National briefings begin ahead of 2021-22 bushfire season

National preparedness
briefings with police, fire authorities and other emergency services have begun
ahead of the upcoming bushfire season. 

Virtual
briefings began last week with Queensland authorities and will continue throughout
October.

Emergency
Management Australia (EMA) is coordinating the briefings, with input from the
National Recovery and Resilience Agency, the Bureau of Meteorology, the
Australian Defence Force and Services Australia.

The
briefings will include: 

• information on the availability and capability of Commonwealth government assets, including the Australian Defence Force;
• natural disaster support arrangements cooperative response procedures under the Australian Emergency Management;
• Arrangements, such as the Commonwealth Disaster Response Plan;
• seasonal outlooks from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) in relation to severe fire weather and cyclone activity; and
• bushfire detection and mapping capabilities.