Past Project
Defence: Townsville Field Training Area
Main Objectives:
- Undertake planned burns to develop fire scar breaks preventing the spread of wildfire across TFTA and the spread of wildfire from Defence land to neighbouring private properties.
- Undertake planned burns surrounding infrastructure to mitigate fuel loads threatening infrastructure security.
- Develop a mosaic fire scar pattern encouraging a heterogeneous landscape capable of mitigating wildfire and improving ecosystem health.
Mount Isa Airport
Main Objectives:
- Remove high fuel loads throughout the airport estate without compromising airport safety obligations and hindering operations.
- Reduce grasses to reduce the presence of macropods foraging in the airport estate causing risk of aircraft collision.
- Prevent unplanned fires from entering and exiting airport estates.
- Mount Isa Airport
Commonwealth Land
Main Objectives:
- Infrastructure Protection Burns, with special consideration being given to burning off windrows along the fire breaks and roads.
- Burn off windrows along the various access tracks, allowing fires to continue through the accumulated fuel load under conditions that would encourage the fires to self extinguish and provide a mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas while reducing the post Yasi fuel load. Special emphasis was on not burning into areas burnt in the previous year‘s fire program.
Mount Isa Mines
Main Objectives:
- Comprehensive fire management across the lease to reduce the risk of wildfire on unburnt country having impact on infrastructure including the Barkly Highway.
- Prevention of fire escaping onto nei ghbouring pastoral leases causing harm.
- Establish the strategic burning of the lease on a rotational basis to maintain ecological values by burning between 25 and 60% of the landscape.
- Protection of rare and threatened species from wildfire.
Torres Strait Regional Authority
Main Objectives:
- To assist Rangers and people from Torres Strait Regional Authority to develop knowledge and skills in prescribed burning specific to their region.
- Develop confidence in Rangers to implement burning under various conditions and for various objectives.
Recent Project
Defence Estate
Since 2011, FFEC has been involved in the implementation of fire management on a diverse range of military estate sites, from the Torres Strait Islands to Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton and including a number of estates around Townsville. This has involved implementation of on-ground and aerial burning for ecological maintenance, asset protection and hazard reduction. It also involves interpretation of strategic planning to develop appropriate burn plans, compliance and risk management, project management, GIS analysis and map production, quality assurance, reporting and future recommendations for annual burn programs.
Carpentaria Grass Wren Projects
FFEC has been involved in the Carpentaria GrassWren recovery Project for the past two years. Working alongside other professionals, FFEC has developed and assisted in implementing an operational fire management program for Carlton Hills Station where this endangered Wren is still reliably found. FFEC has also assisted with fire training for Calton Hills staff and other associated parties.
Mining Lease estate
For a number of years FFEC has been involved in the re-introduction of fire regimes onto various mining tenure across the north of the continent. This has involved the development and implementation of environmentally appropriate fire management programs involving both on-ground and aerial incendiary operations, often combined with staff training and mentoring. Clients have included Glencore, Rio Tinto and more recently Sheffield Mining.
‘Crew member’ training for fire management
FFEC specialises in delivering fire management training which is both current and relevant and which involves a large practical content. We have delivered this training state wide in Queensland to groups such as Qld Parks & Wildlife, indigenous Rangers and Land and Sea managers and numerous others. Our trainers have many year experience in Land management training and are prepared to travel to deliver on site training.
Mentoring
FFEC now offers a mentoring service to assist land managers in the implementation of their fire program. This can include vehicle and equipment hire and associated training. FFEC will assist in pre-season equipment maintenance as well as post season clean-up. FFEC will accompany Rangers / Land managers in the day to day implementation of their specific fire management plans. FFEC will assist with the communications between agencies where joint management is in place if required.
