MEDIA RELEASE - Pemberton prescribed burn a team effort
March 2016
A successful prescribed burn took place in the Pemberton Forest Park over the weekend, on state land that is managed by the Pemberton Visitor Centre.The collaborative effort between the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, the Shire of Manjimup and the Pemberton Visitor Centre, with assistance from several volunteer brigades, saw 18 hectares of land with high fuel loads control burned for the first time in just under 30 years.
The prescribed burn commenced at around midday on Friday 18 March after nearby residences and businesses were notified. Crews, consisting of volunteer brigades as well as DFES and Shire staff, were present until late on Friday night, returning early on Saturday morning to patrol and "mop-up" where necessary. Shire President Wade DeCampo said "this is a public example of the level of cooperation that goes on between the DFES, the Shire and our amazing volunteers, which the community doesn't often get to see."
"The purpose of this prescribed burn is to protect the townsite of Pemberton and protect the assets surrounding the area," explained Cr DeCampo. "Along with the DFES and Shire staff who were present across the weekend, our volunteers came along to assist including members of brigades from Middlesex, Browns Road, Pemberton Fire and Rescue and even Margaret River - it was a real team effort." A fire appliance from Donnybrook was also used during the burn.
The timing for this prescribed burn was appropriate due to the weather conditions and the moisture content of the forest fuel. Due to the wind direction, the town of Pemberton remained smoke free. The area was one block of many prescribed burns planned for the park in the future.
In addition to this prescribed burn, another took place two weeks ago in Northcliffe Forest Park, described by Cr DeCampo as "an excellent result, with the townsite of Northcliffe made much safer and more resilient to wildfire as a result of the burning 88 hectares of very old fuels within the park."
Prescribed burning will continue so long as seasonal conditions allow it, with additional areas planned for all of the major townsites and settlements within the Shire over the coming weeks and months. "At the moment we are limited by budget constraints, because as a Shire we are only have $60,000 per annum dedicated to prescribed burning. Council are considering an increase to this amount as it is potentially a life-saving exercise, not to mention the protection that low fuel loads offers assets and infrastructure in the case of a wildfire."
