Tonight I pay tribute to the RFS Blue Mountains District. That is a bit of a theme today. For those who are not aware, the Blue Mountains is a unique World Heritage area and also one of the most bushfire-prone areas in the world. Our population hovers around just above 80,000 people, who live in the vicinity of 27 towns and villages across the mountains. The local government area covers 143,000 hectares of land in the greater region, and about 70 per cent of that area is incorporated in the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park. Around 11 per cent of the total land area is under private ownership. Those are just a few interesting facts.
It would be useful to not just acknowledge the district but also every RFS brigade in our district. Many men and women who work and live within the Blue Mountains form the brigades in the districts of Bell, Blackheath/Mount Victoria, Blaxland, Bullaburra, Faulconbridge, Glenbrook/Lapstone, Hazelbrook, Katoomba‑Leura, Lawson, Linden, Medlow Bath, Megalong Valley, Mt Wilson/Mt Irvine, Mt Riverview, Mt Tomah, Shipley, South Katoomba, Valley Heights, Warrimoo, Wentworth Falls, Winmalee and Woodford, along with the Blue Mountains Group Support Brigade.
Today many members met with some of the RFS crew to talk about the Get Ready Weekend coming up on 20 and 21 September. That is a chance for local communities to come along and ask some questions, talk about their bushfire plans, learn a little bit about the activity that is carried out year-round and not just in bushfire season, provide information, gather resources and make sure that people are ready for the upcoming bushfire season. People often say that the Blue Mountains is synonymous with bushfire. Our brigades and the good men and women in all of those brigades are a testament to the fact that it is such an important issue. I encourage everyone in my community to get along to their local RFS brigade and have a chat to some of our firefighters.
I also acknowledge Superintendent Rob Vinzenz. He is the district manager in the Blue Mountains and has been involved with the Blue Mountains district for many years. At the moment, he is in discussions about the Blue Mountains bushfire risk management plan. He is a great guy who leads all of those brigades that I just mentioned. I give him a shout-out. He leads with a steady, calm hand. Further to that, it is important to acknowledge that a number of hazard reductions occur year round, and our local brigades can provide local communities with information about those scheduled hazard reductions. They talk to local communities and neighbourhoods about grass fires.
They talk to them about what they can do to prepare their pets and animals for bushfire and about a variety of Neighbourhood Safer Places. Get along to Get Ready Weekend. Finally, I acknowledge Matt Hunter. He was a group captain with the Blue Mountains RFS, and he died on 12 August. His funeral was a coming together of our community, family, friends and colleagues to pay tribute to him. He was an extraordinary human, and was very well respected, loved and appreciated. He had a wicked sense of humour and an incredible work ethic, and he mentored many. It was amazing to watch the guard of honour and the RFS community across the Blue Mountains come together to honour him. Vale, Matt.
