Fire Management Area Committees

After a review of the strategic arrangements for bushfire fuel management in Tasmania, in 2012 changes were made to the Fire Service Act 1979. The changes administratively align the responsibility for the management of bushfire fuels across the State in recognition that it is a shared responsibility across all sectors including the public arena.

There are 10 Fire Management Areas (FMAs) in Tasmania with boundaries based on bushfire risk and topography, largely aligning to local government boundaries.

Fire Management Area Committees (FMACs) provide a forum for effective bushfire risk management for FMAs through a consistent, comprehensive and collaborative approach.

The principal aim is to bring together a range of stakeholders that manage land use across the State, to work together to effectively manage vegetation fuels for the mitigation of bushfires.

The primary role of the FMACs is to prepare a fire protection plan, known as Bushfire Risk Management Plan (BRMP), for their FMA. These plans aim to coordinate and influence the treatment of bushfire risk in each of the FMAs. The plans are developed at a strategic level and do not include all details of bushfire risk treatments, however does identify which organisations or individuals are responsible for implementing them.

The FMAC Terms of Reference is available here.