WESTERN TOP END FIRE SEASON 2024
WESTERN TOP END
THAMARRURR AREA: ca. 15.000 square kilometre
OVERVIEW
MARCH TO MAY: CONSULTATIONS WITH TO’S, SECURE
ASSETS
APRIL TO AUGUST: GROUND-AERIAL BURNING
AUGUST TO DECEMBER: SURPRESS WILDFIRES
OUTCOMES
Consultation and asset protection
Maps, outstations, numbers
TRADITIONAL OWNER CONSULTATIONS
ASSET PROTECTION
SACRED SIDE PROTECTION
Aerial Prescribed Burning (APB)
IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF APB:
Start APB early as possible: WHY?
CONS: POSSIBILITY TO WASTE HUGE AMOUNT OF
RECOURCES
PROS: “CHASING THE YELLOW LINES”
MOSAIC BURNING PATTERN
TRADIONAL WAY OF BURNING
CREAT ESCAPE CORIDORS FOR FAUNA
STRATEGIES AND PRINCIPLES
STRATEGIES AND PRINCIPLES
PLAN LONG TIMES IN ADVANCE AND LEAVE A BUFFER
PLAY WITH THE WEATHER
BE CONSISTENT
TO ACHIEVE A RESULT WHICH CONTAINS
ALL ASPECTS OF A SUCCESSFULLY PRESCRIBED BURNING
YOU WILL NEED A SUFFICIENT BUDGET FOR!
FLIGHT LINES MAY 2023
6556 KILOMETRES
20% AREA BURNT
FLIGHT LINES MAY AND JUNE 2023
12 406 KILOMETRES
33.2 % AREA BURNT
FLIGHTLINES MAY –JULY
14 486 KILOMETRES
135 000 INCENDARIES
110 FLIGHT HOURS
43% AREA BURNT
FIRE SURPRESSION 2024
3 REASON FOR FIRE
NO WILDFIRE EITHER
AUGUST TO DECEMBER: SURPRESSING WILDFIRES
7.9% LSF BURNT AREA
100% MEN MADE FIRES
MORE PEOPLE, BETTER ACCESS =
MORE FIRES + MORE EARLY SEASON BURNING TO PREVENT LATE SEASON FIRES
“If you are short of everything but heat and smoke,
you are in the fire zone.”
Lesson learned?
With a certain amount of money we had a lot of freedom and opportunities to carry out intensive fire management. And over a long period of time in order to make the procedures used as positive as possible. We had the necessary equipment and the logistical requirements for it.
But there is still a long way to go. Operational freedom is one thing and an indispensable factor to be successful. The next step will be to form a more efficient team - in terms of effective firefighting - that can act quickly and professionally if necessary - in compliance with the OHS guidelines. This step will be the hardest. Nevertheless, it generally makes sense to put EVERYTHING into EDS prevention and to use fire fighting as marginally as possible - BUT, if necessary, THEN be able to fall back on it 100%.
We are working on it.
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS: