Port Macquarie Hastings Council (PMHC) has developed a comprehensive online map of council managed bushfire hazard zones, to assist our community with understanding bushfire-risk locations and PMCH's role in managing them.
Using data retrieved through desktop analysis and on ground surveys processed through PMHC's Bushfire Mitigation Management Tool (BMMT), we've developed the interactive community bushfire map showing the location and naming conventions for our 126 Asset Protection Zones (APZ) throughout the LGA.
The map was made possible through a $635,000 grant from the Australian Government, with a co-contribution of $65,000 from PMHC.
An APZ is an area of cleared/managed land between a dwelling and a bushfire hazard. APZs are constructed and maintained to protect existing dwellings to help safeguard them against future bushfire incidences. Keeping these areas clear provides ease-of-access for firefighters and emergency/maintenance personnel to protect life and property safely.
Port Macquarie Hastings Mayor Peta Pinson said combining this information into an easy-to-read, online interactive bushfire map will ensure greater transparency, build trust in PMHC determinations, and educate the community about bushfire mitigation.
The resource is designed to be read in conjunction with the information on PMHC's website Bushfire Port Macquarie Hastings Council (nsw.gov.au), which provides advice on what people can do to reduce the bushfire risk in their neighbourhoods and prepare ahead of a high risk period.
"This is particularly important given the impacts of recent bushfires, none more devastating than the 2019 Black Summer Bushfires which severely impacted our community," Mayor Pinson said.
"Since this time, and with the assistance of the Australian Government, we've been able to make forward progression in the bushfire mitigation space. In 2022, we started developing our BMMT to flesh-out the information required to develop this community-facing interactive map and associated on-ground works."
"The BMMT gathered data along with desktop analysis of Development Applications with bushfire related responsibilities, to produce the list of APZ's requiring management. By showcasing the data collected and interpreting this on our online map, it provides our community with a transparent overview our bushfire liability and APZ's requiring ongoing maintenance. The ultimate aim is to protect against potential future bushfire incidences."
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt, congratulated PMHC on the initiative.
"Mitigating against the risk of disasters is everyone's responsibility, and the Albanese Government is committed to supporting initiatives like this one that help prepare and protect communities from natural disasters," Minister Watt said.
"Thanks to the Port Macquarie Hastings Council, locals armed with the right information can take steps to safeguard their homes and their neighbourhoods against bushfires."
