Photo: DFES.wa.gov.au
Camera IconPhoto: DFES.wa.gov.au Credit: Supplied/Greig Johnston

WA to get Australian-first bushfire centre

Staff WriterMandurah Coastal Times

WA will be home to Australia’s first Bushfire Centre of Excellence, with construction beginning today on the $18 million facility.

The Centre, which will be located at the Peel Business Park in Nambeelup, is expected to become an internationally renowned hub for bushfire management and skills development.

The Centre will be a home for career officers, emergency service volunteers, bushfire practitioners, researchers, scientists and others to gather for sharing and learning from the best bushfire management practices and science.

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Funded by the Emergency Services Levy, it will run courses in bushfire prevention, management and training and have specialist indoor and outdoor training facilities.

A key focus of the Centre will be developing a Traditional Fire Program, believed to be the first of its kind, which will explore traditional Indigenous mitigation and firefighting methods.

Locally based company Perkins Builders has been awarded the contract to build the Centre, which is anticipated to be complete by the end of the year.

“Today is a great day for Western Australia with work now underway to build what will be an Australian-first bushfire management centre,” Premier Mark McGowan said.

“Not only has Western Australia significantly increased the level of mitigation throughout the State, but our emergency services are the most collaborative they have ever been.

“This new Centre will not only collect the best bushfire management research and practices from around the nation and world, but it will also harness the knowledge and skills of our volunteers and career officers who have spent decades working in this area.

“The Centre promises to become internationally renowned for the research and information that it will collect, but also for the level of training and skills development it will offer.”

To view the Bushfire Centre of Excellence concept plan visit https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/bushfirecoe