BE FIREWISE
How to form a Fire Protection Association
Guide to Fire Protection Associations for Developing Plans to Implement Section 5 Of The Act
Approval of the business plan (veldfire management strategy) is a requirement for the registration of any FPA. Through registration, FPAs will be empowered by the Act. Registration is also required for the recognition of the FPA's Fire Protection Officer (FPO). In addition, the veldfire management strategy of an FPA will form the veldfire component of your local disaster management plan.
Approval also has important consequences with respect, for example, to the courts and to insurance. Once a business plan has been approved, the rules it contains will be regarded as the norms and standards for veldfire management in the area of an FPA. After approval, where a fire does spread from an owner's land, they are likely to be regarded by the courts as negligent if they had not complied with the rules, for example. Also insurance companies will pay careful attention to compliance with the rules when negotiating insurance contracts.
The business plan is needed for the registration of the FPA, for several reasons:
- to show that it is capable of managing veldfires in its area
- to demonstrate an adequate understanding of the veldfires risks in its area and how to manage them
- as proof that its members understand the risks and agree with the strategies and measures adopted in the plan
- to provide the reasons for the rules that you will apply. When the FPA is registered, you will receive the powers to implement these rules. The National Veld and Forest Fire Act makes provision for the delegation of additional powers and duties for veldfire risk management. For these reasons, the strategy and its rules need to be read together as the basis for the empowerment of your FPA
- to promote common standards and co-ordination among FPAs, municipal fire services, and disaster management
- to provide consistent information that can be used to build a countrywide picture of veldfire risks and the resources needed to manage them.
A well-developed business plan is also valuable because it provides members of an FPA with a benchmark. When the business plan is revised, which must be done every five years, members will easily know where they need to make improvements and what has been learned during the previous period.
The guideline will be useful to the FPA because it provides a framework for a consistent, diligent and efficient approach to veldfire management across South Africa, and for co-ordination with related aspects of managing your resources and the environment. Please note that what is needed is a strategy, not an operational plan. To meet the requirements of the Act government needs only to determine whether or not an FPA has developed its plans to a level appropriate to the degree of veldfire risk in its area, has been reasonably diligent in doing this, and is capable of implementing its strategy. Government will also use the picture that emerges from all FPA business plans to progressively build an overall picture of veldfire risk in South Africa. This will then be used to review priorities for managing veldfires and for the assignment of resources to the different districts in the country.
This guide has three parts:
- Part A is an introduction that explains the purpose of the business plan and introduces the approach to risk management adopted in the guideline
- Part B lists the requirements that must be met in the business plan
- Part C is an example of the contents of the business plan, based on a largely imaginary case.
To download our booklet '10 Steps to operatind a succesful FPA' go to our resources page;
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