Integrated Fire Management Planning overview

Fire management planning is about to get a whole lot more inclusive.

In the past, planning was generally confined to the fire agencies and local municipalities. But now the process is set to change – and for the better. It stems from the impact on communities that occurred in the campaign fires of recent years. There were many lessons learnt and this has led government to look for a more collaborative approach to fire management planning. More attention will be paid to local knowledge and broader engagement, with the community encouraged to actively participate in the planning process.

CFA is the host agency for the support team of the Integrated Fire Management Planning (IFMP) framework. The objective of IFMP is to introduce a more inclusive process to fire risk management that engages a broad range of government agencies, municipalities, industry, local communities and CFA brigades. The framework for future fire management that will emerge from IFMP will be based on a “whole of government and community” approach to the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery model.

CFA’s Communication and Consultation Manager for IFMP, Operations Officer, Allan Rankin says we need to be having the conversation about local fire planning with a much broader section of the community.

“In the past it’s been predominantly about CFA, DSE and Local Government getting together to discuss the local fire risk. Our intention now is to reach out to and engage with wider parts of the community,” Allan said.

There is a whole range of principle and secondary stakeholders who will have a real interest in getting directly involved in fire planning, according to Allan. “The process will help us uncover new risks that previously may not have been considered under the old method’” he added.

“Once we have a good handle on these risks, appropriate treatments to mitigate them can be identified along with who will be responsible for delivery of them.”

Allan said fuel reduction burns and clean-ups alone are not the answer to addressing fire risk and its impact.

“The best prevention in the world is not going to alleviate the fact that fire will happen, so consequently the community needs to be prepared as to how it will respond during and after the fire. Integrated fire management planning factors into the planning equation the four tenets of holistic fire management; prevention; preparedness; response; and recovery. It’s a top to tail approach."

In the past, the approach taken to fire management has varied from region to region. The new framework includes a benchmark application and a workable audit trail for assessing the planning around fire risk.

The process will feature several elements including checklists and developing overlay maps. It delivers outcomes that can potentially be applied in broader emergency management such as floods.

Allan is first to admit that the IFMP project has been slow to evolve. “There are sceptics, but believe me this will be very valuable in reducing the impact of fire on communities. A common remark that I hear around CFA is that the current fire prevention arrangements meet statutory obligations but that’s about the extent of it,” Allan said.

“These practices have been in place for many years, however we are a lot more sophisticated now in how we approach emergency management and this is just another step forward in that direction.”

Allan says IFMP will create a template and the tools for other stakeholders to work off a standard framework that can be applied by all CFA brigades around the state.

“Integrated fire management planning has the very real potential to decrease the workload of volunteers and that’s a good outcome.”