Authorities will use cameras installed in remote and fire-prone areas of NSW to pinpoint the location of bushfires and take immediate action.
A camera system by Armidale-based company RMTek will help authorities detect blazes early, giving residents time to leave for a safe place with family members, pets and belongings.
Fire monitoring cameras are now in place at:
- Mount Tindal between Grafton and Glen Innes
- Browns Knob between Grafton and Coffs Harbour
- Point Lookout between Ebor and Armidale
- Mount Poppong above Bulga in the Hunter Valley
- Bucketty above Central Mangrove on the Central Coast
- Narrow Neck Fire Tower at Katoomba
- Avon Fire Tower near Mittagong
- Mount Mumbulla above Bega
Two more cameras will be installed at Mount Youngal, between Khancoban and Thredbo, with another planned for Coricudgy in Wollemi National Park, above Rylstone.
The cameras capture 360-degree views of bushland and national parks with video images relayed to a web-monitoring platform accessible by computers and mobile devices.
They have a zoom viewing distance of up to 15 kilometres, allowing about 70,000 hectares to be viewed at each camera location. Bushfire monitors log onto their local camera sites to check isolated areas for signs of smoke.
Acting Premier and Minister for Regional Development, Skills and Small Business, John Barilaro, said every minute counts when fire threatens.
“These cameras are helping protect our communities by giving early warning if a bushfire breaks out,” Mr Barilaro said.