Hazard Reduction Burning
Hazard reduction (HR) burning, also called ‘controlled’ or ‘prescribed’ burning, is the controlled use of fire under certain environmental conditions and at the time, intensity, and rate of spread required to attain planned resource management objectives.
Hornsby Shire Council is not a firefighting agency and does not conduct bush fire suppression or hazard reduction burning. Any HR burning on land under council’s care, control and management is dependent on the NSW RFS, NSW Fire and Rescue and other land managers.
HR burns are undertaken in a predetermined area and usually outside of fire season. They may be adjacent to assets (i.e. houses, community facilities) or within the wider landscape and it is the primary type of burning undertaken in Hornsby Shire.
The goal of the HR burn program is not to create areas that will not burn, but a mosaic of areas that will burn at a lower intensity, facilitating more effective control of bush fires by firefighters. In some cases, depending on the vegetation type, hazard reduction burning may increase fuel loads, hence excluding fire from an area may be the most effective way of maintaining reduced vegetation or fuel coverage.
Prior to any HR burn there is a prescribed burn plan that is prepared to consider a range of matters including (but not limited to):
- Site Characteristics
- Fuel Characteristics
- Asset & Protection Measures (built and environmental)
- Control Lines
- Fire Behaviour
- Weather
- Resources
- Smoke Management
- Traffic
- Logistics
- Notifications
- Safety
- Environmental Approvals
Hornsby Shire Council provides support during multiple steps in the delivery of Hazard Reduction burns. Limitations that can impact on burn operations are extensive. Examples of considerations that impact on a burn being delivered include:
- environmental conditions (wind, rain, fuel moisture, soil moisture, humidity)
- results of smoke plume modelling (i.e. during special events being planned within the Sydney Basin e.g. City to Surf)
- resourcing (RFS relies on volunteers and they are primarily available during weekends)
To see a list of planned Hazard Reduction Burns, go to rfs.nsw.gov.au
Prescribed hazard reduction burning requires many environmental factors to be taken into consideration and will vary for each site. The following short video describes the ignition patterns used by fire practitioners and fire authorities to ensure the burn remains within the required prescription.
