community interface zones.
- Landowner Responsibilities: Among the responsibilities of landowners under QFES are maintaining vegetation, creating firebreaks, and ensuring adequate resources for firefighting. Enforcement actions may be taken if these responsibilities are not met.
Grasstree and Operation Sesbania
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Program Grasstree and Operation Sesbania represent a forward-looking approach to bushfire mitigation to protect Queensland communities from bushfire-related disasters. This initiative blends traditional cultural land management practices with contemporary community engagement efforts and the latest technological advancements. Through this comprehensive strategy, bushfire risks are managed and reduced. Communities are also encouraged to coexist in harmony with nature, ensuring their safety and resilience.
Grasstree is a three-year program that promotes sustainable vegetation management and hazard mitigation. There are several components to the program, including:
- Technology and Electronics: Using modern tools and technologies to enhance bushfire management effectiveness.
- Cultural Land Management Practices: Integrating traditional and indigenous approaches to land management that benefit the land and the communities.
- Queensland Bioregion and Regional Ecosystem Framework Guidelines: Considering each Queensland region’s unique ecological characteristics.
- Community Engagement Activities: Educating and involving local communities in bushfire preparedness and mitigation through various activities.
- Local Knowledge: Using residents’ knowledge and experience to inform and improve bushfire management.
Operation Sesbania is the annual bushfire mitigation component of Program Grasstree. This operation involves:
- Partnerships: Collaborating with land management agencies such as the Department of Environment and Science (National Parks and Wildlife Service), Department of Resources, Local Government, and HQ Plantations.
- Mitigation Activities: Various activities are being conducted in preparation for the upcoming bushfire season, such as hazard reduction burns to reduce fuel loads, fire trails and firebreaks, and maintenance to increase firefighter access.
- Community Education: Promoting bushfire prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery through education and awareness programs. A bushfire survival plan is also important.
- Local Priorities and Planning: Weather, topography, vegetation types, and local knowledge are considered when creating local priorities and planning mitigation activities across the state.
These initiatives aim to reduce the risk of bushfires and protect Queensland communities. This is done by integrating cultural practices, community engagement, and modern technologies into a comprehensive bushfire mitigation strategy.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
The InfernoAlert system is based on Queensland Fire and Emergency Services’ Grasstree program and Operation Sesbania.
We developed InfernoAlert to monitor and respond to wildfire threats, especially in Queensland’s diverse landscapes. An integral component of our system is a high-tech sensor that measures four critical environmental parameters – temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and volatile organic compounds – to provide comprehensive bushfire risk assessments. LoRaWAN technology ensures seamless and reliable connectivity to the cloud, enabling real-time data transmission and analysis. Using Bluetooth technology, we can create a mesh network among our sensors, which enhances the detection system’s coverage and resilience. This makes it an excellent fit for Queensland Fire and Emergency Services’ Grasstree program and Operation Sesbania. Both programs aim to improve bushfire preparedness and response.
Our system will be further extended and made more effective by engaging local communities and jungle hikers in the sensor installation process. This not only maximizes local knowledge and ensures that sensors are strategically placed in the most vulnerable areas, but also fosters a collaborative approach to bushfire management. Our approach empowers communities and promotes a sense of ownership and responsibility to the environment by involving those most familiar with the terrain and most affected by bushfire threats.
