A two-month battle to control and extinguish bushfires across Tasmania’s West Coast earlier this year cost taxpayers $30 million, an independent review has revealed.
The blazes burned more than 101,000 hectares after lightning strikes on February 3 sparked 24 separate fires across remote wilderness areas.
The effort consumed about a quarter of the State Fire Commission’s annual budget.
The Tasmania Fire Service, Parks and Wildlife Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania battled the blazes and managed to prevent loss of life and major property damage.
But the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council review highlighted serious gaps in infrastructure, staffing, and technology.
It handed down 20 recommendations to address weaknesses exposed during the response, all of which the government says it will consider.
One of the key concerns was the Three Mile Line facility, which served as the incident control centre.
The review said it was “insufficient in size” for the 30-person management team, with cramped conditions contributing to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Remote area firefighting teams also faced deployment delays due to clashing procedures between agencies. Only 83% of resource requests were met during the 57-day effort.
Crews also had to rely on a single winch-capable helicopter to reach rugged terrain, the review said.
It completed around 250 winch operations, but funding for the capability ran out in June and its future remains unclear.
The review suggested changes to Tasmania’s fuel-reduction program, which has been stuck on a $9 million annual budget since 2014 despite rising fire risks.
It also recommended embedding a Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist in the State Operations Centre during major incidents.
With another fire season looming, agencies are now weighing up the recommendations.
Police, Fire and Emergency Management Minister Felix Ellis said the fires caused “significant environmental, economic and social disruption”.
“But notably, there was no loss of human life, no significant injuries and minimal damage to built assets,” he said.
“Learnings from the review will further enhance Tasmania’s operational capabilities and support continuous improvement and collaboration across our organisations.”
