Western Australia’s firefighters will coordinate their bushfire attacking efforts from the confines of fortified shipping containers under a new trial.
Western Australia’s firefighters will coordinate their bushfire attacking efforts from the confines of fortified shipping containers under a new trial.
By Connor McGoverne
February 4, 2025 — 6.16pm
Western Australia’s firefighters will coordinate their bushfire attacking efforts from the confines of fortified shipping containers, under a trial to roll out remote incident control centres.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services now has four transportable units in its arsenal with funding available to expand that to as many as sixteen.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the incident control centres were fortified to be ember-proof and would be stationed at fire-prone hotspots across the state.
“There will be some which can be deployed quite quickly, within hours or minutes depending where they’re located,” Dawson told 9News Perth and WAtoday.
“Our amazing career and volunteer firefighters do an amazing job. And it’s really important we give them the best appliances and best facilities to work out of, so they can help keep our community safe.”
DFES Deputy Commissioner Peter Sutton said the units would be enabled with the latest firefighting coordination technology, enabled with 5G and Starlink connectivity.
“Ultimately what it provides is an instant office space for an incident control centre to enable them to do their role more effectively. They can be dropped in remote locations,” Sutton said.
Remote incident control centres weigh approximately five tonnes and would be transported on trucks, allowing them to also be deployed to other extreme weather events like cyclones and flooding.
A review into the Wooroloo bushfires of 2021, which destroyed 86 homes and damaged more than 100 others, recommended establishing a permanent incident control centre in the Perth Hills — a recommendation the federal government said it would deliver.
However, Labor said the incident control centres were a better option because they were more innovative and adaptable.
“We are absolutely at the front pointy end of ensuring our emergency services have the tools, and resources they need to keep our community safe,” federal member for Hasluck Tanya Lawrence said.
“I have personally lost a home myself to a bushfire, so I know how traumatic it can be.”
The centres are based on an agreement between the state and federal governments, with $1.25 million set aside.
There have been more than 2000 bushfires in WA this season.
“These risks are going to intensify, all the science tells us that we are going to have more extreme weather,” federal Emergency Services Minster Jenny McAllister said.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
Connor McGoverne is a reporter for 9 News Perth who specialises in state politics.
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.