RESIDENTS in the Coonabarabran area know first-hand the devastation a major bush- fire can wreak, but it’s hoped improvements at the local airport will help reduce the risks to the community in the future.
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Warrumbungle shire has received a share of a $2.59 million funding package to help better protect NSW communities from the threat of bushfires.
Parkes MP Mark Coulton said $110,000 would go to NSW Rural Fire Services Castlereagh Zone for three new tanks at Coonabarabran airport.
It will provide the local RFS with three new tanks for vital supplies for the fire season – one 250,000-litre water tank and two 30,000-litre mixed tanks containing retardant.
Projects are jointly supported by federal and state funding and contributions from recipients under the Natural Disaster Resilience Program, which has provided NSW with $13.5 million since 2014.
In announcing the funding at the local aerodrome, Mr Coulton reflected on the 2013 Wambelong fire and the impact it had on the Warrumbungle shire.
“Sadly, residents in Coonabarabran know all too well the devastation that bushfires cause for local communities,” he said.
“Bushfires, along with other natural disasters, can have an enormous impact on our local economies and cripple businesses and communities.
“I am hopeful that these three new tanks will assist the Warrumbungle shire to be more resilient and better prepared to prevent and lessen the impact of future bushfires across the area.”
RFS Superintendent Corey Philip said the new storage tanks would have the local RFS well positioned in aerial firefighting support for the start of the 2016/17 fire season.
“Our plan is to have the tanks installed and full by the first of September,” he said.
