Council to move on fire risk
THE Gold Coast has a “considerable residual bushfire risk” and there would be days when fires were uncontrollable across the city, a new report to council warns.
The city is fast forwarding plans for a private contractor after the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service decided against signing up again for the successful bushfire hazard burn program.
Documents obtained by the Bulletin detail how council must maintain control of the service because contracting out all components was “beyond the risk appetite of the City”.
City officers in a behindclosed-doors sessions told councillors, “there will always be a residual bushfire risk” and on days of severe warning “fires may be uncontrollable with the potential to cause property destruction and move quickly through the landscape”.
Latest planning maps show at least three quarters of the city is exposed to some fire risk.
A previous update in 2019 found 42,000 structures were exposed to a fire threat with 51,051ha, or 37 per cent of the Coast’s total area being mapped as “very high, high or medium bushfire hazard”.
Officers are now warning the changeover to a private hazard bushfire model needs recruitment of new senior management positions at council including a manager to lead the program and another to oversee the hazard burn operation.
Tender documentation needs to be completed by midFebruary and a contract awarded by April to ensure the new private operator can undertake several burns during the QFES final season.
“The high risk nature of the HRB service will require careful contract management,” the report said.
The current contract with QFES to manage bushfire risk on a 11,000ha of the natural area estate will expire in October.
The contract which started in 2007 has led to more than 150 strategic hazard reduction burns and was welcomed by council officers due to the experience of QFES workers.
Ten to 14 burns are undertaken each year along with visits to almost 1800 properties and a community education program reaches almost 5000 people.
When asked about service funding costs, a city spokesperson replied: “The value of the contract is commercial in confidence, however cost of the new model will be similar to the previous service delivery model.”
The spokesperson confirmed council had employed a Bushfire Management and Risk Mitigation co-ordinator and the Hazard Reduction Burn Program officer and they were working at City Hall.
“QFES will deliver the 2022 hazard reduction burn program, providing for a favourable transition period for contractors to deliver the 2023 hazard reduction burn program,” the spokesperson said.