Hazard reduction burns in Tura on Saturday have played a dual role.
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Fire and Rescue NSW crews from Bega to Batemans Bay amassed on High Crescent to carry out two controlled burns, but also as a meet and greet and learning experience for locally based Community Fire Unit volunteers.
Duty commander for the South Monaro region Alan Gerard said it was a low-intensity burn to clear fuel load on the ground and meet local volunteers.
"Fire and Rescue are here today to conduct a low-intensity burn on sections two and six of the reserve, there are eight sections in total and next year we'll possibly do another two sections - it's what we call a mosaic burn," Mr Gerard said.
"It's been on the schedule for a few years, so when it comes down to its turn we try and get it done."
Mr Gerard said the single-road access to the area was one consideration for the burn, but it was also at community request as locals considered the dense growth in the reserve to be a risk.
"The CFU are an important part of our strategies as they can release other assets [for critical tasks]," Mr Gerard said.
He said the volunteers played a pivotal role in preemptive measures including clearing areas around homes as well as blacking out should a bushfire occur.
"We contacted the CFU and let them know it is going on, it's a training opportunity for them as well, but it's a great chance for us to meet them and vice versa."
Mr Gerard said the crews had intended to fly a drone as part of measures to learn and educate crews on fire activity and its spread, but it was unfortunately grounded on the day after CASA revoked flight permissions for the burn.
"Fire and Rescue NSW have had drones for a number of years now, but they're now spreading them out to more regional areas," Mr Gerard said.
"Ours is based out of Batemans Bay, but it can be used on any incident between Eden and Berry.
"It's a multi-purpose tool, we can use it to see how fire is progressing [and for education]."
Had they been able to fly on the day, Mr Gerard said the vision would have been live-streamed to fire chiefs and also used as an educational tool for mapping the spread of fire.