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Maintain Firebreaks To Protect Assets: Hall

Many of the firebreaks formed to protect communities and private assets during the recent bushfire season should be maintained, according to The Nationals’ MP, Peter Hall.

By The Nationals - 2nd March 2007 - Back to News

Mr Hall has called on the State Government to stop rehabilitation works on firebreaks, until an assessment of what is required is undertaken.

Mr Hall said permanent firebreaks, similar to that being established in the Thomson reservoir catchment, were a sensible precaution.

He added that many of his constituents who had suffered through the bushfires regarded the rush to rehabilitate firebreaks as an "act of insanity."

Speaking in Parliament this week, the Eastern Region MP said: "During times of major bushfires a great deal of resource is put into establishing firebreaks to assist in containing fires.

"This exercise typically involves clearing an area of land, sometimes up to 70 metres in width, of flammable materials. While that in itself does not necessarily stop a fire because bushfires spot ahead of the fire front, it provides an excellent reference point for the conduct of back-burning, which is one of the main tools employed by firefighters to fight wildfires."

Mr Hall said he welcomed plans to maintain a permanent firebreak to protect the Thomson catchment area.

"But there is a need to protect a lot of country communities and privately owned assets in country Victoria. There is sense in maintaining some permanent firebreaks strategically placed around those communities and around those privately owned assets in country Victoria," he said.

"I have been informed by constituents that in those areas affected by the recent bushfires the Department of Sustainability and Environment is now very busy rehabilitating firebreaks that only a couple of weeks ago it was going helter-skelter to create.

"Many of my constituents think this is an act of insanity.

"After the effort that they have put in to create those firebreaks it should now be considered vital to maintain them so that they become permanent features to protect those communities from fire."

Mr Hall called on the Minister to immediately cease the rehabilitation of firebreaks until local fire plans were reassessed and the desirability of maintaining permanent firebreaks was determined.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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