THE WA government will establish a rural fire service in response to January’s deadly bushfires at Yarloop, but it won’t be ready in time for this summer.

The state government announced on Thursday it would accept all 17 recommendations from Euan Ferguson’s report into the lightning-sparked blaze, which killed two men and almost wiped out the historic town south of Perth.

The former Victorian and South Australian Country Fire Service chief advised WA to follow those two states and NSW in having a specialist country fire service to improve rural fire management and bushfire risk management.

But when the report was released in June, the Association of Volunteer Bushfire Brigades indicated they would only accept being part of a completely independent entity, with vice-president Dave Gossage saying unpaid firefighters “do what works” whereas career firefighters “do what they’re told”.

“They don’t speak for all volunteers,” Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis told reporters.

“Every brigade ... have mixed opinions.”

Among volunteer complaints were not being allowed onto a fire ground because they didn’t have appropriate proof of identification at a control point, which would be arranged as part of the changes, Mr Francis said.

Safety was paramount but local knowledge had to be listened to, he said.

Camera Icon The out of control Yarloop destroyed nearly 100 homes and claimed two lives. Credit: Supplied, Department of Fire and Emergency Services

BARNETT BACKS REPORT

Premier Colin Barnett said more attention would be paid to the expertise of volunteer firefighters and a focus on prescribed burning would continue.

But the key recommendation, the establishment of a country fire service, would take longer to implement and not be ready for the coming bushfire season, he said.

“Mr Ferguson has recommended the establishment of a Rural Fire Service and emphasises the importance of local knowledge and experience in fighting bushfires in his report,” Mr Barnett said in a separate statement.

“The state’s volunteer firefighters do a magnificent job and their expertise in fighting bushfires needs to be better used.

“The State Government will establish a Rural Fire Service as either a separate agency or sub-department of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).

“Consultation will take place with relevant agencies such as the Department of Parks and Wildlife, DFES, local government, volunteer firefighters and the United Firefighters Unions of WA to investigate the best model.”

This month fire captains and shire presidents warned work must begin on a dedicated rural fire service for WA or more towns like Yarloop would burn.

With the Natural Hazards Co-operative Research Centre warning greater Perth and much of the state is facing an extreme fire season with above-average chance of bushfires, those who battled the Yarloop fire are urging the recommendations be adopted as soon as possible.

Harvey chief fire officer Phil Penny, who oversaw the shire’s eight volunteer brigades during the Yarloop blaze, said there was a “lot of work going on to try and convince people a country fire service is the best way to go”.

Camera Icon Reduced to ashes: Fire ravaged Yarloop. Credit: News Corp Australia, Justin Benson-Cooper

He said DFES was “a necessary part of everyday life and we appreciate what they do, but we need a specialist fire service in the country to harness the vast bushfire knowledge of our experienced volunteers and put it into best practice”.

That was echoed by Harvey shire president Tania Jackson, while Yarloop Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade captain Daryle Wilson also backed the Ferguson recommendations.

Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis said that significantly, the implementation of many of the recommendations had already started ahead of this year’s bushfire season.

Regional Development and Lands Minister Terry Redman said work was under way to address bushfire risk on Government-owned land, which would be supported with an additional $15 million over four years from Royalties for Regions.

“The need for a greater emphasis on preventing and mitigating risk on Crown land was identified as a key issue by Mr Ferguson and the Government has reacted swiftly to allocate additional funding to this area ahead of the 2016-17 bushfire season,” Mr Redman said.

“The increased funding will be accessible to various State Government agencies responsible for land within and adjacent to regional townsites as part of Government’s strong desire to see a more co-ordinated approach to address risks on Crown land.”

Camera Icon Premier Colin Barnett visits Yarloop, destroyed by January's devastating bushfire. Credit: Supplied

Other recommendations ahead of coming bushfire season:

Establishing five pre-formed multi-agency incident management teams for level 3 incidents, which include representation form government and volunteers.

Installing Automated Vehicle Location Systems in vehicles and appliances at a cost of $2.4 million.

Establishing a $2.8 million critical messaging system by November that will issue warnings and provide advice on fire danger ratings and total fire bans. The information will be available on a new Emergency WA website to be promoted through the Are You Ready bushfire campaign.

Issuing identification cards to DFES volunteers in high-risk regions.

An Office of Emergency Management (OEM), comprising the State Emergency Management Committee Secretariat and the Office of Bushfire Risk Management will also be established.

There will also be an independent review into the Emergency Services Levy.

“The new OEM will have a quality assurance role and report directly to the Minister for Emergency Services,” Mr Francis said.

“From the public comments received in response to the Ferguson Report, the majority of stakeholders and community members were supportive of his recommendations.

“While the Government is moving as quickly as possible to enact measures ahead of the bushfire season, structural recommendations will be developed in a considered way to ensure that as a community, we are more resilient to emergencies in the future.”