The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has a strong record of rapidly responding and containing bushfires within its boundaries. This is largely due to effective cooperative arrangements, a responsive detection and suppression capability, specialised response teams, and successful strategic hazard reduction programs.
NPWS staff are highly trained to respond to bushfires. To enable staff to respond effectively to bushfire incidents, they attend annual fire, incident, aviation and fitness training.
During the fire season, key NPWS staff work at the NSW Rural Fire Service state operations centre to help coordinate firefighters.
Fire suppression methods
Fire suppression involves all actions undertaken to contain and control fire, from the time a fire is detected until it is extinguished and declared ‘out’.
Strategies used to suppress bushfires include:
- direct and indirect attack
- backburning
- use of earthmoving equipment
- use of fire suppression chemicals.
More than one strategy may be used to respond to and control a bushfire. The choice of strategy depends on:
- prevailing seasonal conditions and forecast weather
- predicted fire behaviour
- firefighter safety
- assets and values at risk
- financial cost
- the impact of strategies on biodiversity and cultural heritage.
Ground crews can directly contain and suppress a fire front using water and hand tools. This depends on the size and intensity of the fire and the terrain. NPWS firefighters are experts at using dry firefighting: methods of fire suppression that do not rely on water being available.
Our highly trained remote area firefighting teams (RAFTs) are deployed to reach otherwise inaccessible areas to quickly extinguish fires. NPWS is a world leader in developing this method of fire suppression.
Dedicated rapid aerial response teams (RARTs) are placed on standby, alongside helicopters, in high-risk locations during the fire season so they can reach fires quickly.
NPWS has a dedicated aviation unit and fleet of aircraft to assist with fire management.
NPWS helicopters are commonly used to:
- transport and winch fire crews onto the ground
- provide operational support for crews on the fireground
- identify hotspots using infra-red sensors
- undertake reconnaissance
- provide air-attack supervision, command or observational platforms
- undertake aerial ignition and water bombing.
NPWS commonly uses fixed-wing aircraft to:
- detect fires
- undertake reconnaissance of fire behaviour and boundaries (using a thermal imaging camera)
- transport fire crews from various parts of New South Wales
- provide a command or observational platform.
Backburning is a firefighting tactic used to control and contain bushfires. It involves igniting a controlled fire to consume fuel in the path of the main fire, helping to slow or stop its spread.
Backburns are usually lit from a secure control line and allowed to burn back towards the main fire. Control lines can be existing features of the landscape such as a river, lake or road or a cleared strip of land created by firefighters. This firefighting technique is only used when both fuel and weather conditions are suitable. This may be at night when it is cooler and more humid, after a wind shift or lull, or after a cool change.
Earthmoving equipment, such as bulldozers, tractors and graders, can be an effective way of rapidly constructing fire control lines.
The use of this equipment can cause damage to the environment, including soil erosion, damage to natural and cultural heritage and the translocation of weeds and pathogens. Conditions apply to the use of earthmoving equipment within national parks to maintain conservation values and minimise the environmental impact. Immediately after a fire, NPWS carries out remediation work to ensure that no permanent harm is done.
The common types of chemicals used to suppress fires are retardants and foams. Retardants decrease the flammability and availability of fuels. Foams increase the effectiveness of water as an extinguishing agent. Foams are meant for immediate use on active flames. Salt water is also classed as a fire suppression chemical because of the potential negative environmental impact it can cause if used in fire suppression.
Retardants (long-term suppression)
Retardant compounds are composed of ammonium phosphate or ammonium sulphate. They are usually used for parallel and indirect attack on fires and are applied by fixed-wing aircraft and/or large air tankers. They can limit the spread of low intensity sections of a fire.
Foams (short-term suppression)
Foaming agents contain products similar to those found in household detergents. Foam aids direct attack operations by expanding water droplets, coating fuels to starve a fire of oxygen, increasing insulation, remaining on fuel surface longer and penetrating deeper into the fuel layer.
Salt water
Salt water is occasionally used for water bombing operations in reserves along the coast and estuaries. The negative impact of salt water on the environment increases the further the location is from the coast. This is because the further plant and animal communities are from the coast, the less tolerant they are to salt.
The environmental impacts of fire suppression chemicals are considered during operations, and we try to limit the use of chemicals near water courses.
Protecting environmental and cultural heritage values
All fire management activities are carefully assessed to avoid or minimise impacts on environmental values across NPWS-managed lands. Priority is given to assets of intergenerational significance, threatened species, threatened ecological communities and water catchments.
NPWS works to protect and conserve a wide range of cultural heritage within national parks and reserves. Aboriginal cultural values are a key focus and include Aboriginal sites and artefacts, landscapes shaped by traditional practices, significant landforms, spiritual and ceremonial places, bush foods and medicines, and culturally important animals.
Environmental and cultural heritage values are identified in fire management strategies to guide fire suppression operations. During fires in areas of high significance, specialists are consulted to help protect these sites. Post-fire rehabilitation is also carried out where needed.
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Red sky fire light and smoke plume over paddock from Wambelong fire -
Remote Area Fire Team (RAFT) helicopter landed near Martindale Creek. NSW Rural Fire Service. -
Remote Area Fire Team (RAFT) Martindale Creek area near Bulga -
Remote Area Fire Team (RAFT) member winching out of helicopter. -
Helicopter dropping retardant over Goobang National Park -
Bushfire management team hosing flames with Bouy Wall at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park -
The Bambi bucket is a collapsible bucket utilising a pilot-controlled valve that can deliver a concentrated column of water from the helicopter to the fire for use in fire combat