Need for fire breaks

After seeing the Nelson wildfires requiring fire breaks while the fires are raging, would it not have been smarter to have these breaks in place before the fires started raging?

It would be a welcome preventative move, saving flora, fauna, firefighters and private property. Aren’t these enough reasons to start thinking about it now, before the next wildfire is going to surprise us?

Nationwide, it seems, there are no efficient policies in place for these breaks. Come on, policymakers, think of something that works.

Rene´ Blezer, Taupo¯