Australia: Gaps in preparedness flagged ahead of bushfire season
By Georgia Clark
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That audit found Queensland was “not as prepared for the threat of bushfires as it could be” because emergency services were focused on responses at the detriment of mitigation programs, leaving communities in high-risk locations exposed.
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Arrangements to support vulnerable residents during a disaster “still lack coordination,” while QFES continues to use tools such as emergency alerts, early warning systems and fire danger rating signs despite “limited assurance” these are operating effectively.
“While QFES has advised that the early warning systems are not the most effective means for delivering bushfire warnings compared to other forms such as social media and its website, these systems are still used to inform communities of a bushfire threat,” Mr Worrall found.
The audit also identified a failure by the QFES to fully roll out its new risk mitigation systems, pointing to the need for more training to ensure these systems are effectively used.
Evaluation systems are also needed to measure the effectiveness of mitigation activities, the audit found.
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Elsewhere the auditor found that the QFES had just started to develop bushfire risk mitigation plans at a local government level.
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