VWS Chairperson Jon-Jon Emary spoke to John Maytham about the Fire Risk Assessment which was done using funding received from the public through direct support and the Primedia Radiothon. The VWS was able to make funding available for an extensive 18 month risk assessment to be done on the entire westward of the Cape Peninsula, the majority of which is covered by the Table Mountain National Park.

We would love to share this information with the greater public and felt that John’s show was a great forum as he has always been a major advocate for what the VWS does as well as supporting us during the 2015 fires.

As a brief summary on the project and the outcomes: Over the 18 month period a dull risk assessment was done to highlight the areas where the highest risk was presented to people, property and the economy, as well as identify the distribution of fuel types along the wildland urban interface (the highest risk area for people).

This has resulted in a desktop model that can be used to inform fire prevention tactics as well as fire suppression tactics during operations to ensure that the highest risk areas are dealt with in the best ways possible.

The big ticket here is that this entire project was funded because of the generosity of the public and we feel it is incredibly pertinent to highlight the public’s involvement in addressing a major seasonal risk for the region.