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Asset Protection Zone (APZ)

Bush Fire Mitigation

Managing bushland reserves to minimise the threat of fire is an ongoing responsibility of Council. However, not every reserve is fire prone, nor does every bushland reserve pose a fire threat.

Identifying a bushfire threat from public reserves involves the overlaying of many land and vegetation attributes.  If a fire threat is identified a series of protection mechanisms can be employed. The most popular is the creation of an Asset Protection Zone (APZ).  These zones are a managed area between the fire threat and the neighbouring property.  The creation and management of these APZ's is the responsibility of the property owner/manger from where the fire threat has been identified.  Council's responsibilities for Bushfire Mitigation are confined to land which it owns or manages; all privately owned land should be referred to the Rural Bushfire Service.

There are many APZ's identified and managed throughout the Great Lakes area using many forms of hazard reduction.  The ability to create an APZ is underpinned by a stringent environmental assessment which can only be done by the property owner, for example Great Lakes Council, Department of Lands, National Parks and Wildlife, etc.

The management of Council's APZ's requires cooperation from neighbouring properties. General / garden waste dumping and illegal storage of materials within these areas reduces the effectiveness of the APZ to provide quick access for fire fighters in the event of a bushfire. Dumped or stored materials within an APZ can increase a fire risk due to the combustible nature of these materials.  Please report waste dumping to Great Lakes Council on 6591 7222.

Private residents can help reduce the threat of fire to their property by undertaking forms of hazard reduction within their boundaries, WHILST COMPLYING with Council's Tree Preservation Order.  For assistance on how to best manage properties to reduce the fire threat please contact the Rural Fire Service.

Fire Mitigation Plans

There are ten Fire Mitigation Plans that cover the actual requirements for that particular area. These plans include :

• Coomba
• Coolongolook and Bulahdelah
• Forster and Green Point
• Nabiac and Failford
• Nerong
• North Arm Cove, Bundabah and Pindimar
• Pacific Palms
• Seal Rocks
• Smiths Lake
• Tuncurry

For further information on managing the bushfire threat on public reserves or a copy of the above plans, please call Council's Natural Assets Officer.

Contact details
Parks Natural Assets Officer
02 65917379 (ph)
02 65917248 (fax)
Council@greatlakes.nsw.gov.au

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