What is a Community Protection Plan?
A Community Protection Plan (CPP) is a tactical level bush fire planning document that is being developed in response to the 2009 Victorian Bush Fires Royal Commission. A CPP presents an overview of bush fire threat for the area, the protection options available to the community as well as the current and proposed risk treatment work. This information is presented via the following three maps:
1. Bush Fire Survival Map - will include information on the potential bush fire threat, the safety of access / egress provisions, early relocation options and contingency shelter options.
2. Bush Fire Preparation Map – will provide information for land managers, fire agencies and community members on details of the existing and proposed bush fire risk treatment work for the community.
3. Brigade Operations Map - provides brigades and other fire fighting agencies with important data relevant to the community to be used for operational purposes only.
What can we use a CPP for?
The three maps produced when developing a CPP can be used for a number of purposes. The intended purpose of each map is outlined below:
1. Bush Fire Survival Map – Can be used for engaging and educating the community on their bush fire exposure, where they can go should they decide to leave early and potential shelter options that can be used as a last resort. Information contained on this map should promote action from the community and inform the preparation of personal Bush Fire Survival Plans.
2. Bush Fire Preparation Map – A work program that will assist districts/teams/zones (D/T/Z), brigades, agencies and land managers in planning mitigation activities for a community. It should also be used to inform residents on specific risk treatment work that is being implemented to protect the community.
3. Brigade Operations Map – Can be used by brigades to inform new or out of area fire fighters on important aspects of a community that may affect fire fighting operations. Data collected during the preparation of this map could also be used when developing pre-incident plans.
Why do we need CPPs?
CPPs are being developed in response to recommendations 1-5 of the final report 2009 Victorian Bush Fires Royal Commission. These recommendations relate to bush fire safety policy and provide the impetus for the creation of the CPP framework.
There is a need to integrate and standardise the format and content of current community level plans that have been developed across NSW. There is also a need to provide guidelines, tools and resources to facilitate a consistent approach to community level bush fire planning.
What is being done in other Australian states to address this issue?
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) Victoria has developed a similar concept to CPPs known as Township Protection Plans, which can be found at www.cfa.vic.gov.au. To the best of our knowledge, none of the other states or territories have developed an equivalent to the CPP program at this stage.
How is a CPP different from a Bush Fire Risk Management Plan?
A Bush Fire Risk Management Plan (BFRMP) involves an assessment of the bush fire risk across a Bush Fire Management Committee area and establishes treatment strategies to address these risks. A CPP is a tactical document that is prepared at a much finer scale than the BFRMP and assesses the bush fire threat/exposure as well as access/egress provisions, shelter options and risk treatments for a community. CPPs will operate as the work program for an area and will also capture important information such as vulnerable communities, which can be used by local brigades and emergency services during pre-incident planning exercises and fire fighting operations.
What is the difference between a CPP and a Village Protection Plan?
In developing the framework for the CPP initiative, the content and layout of Village Protection Plans (VPPs) and other similar plans that had been prepared throughout the State were reviewed with the key principles incorporated into the guidelines. This was done to avoid potential conflicts between existing plans and ensure that the work carried out by D/T/Z and Bush Fire Management Committees in the past could be readily utilised when developing a CPP. Existing VPPs can be incorporated into the CPP and will typically form the Bush Fire Preparation Map.
CPPs, VPPs and other similar plans are all tactical bush fire planning documents that are prepared at the community level and essentially serve the same purpose. In addition, a CPP will also address matters such as the bush fire threat to communities, shelter options, access/egress provisions and provide for the collection of important data that can feed into brigade operational planning.
What are the benefits of a CPP for local brigades?
The CPP will capture important information such as water supply, location of vulnerable communities and fire history for a community. This information can then be used by local brigades and emergency services during pre-incident planning exercises and fire fighting operations. A CPP will help the brigade plan their activities and will also be a useful tool to encourage and help members of the community to take action and be better prepared for bush fires.
Who should be involved internally within the RFS when developing the CPP?
A CPP is developed by staff from the Customer Service Centres (CSCs), the district/team/zone (D/T/Z) office and members of local brigades. It is important to note that local knowledge and information will be vital to the development of the CPP and D/T/Z staff and local brigade member involvement in the preparation and implementation phase is essential. It is intended that CSC staff will act as a resource to assist the D/T/Z in preparing a CPP for communities within their area.
Who in the community should we consult when developing a CPP?
Members of the community that should be consulted during the preparation of a CPP will be identified in the CPP communication strategy. Typical groups who should be involved in the development of a CPP will include neighbourhood associations, local bush care groups and the general public. In addition, it is vital that consultation occur with other fire authorities, land managers and agencies relevant to the area through the Bush Fire Management Committee and Local Emergency Management Committee.
How long will it take to prepare a CPP?
There is no set time frame, but a Plan could be developed within a 3 month period. However, the time taken to develop the plan will depend on the specific circumstances of the subject community. The scheduling of CPPs throughout the State will be done in consultation between D/T/Z, Region and Customer Service Centres.
What assistance is available when developing the Plan?
Generally, a CPP will be mostly prepared by Customer Service Centre (CSC) staff in close consultation with the D/T/Z office and local brigades. The role of the CSC staff is to assist the D/T/Z in developing a plan for communities within their area. The Community Planning, Community Engagement and GIS sections at headquarters can help develop and implement a CPP.
Is anyone already using a CPP?
A number of CPP pilot studies are currently occurring throughout NSW. The purpose of these studies is to trial the draft guidelines, tools and framework that have been developed for the initiative. Some of these pilots are now nearing completion and the experiences gained through these studies will inform the further development of CPPs. It is intended that a final version of the guidelines, tools and framework will be made available in coming months. However, as the CPP concept evolves, it is likely that the enhancements and modifications will occur, particularly over the initial 12 month period.
Who will be responsible for the additional work identified in the CPP and who will resource it?
The land owner/manager or relevant agency will ultimately be responsible for implementing and maintaining additional work identified through the CPP. Where possible, the NSW Rural Fire Service may help with initial implementation of this work e.g. utilising the State Mitigation Service crews to implement an Asset Protection Zone. Opportunities to link current funding programs with CPPs are being investigated.
5 comments:
And the last question is of course the limiting factor. Whilst I absolutely support development of these in theory, the RFS will need to fund implementation over an extended period. The new systems are great but every RMP, bush fire prone lands map, CPP creates large work loads and expense for agencies like NPWS, Lands and councils.
It is simply not possible to always say "it is the land manager's responsibility". There is no endless bucket of money.
If we want to raise a new tax to support our RFS and better outcomes then let's do so quite plainly - how about an "Emergency Services Levy" with money collected and spent locally but under state legislation. This could give the BFMCs a source of funds to undertake work themselves.
One of the measures of the CPP should be Community Engagement - how many of the local residents have seen the CPP and can recall anything about it that they could use.
Otherwise it is just another tick the box program. Its a great initiative but if its anything like the BFMP then only agency people know about it and will be of little use to the community.
What a great concept, im looking forward to seeing how this is received in the community.
Maybe SWS (Static Water Supply)information could be finally implemented in practice by incorporating it into the community protection plan, without having to skate around the privacy issues and other stuff. That way it would more useful to brigades than a box of fancy pamphlets and TV ads.
wow that's really amazing.
building plans
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