Enhanced Fire Management Program
In response to the unprecedented bushfire events in 2018 and 2019, the Queensland Government demonstrated a strong commitment to support bushfire management in our national parks and State forests, by allocating an additional $16 million over four years to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) commencing in 2019–20.
Known as the Enhanced Fire Management Project, this funding is focused on increasing community safety by minimising bushfire risk to people and property from QPWS managed lands. The EFMP’s strategic objectives are aimed at improving the agency’s capacity to prevent risks to life and property from fires originating from the QPWS estate; having an agency adequately prepared and resourced for planned burn activities and bushfire; ensuring the agency has increased capacity to respond to fire in the landscape and ensure the QPWS estate can recover post-fire.
Through this project, the department has established a dedicated Enhanced Fire Team – the first of its kind for the department. The team is self-sufficient and mobile and comprised of fire management specialists whose sole focus is the delivery of priority strategic planned burns and bushfire suppression response capabilities in the south-east of the state. In addition, the team will promote greater collaborative arrangements with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, First Nations groups, local government, and other land management agencies.
The state’s bushfire preparedness and fire management capability will also be bolstered through the purchase of 30 new G-Wagon light attack vehicles and three new medium-attack trucks, with purpose-built fire units. These vehicles will significantly enhance the firefighting fleet capacity of the department and represent an investment in fire preparedness and response by the Queensland Government.
More information:
