“It has taken a huge commitment from all Areas to complete this project against such a tight timeframe – this is an extraordinary outcome that we can be proud of,” said Paul Harris, CFA’s TPP Project Manager.
“For the 2010/11 fire season we are looking to introduce a renewed focus on community engagement and usability into the planning process, so that instead of planning for communities we’re planning with them to enable them to be better prepared,” said Mr Harris.
A TPP helps towns prepare for the threat of bushfire by providing information about key locations and assets in the area, as identified through community consultation.
The TPP process also gives Fire Agencies an opportunity to develop strategies and allocate operational resources for the event of bushfire, and prioritise fire prevention measures that are underway or planned.
Creating a TPP requires extensive consultation between CFA Operations and Community Safety, as well as members of the community and emergency services in order to address the specific needs of each town’s people, property, assets, environment and economy.
As well as essential infrastructure and community assets such as schools and hospitals, factors such as access and egress routes and Neighbourhood Safer Places – Places of Last Resort are identified on maps for the community.
“While CFA has taken on individual aspects of TPP’s in the past, our planning is more consistent and robust after the 2009/2010 fire season as a result of working closely with our service delivery partners,” said Gregg Paterson, CFA Deputy Chief Officer and Manager Operations Performance Improvement.
“We’ve been able to develop stronger planning relationships with key stakeholders such as the Municipal Association of Victoria, local government, VicPol and DSE, which will be invaluable in the future as we expand to include more Victorian towns in the future.”
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