The fire season officially ends in the Top End on Sunday and fire fighters say they are relieved that in the end the very extreme weather predicted did not quite eventuate.
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"Fire crews witnessed severe weather conditions, however, we are grateful that the weather did not reach the extremes originally predicted," Chief Fire Officer Mark Spain AFSM said.
"Our auxiliary and volunteer members in the Northern Command went above and beyond to serve and protect the community, even working independently in remote areas."
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But having NT's annual Cracker Night rescheduled to a later date posed new challenges for the fire service according to Mr Spain.
"We responded to more than 300 grassfires Territory wide within a five-hour period."
Mr Spain said the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) would like to thank the community for their support during the Top End Bushfire Season.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all firefighters and support personnel for all their efforts they've given this season," he said.
Mr Spain said Joint Emergency Service Communications Centre (JESCC) operators are the unseen backbone to the agency's response capability.
"Our crews wouldn't be able to do their jobs to the best of their abilities without them," he said.
This year's bushfire season saw the introduction of Australian Warning System, which provides a standardised guideline across all of Australia's emergency response jurisdictions for natural disasters.
"The new Bushfire Emergency Management System allowed the NTFRS to issue consistent and up-to-date information in conjunction with Bushfires NT," Mr Spain said.
The NTFRS also rolled out FireMapper this season, an online and mobile mapping tool that transforms situational awareness.
Mr Spain said the tool was designed to support operational processes on the fire ground and in the air.
"FireMapper provides incident controllers the ability to capture, manage and distribute critical information on the fire ground by recording tracks, taking photos and identifying key locations and assets," he said.
NTFRS crews in the Top End Emergency Response Area responded to 1296 grassfires and issued a total of four watch and acts in total during the season which runs from May to the end of October 2021.
They also attended 902 motor vehicle crashes; 171 structure fires; 1169 automatic fire alarms; 8 Domestic smoke alarms; 72 Illegal burns; 87 Medical assists; and 28 HAZMAT incidents.
"Preparing for the future, the NT Fire Rescue Service will be moving into the new Palmerston Regional Fire and Emergency Service Complex," Mr Spain said.
"This move will assist our members to respond with a more appropriate capability for the 2022 bushfire season."
As we head into the wet season, NTFRS remind residents that permits to burn will be available later in the season.
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