The initiative is run in collaboration with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and covers the region from Northampton to Mullewa 100km inland and down the coast to Dongara.
The prisoners were also on standby to help with cleaning up after the recent bushfire emergency south of Geraldton.
The training is provided under the Section 95 program, in which approved minimum-security prisoners do community, charitable or voluntary work outside prisons.
Asst.Superintendent Dean Wellman says the benefits of the DFES training extend beyond bushfire mitigation.
“The men also get practical skills like learning to use woodchippers, pole saws and brush cutters, real world training which can be transferred to jobs in many industries.”
“The experience also fosters discipline, teamwork and resilience – qualities that can be crucial for a prisoner’s successful rehabilitation,” he said.
The task also involves learning about land management, identifying and clearing hazardous vegetation, while keeping protected flora safe.
Within a week the prison team had cleared an area the size of several tennis courts, tackling trees and thick wattle bush nearly 4 metres high, with even thicker undergrowth.
Asst. Superintendent Wellman says the men are committed to the job.
“They take the work very seriously as they know bushfires can cause widespread destruction and put lives in danger. It’s a meaningful project and an opportunity to pay society back.”
Besides land clearing, prisoners are also being trained to reload water bombers, preparing the aircraft for their next mission during a bushfire and helping to keep them operating efficiently.
“The prison team can be deployed quickly when the need arises, taking some of the pressure off firefighting services when resources are stretched thin,” Asst. Superintendent Wellman said.
Water bombers are reloaded either at Geraldton airport or the airstrip at Dongara.
