Meeting papers

15.14. Incidents and disaster management
With thousands of visitors and neighbors, and foreshores being particularly vulnerable to weather
events, EBFRs incident and disaster management is important.

Objective

9.      Manage hazardous vegetation, bushfire, flooding, coastal erosion and pest species within
the Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves according to State Government and Council’s policies,
plans, risk appetite and legislative requirements.

AimsOutcomes

     •   Increase fFire safety for emergency personnel and EBFR neighbours is increased.

     •   Improve eEmergency access to the EBFRs and Eastern Beaches is improved

     •   Better support and cCollaborate with Council and the the community can better collaborate
         better to facilitate respond to local marine debris cleanupevents.



Noosa Disaster Management Plan
Noosa’s disaster planning, preparedness, response and recovery is primarily directed by the
Noosa Local Disaster Management Plan and Noosa Local Disaster Recovery Plan.


Bushfire risk
Fire risk in Council reserves is extensively discussed in the Noosa Bushland Reserve Strategic
Fire Management Plan 2021 – 2026 and Noosa Bushland Reserves Strategic Management Plan
2021 – 2026, and any fire risk management activities here should be read in conjunction with those
documents. The fire management plan identified the fire risk that the bushland in the EBFRs poses
to adjacent buildings as High to Medium.

Sustained periods of extreme fire weather in Queensland occurred in 2019 and 2020. It is likely
that periods of severe and extreme fire weather are going to be more common and more intense
as climate change progresses.21 22
Recent fire history
During extreme fire weather in September 2019, a fire was started in Peregian Beach South
Foreshore Reserve by flying embers from Emu Mountain or Peregian Springs. About two hectares
of the reserve was burned, one house was lost, and others were damaged. Contributing factors
included continuous vegetation and fuel between bush and some houses, older houses predating
current bushfire building codes and restricted, risky access for fire fighters.

21
  Australian Bureau of Meteorology. (2019) Changes to Fire Weather in Queensland (prepared for
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services). Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne.

22
   Richardson. D, Black. A.S, Monselesan. D.S, Risbey. J.S, Squire. T.S, Tozer. C.R, Canadell. J.G. (2021)
Increased extreme fire weather occurrence in southeast Australia and related atmospheric drivers. Weather
and Climate Extremes; 34.
Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserves Management Plan 2023                                             Page 67


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