11/09/2026
Thank you to Callala people for responding clearly and thank you to RFS for listening genuinely. The effort of Matthew Reeves and his RFS colleagues to improve trust and transparency with this community was appreciated by all who attended last night's meeting.
Did everyone agree on the efficacy, science and safety of such a broad burn on the Glider Forest? No. Mr Reeves himself said that the tools they use are imperfect and open for review as climate change and local culture impact RFS operations. But the meeting was both informative on the history of burn decisions in Callala and encouraging for a future with vastly better communication between RFS and local people.
Is there a better fire protection plan for the Glider Forest? Maybe. As this RFS post explains, there are important new considerations to add to their protocols. And specific variables in the way hazard reduction could be implemented.
Should we all be more proactive in seeking out early information rather than relying on Council, CCBs or private landowners to pass on what they have been (long) told by RFS? Yes!
In the meantime, if people can volunteer for RFS or CM to get more boots on the ground for nature and community, please do!
A MESSAGE IN RELATION TO THE PROPOSED EMMETT HAZARD REDUCTION
Our community information session with Callala Bay community members was both an excellent opportunity to walk through the extensive planning and preparation activities that the RFS have undertaken since 2016 when the prescribed burn was first put into the Shoalhaven strategic bush fire risk management plan and to hear the values driven concerns and questions from a diverse group of locals.
The RFS intent is always to protect life, property, and the environment. This proposed prescribed burn is aimed at reducing the bush fire fuel load across the site and reducing the impact of wildfires on the community, whether by direct flame, radiant heat, or ember attack. It’s safe to say that everyone present agreed that life safety and managing the bush fire hazard in the landscape is critical. It’s also safe to say that we all want to achieve such an outcome in a safe, sustainable, and collaborative manner, with regard to and care for the environment. These outcomes are not mutually exclusive.
Any action is going to result in a reaction. The RFS, like all fire authorities, adheres to strict environmental approvals and prescribed burn planning and operational guidelines that mitigate the associated risks that come with any such activity.
One of the benefits of our information session was learning more about the community’s concerns and hearing a range of voices. Afterall, the community must live with the results of our work, so you should be involved in our planning and risk mitigation activities. The opportunity to contribute to these activities, whether it’s preparing your own homes, having a bush fire plan, maintaining your property or providing input into our strategic plans has always been made available and we do our best to ensure that the community is aware of these opportunities. But community consultation does not end there. We’re proud to a part of our community, we may volunteer and work for the RFS, but we’re locals too, and we sincerely work hard and ethically to ensure sound community safety outcomes with the broader community’s safety at heart.
As a result of our information and listening session we have paused the implementation of the Emmett Hazard Reduction until we validate new and relevant documents against the work we have conducted so far. Our initial validation demonstrates to us that the risk controls and procedures already in place are consistent with those in the environmental and threatened species-specific documents that have been made available to us, however, we genuinely want to ensure we have it right. We have also committed to re-validating our environmental approval and plans and re-assessing our implementation model.
Once our validation activities are completed and a decision is made, we will seek to conduct another community meeting to walk through the findings and plan moving forward.
In the meantime, please take a moment to chat about bush fire safety and your bush fire plan. Our RFS Get Ready activities are scheduled throughout September, so stay tuned to see which RFS station near you is open and make the time to discuss local fire risk and preparedness activities you can undertake. Prescribed burning is an important risk reduction tool, but it’s not the only one. Every individual can make a difference to the overall safety of our community.
Thank you.
Shoalhaven City Council
Callala & Myola Community Notice Board
Callala Matters
Callala Beach Progress Association
CALLALA BAY & BEACH NEWS
