CALM boosts fire crew numbers

21/3/04
The Department of Conservation and Land Management has taken on an additional 38 fire crew following the allocation of an extra $3million by the State Government for the department's fire management operations this year.
Environment Minister Judy Edwards said 30 fire crew had been appointed throughout the department's South-West forest regions from Mundaring to Walpole.
Three crew had been assigned to Jurien Bay, one to Kalbarri National Park, two to Esperance and two to Albany.
The department also had appointed three additional officers to help plan for prescribed burning and other fire management operations.
Dr Edwards said the department had begun an extensive upgrading of 200km of strategic firebreaks and access tracks that would assist in prescribed burning and wildfire suppression.
Two large bulldozers with low loaders had also been contracted to bolster resources in the northern jarrah forest. They would be based at Jarrahdale and Dwellingup.
"The appointment of the additional fire crew will enable CALM to undertake an extensive prescribed burning program this autumn," the Minister said.
"The department is aiming to complete planned burns over 120,000ha in the next few months if weather conditions are suitable. This would bring the total area prescribed burned in 2003-04 to 200,000ha."
CALM also had scheduled a prescribed burning program covering 6,000ha in the pine plantations at Gnangara, Pinjar and Yanchep.
These burns not only helped protect the pines from wildfires, they also provided important fuel reduced buffers to minimise the threat of fires to neighbouring private property.
Minister's office: 9220 5050