With the beginning of the official 2025-26 Bushfire Season in NSW last week, Council feels it is important to address recent incorrect reports in the community regarding bushfire preparedness works undertaken since the 2019-2020 Gospers Mountain fire.
Council works in very close association with emergency response agencies, in this case NSW Rural Fire Service, to support community preparedness for potential future emergencies. Their expert advice and support is fundamental to ensuring an evidence-based approach for necessary community preparedness projects.
Following the 2019-2020 bushfires, Council in partnership with the Commonwealth and NSW Governments through their Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, undertook resilience projects in Bilpin, Colo Heights and St Albans. In addition to community space improvements, 120 000L water storage tank and pumps were installed at these three locations for firefighters to use in bushfires and other fire emergencies. The RFS shed at St Albans also received significant bushfire resilience and capacity improvements. Works in these three locations were completed between August and October 2022.
Neighbouring councils, including Blue Mountains, were also beneficiaries of this funding program and conducted similar community safety and resilience works in their affected areas.
Council has also worked closely with the NSW Government, NSW RFS and NSW SES on a home for a new purpose-built Fire Control Centre at McKinnons Road, Wilberforce. This centre will be a crucial component in the coordination of bushfire response in the Hawkesbury and will replace the ageing centre currently at Wilberforce.
This new centre, a key outcome of a State Government review following the 2019/2020 fires, will form part of a new dedicated Emergency Services Precinct, incorporating new stations for local RFS and SES units. The land has been purchased by Council, and designs are currently being finalised.
These projects come on top of Council's annual voluntary contribution to the RFS, which was $1.3 million in 2024/25.
Hawkesbury City Mayor Les Sheather said he has the utmost confidence in the Hawkesbury's preparedness this summer.
"Council's works in Bilpin, Colo Heights and St Albans have delivered significant safety benefits for residents. We are also delivering the new Fire Control Centre and continuously working with NSW RFS, other firefighting agencies and State-owned land managers, and advocating to the State Government on behalf of our residents," Mayor Sheather said.
Deputy Mayor Sarah McMahon said recent negative reports about Council's work and dedication to community safety and resilience were dangerous and unfounded.
"Community safety and wellbeing is one of Council's key priorities. In addition to our projects, Council is dedicated to ensuring our community is accurately well-informed of the safety measures that do exist, as well as consistently promoting a suite of preparedness materials across our communication platforms," Clr McMahon said.
"It is completely unacceptable and dangerous for fake information to be circulated, that is deliberately designed to cause anxiety, fear and doubt in communities that have already endured so much."
