Women showing the way with hazard reduction burn in Kosciuszko National Park

Half of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) fire crews working on a large hazard reduction burn in Kosciuszko National Park over the past two weeks were women, showing their strengths and commitment to working within the field of fire management.

Nine female firefighters from the NPWS helped complete the 1900 hectares burn in the remote section of Kosciuszko National Park near Thatchers Hole.

In a traditionally male-dominated role, NPWS is proud that a quarter of their firefighters are women and have a wealth of experience and capability in all fire roles.

All NPWS firefighters are highly trained, and female firefights can be found in all areas of fire management including the specialised Remote Area Firefighter Team which tackle fires in remote rugged areas.

This diversity makes the NPWS stronger as it continues to strive for gender equity in all roles.

Hazard reduction burns are essential to reduce bushfire fuel loads to help protect parks, neighbours and communities from future bushfires.

This burn is one of many hazard reduction operations undertaken by NPWS each year, many with assistance from the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and NSW Forest Corporation.

Burns across NSW will continue to be coordinated with the RFS and FRNSW to ensure the impact on the community, including from smoke, are assessed at a regional level.

Details on specific burns are made available in advance on the Rural Fire Service website, Hazards Near Me app, and on NPWS Alerts website.

For health information relating to smoke from bush fires and hazard reduction burning, visit NSW Health or the Asthma Foundation.

For up-to-date information on these, and other, planned hazard reduction activities, visit the Rural Fire Service.