One year on from the Denmark bushfire, those involved in the response reflect on the lessons learnt

This week marks one year since the Denmark bushfire claimed four homes and burnt more than 2000ha of land. As the Great Southern battles fire again, those involved in last year’s response reflected on the lessons learnt from the blaze. The bushfire started on the morning of Friday, February 4, near the intersection of Bayview Rise and McLeod Street in Shadforth, and continued burning across the weekend. Data from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services estimates that 2087ha of land were burnt, 100km of fencing was damaged or destroyed and 30 livestock animals were killed. Four homes were lost in the fire and 56 in the fire zone were able to be saved. WA Police investigated the fire, and deemed it not suspicious, finding it was started by an incinerator on a private property which had “not been used for several days”. Shire of Denmark chief executive David Schober said by midnight on Friday, the emergency had escalated to a category three level requiring a State response, and the Shire had “never had a situation that’s escalated that quickly”. Mr Schober said prior planning and practising of bushfire responses meant the Shire was prepared for its role in the response. A few years before the Denmark fire, DFES co-ordinated a simulated bushfire incident and response only 2km from where last year’s fire ignited, as one of several simulations conducted by the department each year. DFES Superintendent of the Great Southern region Wayne Green said Denmark had been “on everyone’s radar as an extreme bushfire risk area” and the simulated response, based on real-life weather events and fuel loads, had contributed to the success of the response last February. “The value of simulating was it gave everyone that huge awareness of the potential of this fire, so it was resourced accordingly,” Mr Green said. “The correct machinery was brought in as soon as they could get hold of it, and it was tasked according to the potential of this fire, so they were able to cut off the flanks of the fire that would have then run on the forecast winds. “And that fire had the potential to take out the the town of Denmark, and jump the (Wilson) inlet and continue on through Nullaki.” Mr Green said one of the biggest lessons learnt from the bushfire was the importance of ensuring the community was prepared in the event of another similar bushfire, much of which is co-ordinated through bushfire-ready groups which allow residents to develop and share their bushfire plans. “It builds their awareness of the restrictions, if there is an incident and we do have to close access and egress, that they have to be self sufficient,” Mr Green said. “And there was a big gap in that during the Bayview Rise fire, that understanding that I can’t just go out and get fuel because I have to drive through an active fire zone to get there. “And that just puts so much more pressure on our local brigades and incident controllers.” The groups also aim to educate people on what the best choice for them and their property may be — whether that be to leave early or stay to defend their home. Mr Schober said community education was vital as he believed some residents not directly affected by the fire last year were now becoming “apathetic” about bushfire prevention. “It’s really important for the community to stay vigilant because, potentially, we could be facing a worse fire season in terms of the fuel loads on the ground this year,” he said. Reducing fuel loads through prescribed burns is another focus of preventing future fires in the town, where lush forested areas on private properties are a drawcard for those seeking a tree change, but also present a fire risk. Prescribed burns have become a hot topic among some in the town, with Shire of Denmark councillor Jan Lewis putting forward a letter at a council meeting last July written to the State Government which questioned the effectiveness of the State’s prescribed burning policy. Mr Green said prescribed burning for some residents on their private properties may seem a “big and daunting task”, but they have support from their local government, DFES and other agencies including the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions to build their confidence and experience required to undertake burns because it “saves lives”. “For us, prescribed burning reduces fuel loads, which in turn saves lives,” he said. “And done correctly it’s very effective...it comes with its risks, and we’ve had plenty of meetings and debates over prescribed burning. “There’s no excuse for any loss of human life, that’s what we all strive to avoid.” Denmark Police station officer-in-charge Sgt Alby van den Berg, who also serves as the local emergency coordinator and part of regular local multi-discipline emergency management committee meetings, said the group had conducted a review into the management of the Denmark bushfire. He said they found one of the main focus areas for a future response was the communication of information. This was echoed by Mr Schober, who said the bushfire highlighted the importance of making timely updates and accurate information readily accessible to the community. During the bushfire, the Shire of Denmark began livestreaming community meetings on Facebook, which was a first for a regional town in a fire emergency. “When we talk to other Shires who’ve been through similar things, they report the same issues, that it’s really challenging to get that information out right at the critical points when you’re trying to battle fire, or whatever the emergency is,” Mr Schober said. “To have someone dedicated to that who’s not actually part of your (firefighting) response team is really important.” The practise has now been incorporated across WA as part of the State’s emergency response recovery.