Fire events in national parks include planned burns and bushfires. Planning and preparation for these events is essential for effective fire management for each landscape and community in New South Wales.

Policies and procedures

The policies and procedures for fire management in NSW national parks are stated in our Fire management manual.

We work closely with other fire management agencies to develop these guidelines, including:

  • the NSW Bush Fire Coordinating Committee – we help develop and review their policies and procedures
  • local bush fire management committees – we help develop bushfire management plans.

Reserve fire management strategies

Reserve fire management strategies are developed for each national park, or group of parks, in conjunction with park neighbours and contain risk mitigation and fire suppression information. These strategies will gradually be replaced by a new landscape-based approach currently being implemented by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), which will enhance fire management across NSW national parks and reserves.

Fire management planning uses a system of zones to categorise sections of reserves with different management objectives. These zones are as follows.

Asset Protection Zone

The aim of an Asset Protection Zone is to protect human life and property. These areas are usually intensively managed to maintain a moderate or lower overall fuel hazard. The protection of life and property takes precedence over biodiversity conservation in these zones.

Strategic Fire Advantage Zone

The aim of a Strategic Fire Advantage Zone is to reduce fire intensity across larger areas by maintaining an overall fuel hazard at high or below. This is mostly done using prescribed burning. The management of these zones maintains a balance between the protection of life and property and the conservation of environmental and cultural values.

Land Management Zone

The aim of a Land Management Zone is to conserve biodiversity and protect cultural heritage. In these zones, decisions to carry out hazard reduction burns are based on the extent of biodiversity and presence of cultural heritage.

Fire planning tools

NPWS develops specific fire planning documents, including a risk management plan. Burn plans and incident action plans are also prepared for prescribed burns.

Risk management plans

Risk management is fundamental to our approach to managing fire in national parks. Managing the risk to life, property, the environment and cultural values is important during planned hazard reduction activities as well as during bushfire events.

When we develop a risk management plan, we consider the potential risks and best possible outcomes to guide our fire management practices. This includes:

  • people – to ensure the health, safety and welfare of national park visitors, our neighbours and all people involved in fire management
  • environment and heritage ­– to conserve natural and cultural heritage
  • community – to ensure cooperation with the public, stakeholders, NSW Government, regulatory authorities and other fire management agencies
  • finance – to use resources cost-effectively and to manage fires with financial accountability
  • compliance – to ensure fire management and suppression activities comply with our statutory and contractual obligations.

Burn plans

Each planned burn needs a prescribed burn plan. This defines the control lines to contain the burn, the required fire intensity to achieve objectives, the weather and seasonal conditions needed during the burning operation and the light-up methods and sequences.

NPWS conducts prescribed burns for several reasons. These are:

  • reducing overall fuel hazard to assist in the protection of life, property and community assets
  • managing biodiversity to maintain the reproductive viability of a species or a community of species
  • managing introduced species, their spread and impact on native fauna and flora, and
    researching fire behaviour and ecological response to fire.

NPWS considers the use of prescribed burning to be essential to achieve life and property protection, along with biodiversity and cultural objectives.

Incident action plans

An incident action plan (IAP) is prepared for each bushfire suppression operation on NPWS-managed land. The type of IAP will be in accordance with the size and complexity of the incident and will include:

  • operation objectives
  • strategies
  • tactics and tasks
  • an appropriately scaled incident map
  • communications, resources and organisational structure.