Welcome to Victoria’s Bushfire Risk Management Report 2021–22. This is the 10th annual report on Victoria’s fuel management program, but the first to be delivered by the newly established Office of Bushfire Risk Management (OBRM) and to encompass reporting on bushfire risk reduction activities conducted across public and private land.
The Victorian Government recognises the significant threat that climate change poses to communities, the economy and the environment through more frequent and severe bushfire emergencies.
Through the 2021–22 State budget, the Victorian Government allocated an unprecedented $517 million to continue advancing Victoria’s approach to managing bushfire risk under a changing climate.
This included funding for firefighters to deliver an enhanced fuel management program and expand Victoria’s network of strategic fuel breaks, as well as funding to upgrade the digital radio network for Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) staff and Country Fire Authority (CFA) members to support safe and effective firefighting.
A further $96 million investment was provided through the 2022–23 State budget to strengthen preparedness arrangements, replace and renew critical fire and emergency assets, and fund aerial firefighting that is critical for supporting safe and effective bushfire suppression.
In addition, $28.9 million has recently been committed to bolstering the FFMVic forest firefighting workforce by transitioning 50 seasonal contract forest firefighters into full-time roles.
Victoria's risk-based approach to bushfire management
Victoria’s risk-based approach to bushfire management means that the resources invested in bushfire management are directed where they will have the greatest impact in safeguarding human life, property and the environment.
This approach has been repeatedly reviewed by experts and inquiries, and consistently found to be leading practice both nationally and internationally.
Bushfire risk is managed through a wide range of interventions including planned burning, mechanical fuel treatment, construction and maintenance of strategic fuel breaks, community education, compliance patrols, and aggressive first attack to bring bushfires rapidly under control while they are still small.
Importantly, this approach is underpinned by shared responsibility and brings together land and fire agencies, councils, landowners and the community through the Safer Together program to work together to manage bushfire risk.
Safer Together achieves this through investment in research and modelling to continuously improve the evidence base that informs a risk-based approach and strengthen engagement between land and fire agencies and communities to have meaningful conversations and identify more mutually acceptable approaches to risk reduction.
In response to the Inspector-General for Emergency Management’s (IGEM) Phase 1 Inquiry into the 2019-20 Victorian fire season, in July 2021 the Victorian Government established the Office of Bushfire Risk Management (OBRM) to lead a coordinated approach to evidence-based bushfire risk management policy, practice, assurance, and reporting across all public and private land in Victoria.
Changes to public reporting on bushfire risk management
This year’s Victoria’s Bushfire Risk Management Report 2021–22 marks the start of a transition to public reporting on the performance of Victoria’s bushfire risk management program across all agencies and tenures.
In addition to information on FFMVic’s fuel management program, this report also includes information on the CFA fuel management program.
Fuel management across Victoria's public and private land
Fuel management is a key strategy for reducing bushfire risk and one of the key activities to protect communities from bushfires. Fuel management includes:
- planned burning (lighting and managing planned fires in the landscape)
- mechanical treatments, such as mowing, slashing and mulching, and
- other non-burn treatments like spraying.
It makes suppression more achievable and safer for firefighters and helps to reduce the impact of bushfires on communities and the environment.
FFMVic and CFA work closely with other sector partners and the community to plan and deliver fuel management across public and private land in Victoria to manage bushfire risk. FFMVic is responsible for managing bushfire risk in State forests, national parks and other protected public lands in Victoria, and CFA supports the delivery of fire prevention works on private land.
Agencies in Victoria take a year-round approach to reducing bushfire risk. All year, the sector:
- plans and delivers planned burning and non-burn fuel treatments
- constructs and maintains strategic fuel breaks
- maintains and improves strategic fire access road networks
- undertakes other bushfire risk-reduction activities, such as using predictive weather and fire behaviour advice to strategically position air and ground resources on days when bushfire risk is increased, and
- engages with the community to support placed-based programs to reduce bushfire risk at the local level and to increase community understanding of bushfire risk.
To deliver these fuel management activities FFMVic and the CFA undertake joint planning at both the strategic and local levels.
The fuel management strategy for each region is outlined in each of Victoria’s 6 regional bushfire management strategies, reflected in fire management zoning on public land, and translated locally through the Joint Fuel Management Program (JFMP) which sets out the prioritised annual schedule of fuel management works.
While the majority of the state’s annual fuel management program focuses on reducing the risk of bushfires to human life and property, the JFMP also includes burns which are undertaken for ecological purposes. The JFMP also includes cultural burns nominated and led by Traditional Owners.
While this year’s report largely focuses on fuel management activities, future editions will be expanded to cover other bushfire risk management activities. The outcomes of other agencies' bushfire risk management activities will also continue to be incorporated over time.
Reporting scale
This report provides information on fuel management delivery and outcomes at both the statewide and regional scale. At the statewide scale, this report provides information on performance against the statewide target to maintain fuel-driven bushfire risk at or below 70% of maximum levels.
The report also provides information on performance against long-term regional planning targets derived from the statewide target. Regional long-term planning targets are designed to ensure the planning and delivery of a bushfire risk reduction program across the State's six regions that collectively delivers on the Government's statewide target to maintain fuel-driven bushfire risk at or below 70% through fuel management on public land.
Data and model output improvements
Victoria’s bushfire management sector invests in and uses the best-available evidence-based models and data to calculate the results presented in the bushfire risk management report each year.
Models for metrics, such as fuel-driven bushfire risk or reported costs, are updated regularly when technology improves, better data becomes available, the research program provides new knowledge or mapping accuracy improves.
For example, improvements to mapping a specific bushfire area may result in a recalculation of risk measures, or improvements in the ways investment is calculated on fuel management and non-fuel management activities, may change cost estimates from year to year.
Appendix A explains these specific changes.
Improving the data and science behind decisions happens continuously and is reflected through updates to reporting. Consequently, direct comparisons between this report and past or future reports can not necessarily be made. For the most accurate view of current and historic figures, always consult the most recent bushfire risk management report.
Overview of the 2021–22 fire season
Bushfires are a natural part of the Victorian environment and although fire agencies prepare for and respond rapidly to suppress bushfires with aggressive first attack, it is often not possible to control every bushfire at a small size.
The area burnt during bushfires can contribute to a reduction in fuel-driven bushfire risk for the specific areas affected. This can therefore contribute to a reduction in the state and respective regional overall risk profiles, which take into account the areas burnt by bushfires.
The 2021–22 fire season had a lower-than-average number of fires when compared to the previous 20 years, due to the wetter-than-usual conditions associated with a La Niña weather pattern.
During the 2021–22 bushfire season, FFMVic crews:
- attended 1,066 fires impacting 12,589 hectares, of which about 59% were unattended campfires
- contained 97.5% of fires at the first attack, and
- limited the spread of 92.7% of fires to less than 5 hectares in area.
During the 2021–22 bushfire season, CFA crews:
- attended 2,875 fires impacting 18,221 hectares, of which 20% were natural ignition events, and
- limited the spread of 93% of fires to less than 5 hectares in area.
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