Dissertations / Theses: 'Bushfires'

1

Finlay, Christine School of Sociology &amp Anthropology UNSW. "Smokescreen : black/white/male/female bravery and southeast Australian bushfires." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Sociology and Anthropology, 2005. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/23006.

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Black/white/male/female struggles over knowledge correctness and who is brave are examined inductively in the field of bushfires. The paradoxes of a white male icon are linked to contradictions in gender theories in disaster. In mainstream literature, assumptions of innate white male superiority in bravery justify white women???s diminution and white male domination. In feminist theory, women???s diminution is the problem and their bravery for struggling against hegemony applauded. Philosophies of bravery are explored in 104 semistructured interviews and 12 months??? fieldwork as a volunteer bushfirefighter. There is great variety in the ways volunteers cope with bushfires. However, evidence of white male hegemony emerges when volunteers complain of state and territory indifference to preventing property and environmental damage and injury and death. Evidence is examined that Indigenous Australians once managed bushfires better than a sprawl of bureaucracy. Bushfire service claims that Aborigines knew nothing about hazard reductions are contradicted. This debate over bushfire management leads to the discovery of a third epistemology breaking with claims of white male iconic bravery and bureaucratic mastery. To generalise about the habitus of claims to knowledge and bravery, I analyse Newcastle Herald articles from 1881-1981. Three competing knowledge fields and their associated struggles are examined; Indigenous Australians and white womens??? emancipatory struggles confront data on bushfirefighting. Bushfires emerge as a serious problem, a bureaucratic power base and a white male icon from the 1920s.

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2

French, Ian Dept of Computer Science Australian Defence Force Academy UNSW. "Visualisation techniques for the computer simulation of bushfires in two dimensions." Awarded by:University of New South Wales - Australian Defence Force Academy. Dept. of Computer Science, 1992. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/38721.

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This thesis examines techniques that provide a method of computer visualisation of bushfire spread. Existing techniques studied include, Kourtz & O???Regan, Green???s Contact, Heat Accumulation, Percolation modelling and Huygens??? Principle by Anderson et.al., French, Roberts, Richards. Many of these techniques are extended as part of a comprehensive study into how they perform in a two dimensional reference frame (ie over flat terrain only). New techniques are defined for Percolation Modelling and Huygens??? Principle. Each technique is examined in a series of test cases which include computer simulations with no wind, constant wind, variable wind, variable vegetation (including patchy fuel and two fuels) and where fuel burns out. These test cases provide: (a) an incremental approach to understanding the operation of each technique; (b) a basis for comparison; and (c) verification of correctness of the technique in two dimensions. Several of the techniques are shown, by these test cases, to be equivalent. For instance, the Kourtz & O???Regan technique using a square template is equivalent to the Contact Technique, Site percolation is similar to the Heat Accumulation technique and Template percolation is similar to the Contact Technique. Overall the Huygens??? Principle techniques provide the most accurate simulations of bushfire spread.

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3

Hamra, Jafar Sadeq Abdulhadi. "Network Effects on Learning during Disasters: The Case of Australian Bushfires." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/9408.

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Understanding factors that enhance or diminish learning levels of individuals and teams is significant for achieving both individual (low level) and organisational (high level) goals. In this study, the effect of social network factors at all levels of analysis (actor level, dyadic level and network level) on learning attitudes of emergency personnel in emergency events is investigated. Based on social network concepts of structural holes and strength of weak ties, and the social influence model of learning, a conceptual model is developed. To test and validate the model, data was collected from the transcripts of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission reports in conjunction with the 2008 Australian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) survey. Secondly, network measures were applied for exploring the association with learning from a sample of people working within Incident Management Teams, combat roles and coordination centres across Australia and New Zealand. Empirical results suggest that social network factors at all levels of analysis (actor, dyadic and network levels) of emergency personnel play a crucial role in individual and team learning. The contextual implication from the quantitative and qualitative findings of this research is that when approaches for improving the emergency response at an interpersonal level are contemplated, the importance of social structure, position and relations in the networks of emergency personnel needs to be considered carefully as part of the overall individual and organisation-level goals. With this model of learning-related work activity, based on network connectedness, emergency staff members can strengthen their capacity to be flexible and adaptable. The findings of this study may be appreciated by emergency managers or administrators for developing an emergency practice culture to optimise individual and team learning and adaptability within an emergency management context.

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4

McFarlane, A. "The psychiatric sequelae of a natural disaster : the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires /." Title page, contents and introduction only, 1990. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09MD/09mdm143.pdf.

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5

Whittaker, William Joshua, and joshua whittaker@rmit edu au. "Vulnerability to bushfires in south-eastern Australia: a case study from East Gippsland, Victoria." RMIT University. Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, 2009. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090401.122025.

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This thesis is an analysis of human vulnerability to bushfires in the Wulgulmerang district of East Gippsland, Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. On January 30, 2003, bushfires devastated the small population of this isolated farming district. The fires destroyed homes, livelihood assets and public infrastructure. They also adversely affected the health, livelihoods and social lives of many local people. Australian bushfire research has traditionally focused on the geophysical dimensions of fire hazards and disasters, with little consideration of how cultural, economic, political and social factors shape people's exposure to hazards and their capacities to cope and adapt to bushfire impacts. To date, there have been no systematic, social science analyses of human vulnerability to bushfires. The vulnerability analysis presented in this thesis concentrates on two key research questions: (1) How and why were people exposed to hazards during the bushfires? and (2) How and why were people differentially capable of coping and adapting to the fires' impacts? Qualitative methods were primarily used to investigate these questions, including semi-structured interviews with residents and landholders of the Wulgulmerang district, representatives of government departments and authorities, and others who participated in responses to the fires. The thesis develops a multifaceted understanding of how and why people were vulnerable to the January 30 fires. Vulnerability is shown to arise from the circumstances of people's day to day lives, which are shaped by factors both within and beyond their control. Local pressures and challenges - such as drought, declining farm incomes, depopulation, limited access to essential services, and political marginality - are shown to increase people's exposure to bushfire hazards and reduce their capacities to cope and adapt. The thesis demonstrates the fundamental importance of sustainable livelihoods and regional economic and social vitality to the long-term goal of vulnerability reduction.

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6

Virkki, Diana Angelique. "Faunal and Floral Community Responses to Contemporary Fire Regimes in Eucalypt Forests of Southeast Queensland." Thesis, Griffith University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367338.

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As an ecological process fire plays a global role in structuring ecosystems and their constituent fauna and flora. Fire is also regularly applied as a landscape management tool and altered fire regimes affect global biodiversity. Fire can have a marked influence on vegetation composition and structure with resultant flow on impacts on faunal communities. However, faunal responses to fire are often quite varied and management recommendations of appropriate fire regimes therefore generally include utilising a fire mosaic approach to fire management. This thesis investigates the relationship between variable fire regimes, vegetation composition, condition and structure, and ground-dwelling vertebrate faunal communities. The literature review (Chapter 1) revealed several gaps in current knowledge. This included a lack of detailed knowledge on the effects of variable fire regimes, including repeated management burns and fire mosaics, representative of multiple fire parameters (time since fire, number of fires, fire interval and fire type), on ecosystem biota. This was particularly evident for subtropical ecosystems. To analyse the effects of repeated burns, fire exclusion and wildfire, this study targeted one of the longest running fire experiments in Australia, at Bauple State Forest, where fire treatments have been applied annually since 1952 and triennially since 1973. Additional dry eucalypt forest sites at St Mary and Tiaro State Forests were included that represented variable fire management practices. Detailed fauna trapping surveys and vegetation assessments were completed on 35 plots across eight fire treatments at all three sites. Additionally, a broader scale GIS analysis of fire history was done across the three forests with surveys undertaken at an additional 74 sites allowing a comparison of reptile communities, forest condition and structure among variable fire regimes at multiple scales.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith School of Environment
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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7

Armstrong, Elizabeth Kate, and n/a. "Tourism destination recovery after the 2003 Canberra fires." University of Canberra. n/a, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20081218.091856.

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The tourism industry is vulnerable to crises and disasters and increasingly government and industry stakeholders are turning their attention to how to prevent, manage and recover from shock events. In the last decade there has been increasing interest in tourism research on crises and disasters, prompted in part by recognition of the tourism industry's vulnerabilities and what appear to be more frequent shock events. The beginning of this century has been marked by a series of crises and disasters including the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in the United Kingdom, the 2001 terrorist hijackings in the USA, the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, the 2003 SARS epidemic in southeast Asia and Canada, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in the southern USA in 2005 (Henderson, 2007). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007a) has also predicted that the extreme weather events associated with climate change will lead to more natural disasters. Crises and disaster have local, regional and global repercussions on the tourism industry at business/corporate, industry and destination levels and the need for more attention to preparation, response and recovery is acknowledged. Much of the initial tourism research in this field focused on descriptions of crises and disasters and their impacts on tourism with some reflection on their management. This foundation and the comprehensive crisis and disaster literature from disciplines such as psychology, sociology, economics, geography and environmental science led to development of crisis and disaster management frameworks specifically designed for the tourism industry. These frameworks have achieved varying degrees of acceptance amongst tourism researchers with Faulkner and Vikulov's (2001) Tourism Disaster Management Framework (TDMF) being the most well known and often cited. The more recent Crisis and Disaster Management Framework (CDMF) developed by Ritchie (2004) is a useful destination-level framework based on a strategic management approach. Despite the development of these frameworks, relatively little tourism research effort has focused on destination recovery and very little on medium and long term recovery. In addition, there is little research on wildfires as a type of natural disaster. The extensive bushfires in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 2003 (often referred to as the Canberra fires) provided an opportunity to investigate in a longitudinal study the short, medium and long term actions undertaken by the government and tourism industry to assist destination recovery and then compare them with Ritchie's prescriptive CDMF. Being longer term research this study is able to consider almost the entire recovery stage whereas other research has focused on short or medium term recovery (for example Faulkner & Vikulov, 2001). This research centred on a case study which is defined by Yin (1989 quoted in Wimmer & Dominick, 1997, p. 102) as an 'empirical inquiry that uses multiple sources of evidence to investigate a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context'. This case study used interviewing, the documentary method and participant observation as the key methods. Representatives of government and the tourism industry were interviewed in-depth about the actions taken by their organisations or businesses. The interviews were semi-structured with mostly open-ended questions and some participants undertook multiple interviews over a three year period. Extensive secondary data and documentation about the bushfire and subsequent response and recovery was generated by the ACT government, industry and community and publicly available sources included reports and reviews, media releases, newspaper articles, newsletters, brochures, websites and legal and coronial enquiries. These were critical for gaining a comprehensive understanding of recovery. Participant observation was also important and, as a resident of the ACT, the author participated in relevant events and observed the public face of community recovery. The three methods resulted in a large data set that was distilled into a 'response and recovery story' structured according to Ritchie's CDMF. Upon comparing the findings with the framework, it was found that many elements were evident in the 'real life' case study including crisis communication, resource management, stakeholder communication, destination restoration and disasters as agents for change. There were also new findings that could be integrated into a redeveloped framework including the establishment of a recovery team, training for crisis and disaster management, tourist/visitor management, recovery planning, human resource management issues, business recovery tools, partnerships and memorialisation and commemoration. The resulting Tourism Industry Crisis and Disaster Management Framework (TICDMF) is a practical and comprehensive tool for Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) that both describes what occurred in a real life case study but also prescribes recommended management actions. In addition to specific recommendations for the ACT tourism industry, this research also resulted in general recommendations to the tourism industry, government and educators. These focused on (i) the importance of crisis and disaster management planning, (ii) the need to evaluate and document response and recovery and devote adequate resources to organisational learning, (iii) potential use of tools like the TICDMF and the plethora of resources to manage crises and disasters, (iv) educating staff, academics and tertiary tourism and hospitality students about crisis and disaster management and (v) accepting the chaos of recovery and devoting adequate resources to address the resulting complexity. The tourism industry is vulnerable to external shocks whether they be local crises or national disasters. The preparedness of the industry and its ability to effectively respond and recover is of critical importance for destinations and the community in which they function. Case studies of crises and disaster and development of a body of theoretical and practical knowledge will ensure that government and industry continue to play an important role in caring for the safety and security of tourists while maintaining a viable and sustainable industry for all stakeholders.

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8

Somers, Vera Louise Jeanne. "Risk Minimization for Spreading Processes over Networks via Surveillance Scheduling and Sparse Control." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27397.

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Spreading processes, such as epidemics and wildfires, have an initial localized outbreak that spreads rapidly throughout a network. The real-world risks associated with such events have stressed the importance and current limitations of methods to quickly map and monitor outbreaks and to reduce their impact by planning appropriate intervention strategies. This thesis is, therefore, concerned with risk minimization of spreading processes over networks via surveillance scheduling and sparse control. This is achieved by providing a flexible optimization framework that combines surveillance and intervention to minimize the risk. Here, risk is defined as the product of the probability of an outbreak occurring and the future impact of that outbreak. The aim is now to bound or minimize the risk by allocation of resources and use of persistent monitoring schedules. When setting up an optimization framework, four other aspects have been found to be of importance. First of all, being able to provide targeted risk estimation and minimization for more vulnerable or high cost areas. Second and third, scalability of algorithms and sparsity of resource allocation are essential due to the large network structures. Finally, for wildfires specifically, there is a gap between the information embedded in fire propagation models and utilizing it for path planning algorithms for efficient remote sensing. The presented framework utilizes the properties of positive systems and convex optimization, in particular exponential cone programming, to provide flexible and scalable algorithms for both surveillance and intervention purposes. We demonstrate with different spreading process examples and scenarios, focusing on epidemics and wildfires, that the presented framework gives convincing and scalable results. In particular, we demonstrate how our method can include persistent monitoring scenarios and provide more targeted and sparse resource allocation compared to previous approaches.

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9

Pippen, Brendan Gerard Physical Environmental &amp Mathematical Sciences Australian Defence Force Academy UNSW. "Fuel moisture and fuel dynamics in woodland and heathland vegetation of the Sydney Basin." Awarded by:University of New South Wales - Australian Defence Force Academy. School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences, 2008. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/38697.

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The vegetation of the Sydney Basin, Australia, is highly flammable and subject to a wide range of fire regimes. Sclerophyllous shrubs and sedges are common and in some vegetation types up to 70 % of fuel consumed during a fire can be live. Research into fire behaviour and fuel dynamics has been minimal. To address this issue this thesis investigated the principal factor affecting the ease of ignition and rate of combustion of individual fuel particles and fuel beds in bushfires: dead fine fuel moisture (FFM). Two common Sydney Basin vegetation types, eucalypt woodland and heathland, each with a history of problematic fire management, were measured in the field for diurnal fluctuations in FFM following rain, under conditions similar to when prescribed burns are conducted. The FFM components of current operational fire behaviour models were found to be inadequate for predictions of FFM and fire behaviour under these conditions. The equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of five fuel types from the field site was investigated in a laboratory study. An existing function describing EMC as a function of temperature and relative humidity was evaluated and found to be very accurate for these fuels. Two FFM predictive models incorporating this function were evaluated on the field data and the laboratory results were shown to be applicable to the estimation of FFM in the field. One model gave very accurate predictions of FFM below fibre saturation point, but its accuracy was reduced when screen level conditions were used instead of those measured at fuel level. A recent process-based model that accounts for rainfall showed promise for predicting when fuel is < 25 % FFM. Systematic problems with the radiation budget of this model reduced the accuracy of predictions and further refinement is required. Live fine fuel moisture content (LFMC) of common heathland shrubs and sedge was investigated over two years and found to be both seasonal and influenced by phenology. LFMC minima occurred in late winter and spring (August to October), and maxima were in summer (December to February) when new growth was recorded. The dominant near-surface fuel in mature heath was sedge. It was found to have little seasonal variation in its??? percentage dead but the percentage dead maxima occured at the same time as the LFMC minima of shrubs and sedge in both years. Simple instantaneous models for duff moisture content in woodland and heathland and LFMC and the percentage dead sedge in heathland were developed. The information gained by this study will form the basis for future development of fuel moisture models for prescribed burning guidelines and fire spread models specific to the vegetation communities of the Sydney Basin.

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10

Nti, Frank Kyekyeku. "Climate change vulnerability and coping mechanisms among farming communities in Northern Ghana." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/15116.

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Master of Science
Department of Agricultural Economics
Andrew Barkley
This study examines the effect of extreme climatic conditions (drought, flood, and bushfires) on the livelihood of households in the Bawku West district of Ghana. The research identified the mechanisms with which households cope in such situations, and analyzed factors influencing the adoption of coping strategies for flood, coping strategies for drought, and coping strategies for bushfires. Data for the study were collected in selected villages across the district in the aftermath of the 2007/2008 extreme climatic events (a prolonged drought period followed by an erratic rainfall). A binary logit regression (BLR) model was then specified to estimate factors that influence the adoption of a given coping mechanisms. Results from the BLR model indicate that literacy level, membership with an FBO, household income, and location of households had positive and significant impacts on adaptation to drought. Similarly, source of seeds for planting, membership with an FBO, household income, and farm size had positive significant influence on adaptation to flood. Adaption to bushfire was positively influenced by radio ownership, seed source and income. The main effect of these climatic extreme events on households included destruction of crops, livestock and buildings; food and water shortage; poor yield or harvest and limited fields for livestock grazing. Therefore, government policies should be geared towards creating revenue generating channels and in strengthening institutions that provide access to farm credit, readily available improve seeds and extension. Additionally, policies that expedite information dissemination through radio and other public media will enhance households’ adaptive capacity.

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11

Mallet, Marc D. "Water uptake and composition of natural Australian cloud condensation nuclei." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2017. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/104437/1/Marc_Mallet_Thesis.pdf.

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This project was an investigation of atmospheric aerosols emitted from the Great Barrier Reef and north Australian fires. The chemical and physical properties of these aerosols were examined to determine their role in cloud formation. Interactions between aerosols and clouds are associated with the largest uncertainty in global climate models. The work of this thesis will contribute towards reducing this uncertainty by providing data for these poorly characterised regions in Australia.

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12

Johnston, Paul Andrew. "Bushfire Risk Management in Queensland: Issues and Strategies." Thesis, Griffith University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367096.

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Bush fires...two words which conjure up images of destruction and despair. Constituting one of the most destructive forces of nature, their impact has been felt worldwide, extending beyond the damage caused to the physical environment, to include disruption and hardship to communities – impacts which have unfortunately been seen recently in Victoria, where over 200 lives were lost and more than 2000 homes were destroyed by bushfires in February 2009. The level of risk to communities from bush fires has been observed to be steadily increasing in urban-rural interface areas internationally. Concerns have been raised in the observation that populations are essentially being placed in harm’s way by the growing popularity of rural-style developments and eco-living trends. Understandably, significant research has been dedicated to the study of bush fires, improving our understanding of fire behaviour and progressing technical development, more recently also expanding to address the social and town planning considerations of bushfire risk management. However, relatively little research has been conducted specifically targeting bushfire risk management characteristics and requirements in Queensland. Those investigations that have been undertaken have been limited in scope, essentially being administrative in nature. Therefore, what are essentially generic research principles are being applied as the basis for bushfire risk management strategies in Queensland. The concern with this is that although bushfires will behave in a certain way in given environments, “risk” is a dynamic concept, and the implications of bushfire risk management will vary significantly with the social and organisational environment in which it occurs. Although contemporary bushfire risk management in Queensland is indeed based on established theory, in the absence of a detailed investigation into the social, organisational and physical characteristics specific to Queensland, the principles of bushfire risk management are essentially being applied in the form of a generic template, rather than the being objectively “managed”.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith School of Environment
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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13

Mackie, Brenda. "Warning fatigue : Insights from the Australian Bushfire Context." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Media and Communications, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/9029.

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Warning Fatigue or Cry-Wolf effect is a taken-for-granted phenomenon that can result from being ‘over-warned’. The terms are used to describe situations where individuals who are exposed to recurring warning messages about a disaster which then does not eventuate become cynical, apathetic and ‘tired’ of hearing warnings. They may become desensitised to the risk thereby endangering themselves even more. The assumption by practitioners (emergency managers and governmental policy-makers for example) that warning fatigue is a problem presents emergency agencies with a conundrum: they want to avoid the accusation of panicking the public but worry they may run the risk of under-preparing them at the same time. As a result, they may be tempted to err on the side of caution, delay issuing a warning and downplay the possible severity of a potential disaster. Examination of the literature, and an analysis of presentations and news stories have shown that policy-makers, emergency managers, academics and the public use the term ‘cry wolf’ or ‘warning fatigue’ in everyday life. They regard it as conventional wisdom and believe it can influence risk perception and warning response. Nonetheless it has been presumptively assigned by some disaster theorists to the category of a myth. A limited warning fatigue literature has examined the phenomenon in the context of rapid-onset disasters and has concluded that risk perception is not affected by warning fatigue. However, it also suggests there is a direct relationship between warning time, preparedness and response. This allows for the possibility that warning fatigue may not be a myth, but a function of the type of disaster, the frequency of warnings and warning lead-time. This thesis makes a distinction between rapid-onset and prolonged lead-time disasters and hypothesises that prolonged lead-time disasters are responded to in very differently ways than rapid-onset ones. Australian bushfires provide the context in which this research was conducted because bushfires are repeatedly warned about yet rarely (once every ten or twenty years) result in a major disaster. Using social constructionist and social representation theoretical frameworks, and integrating psychosocial and sociological perspectives, this thesis examines the role that warning fatigue plays in the risk perceptions, warning responses and decision-making processes of people living in bushfire-prone areas of Australia. Utilisation of a mixed methods design, a substantive literature review and two rounds of semi-structured interviews resulted in a conceptualisation of a bushfire warning fatigue measure (BWFM). Application of the measure among at-risk Australian communities validated the measure. Through empirical statistical analysis, this standardised instrument was revised (BWFM-R) and used to measure the change in warning fatigue levels over a fire season (November 2011-April 2012). Analysis showed that warning fatigue appears to be multi-faceted comprising five aspects: Trust and credibility, over-warning, false alarms, scepticism and helplessness. It was also found that warning fatigue responses are contextual and interconnected with ‘unofficial’ warnings (such as media stories). The direction of the change and analysis of the qualitative component of the survey implied that unofficial bushfire rhetoric from the media during the winter months may produce a warning fatigue effect, so that when the official warnings were issued at the beginning of the bushfire season, the public were already ‘tired’ of the message. Trust and credibility, over-warning, false alarms, scepticism and helplessness are not new factors in public warning response to disaster communication, but this research demonstrates that they can combine in a unique way to produce ‘warning fatigue’. It proposes that if emergency and disaster agencies differentiate between rapid-onset and prolonged lead-time disasters, understand the complexities of warning fatigue and design their warnings accordingly, then disaster risk communication will become more effective, increasing public engagement and improving disaster response.

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14

Goessmann, Florian. "Improved spatial resolution of bushfire detection with MODIS." Thesis, Curtin University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/909.

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The capability to monitor bushfires on a large scale from space has long been identified as an important contribution to climate and atmospheric research as well as a tool an aid in natural hazard response. Since the work by Dozier (1981), fire monitoring from space has relied on the principles he described. His method of identifying fires within a pixel significantly larger than the fire by utilizing the different responses of the 3 μm and 11 μm channels has been applied to a number of sensors. Over the last decade a lot of work has been invested to refine and validate fire detections based on this approach. So far, the application of the method proposed by Dozier (1981) reached its peak with the launch of the MODIS instrument on board the Terra satellite. In contrast to earlier sensors, MODIS was equipped with spectral channels specifically designed for the detection of fires with algorithms based on the work by Dozier (1981). These channels were designed to overcome problems experienced with other platforms, the biggest of which is the saturation of the 3 μm channel caused by big, hot fires. Since its launch, MODIS has proven itself to be a capable platform to provide worldwide fire detection at a moderate resolution of 1 km on a daily basis.It is the intention of this work to open up new opportunities in remote sensing of fires from satellites by showing capabilities and limitations in the application of other spectral channels, in particular the 2.1 μm channel of MODIS, than the ones currently used. This channel is chosen for investigation as fires are expected to emit a significant amount of energy in this bandwidth and as it is available at a native resolution of 500 m on MODIS; double the resolution of the 3 μm and 11 μm channels. The modelling of blackbodies of typical bushfire temperatures shows that a fire detection method based on the 2.1 μm channel will not be able to replace the current methods. Blackbodies of temperatures around 600 to 700 K, that are common for smoldering fires, do not emit a great amount of energy at 2.1 μm. It would be hardly possible to detect those fires by utilizing the 2.1 μm channel. The established methods based on the 3 μm and 11 μm channels are expected to work better in these cases. Blackbodies of typically flaming fires (above 800 K) however show a very high emission around 2.1 μm that should make their detection using the 2.1 μm channel possible.In order to develop a fire detection method based on the 2.1 μm channel, it is necessary to differentiate between the radiance caused by a fire of sub pixel size and the radiance of a pixel caused by the reflection of sunlight. This is attempted by using time series of past observations to model a reflectance value for a given pixel expected in absence of a fire. A fire detection algorithm exploiting the difference between the expected and observed reflectance is implemented and its detection results are compared to high resolution ASTER fire maps, the standard MODIS fire detection algorithm (MOD14) and burnt area maps. The detections of the method based on the 2.1 μm channel are found to correspond very well with the other three datasets. However, the comparison showed detections that do not align with MOD14 active fire detections but are generally aligned with burn areas. This phenomena has to be investigated in the future.

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15

Goessmann, Florian. "Improved spatial resolution of bushfire detection with MODIS." Curtin University of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, 2007. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=17134.

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The capability to monitor bushfires on a large scale from space has long been identified as an important contribution to climate and atmospheric research as well as a tool an aid in natural hazard response. Since the work by Dozier (1981), fire monitoring from space has relied on the principles he described. His method of identifying fires within a pixel significantly larger than the fire by utilizing the different responses of the 3 μm and 11 μm channels has been applied to a number of sensors. Over the last decade a lot of work has been invested to refine and validate fire detections based on this approach. So far, the application of the method proposed by Dozier (1981) reached its peak with the launch of the MODIS instrument on board the Terra satellite. In contrast to earlier sensors, MODIS was equipped with spectral channels specifically designed for the detection of fires with algorithms based on the work by Dozier (1981). These channels were designed to overcome problems experienced with other platforms, the biggest of which is the saturation of the 3 μm channel caused by big, hot fires. Since its launch, MODIS has proven itself to be a capable platform to provide worldwide fire detection at a moderate resolution of 1 km on a daily basis.
It is the intention of this work to open up new opportunities in remote sensing of fires from satellites by showing capabilities and limitations in the application of other spectral channels, in particular the 2.1 μm channel of MODIS, than the ones currently used. This channel is chosen for investigation as fires are expected to emit a significant amount of energy in this bandwidth and as it is available at a native resolution of 500 m on MODIS; double the resolution of the 3 μm and 11 μm channels. The modelling of blackbodies of typical bushfire temperatures shows that a fire detection method based on the 2.1 μm channel will not be able to replace the current methods. Blackbodies of temperatures around 600 to 700 K, that are common for smoldering fires, do not emit a great amount of energy at 2.1 μm. It would be hardly possible to detect those fires by utilizing the 2.1 μm channel. The established methods based on the 3 μm and 11 μm channels are expected to work better in these cases. Blackbodies of typically flaming fires (above 800 K) however show a very high emission around 2.1 μm that should make their detection using the 2.1 μm channel possible.
In order to develop a fire detection method based on the 2.1 μm channel, it is necessary to differentiate between the radiance caused by a fire of sub pixel size and the radiance of a pixel caused by the reflection of sunlight. This is attempted by using time series of past observations to model a reflectance value for a given pixel expected in absence of a fire. A fire detection algorithm exploiting the difference between the expected and observed reflectance is implemented and its detection results are compared to high resolution ASTER fire maps, the standard MODIS fire detection algorithm (MOD14) and burnt area maps. The detections of the method based on the 2.1 μm channel are found to correspond very well with the other three datasets. However, the comparison showed detections that do not align with MOD14 active fire detections but are generally aligned with burn areas. This phenomena has to be investigated in the future.

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16

Proudley, Mae Amber, and mae proudley@rmit edu au. "Fire, Families and Decisions." RMIT University. Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, 2009. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090629.102324.

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This research explores the life experiences of families and couples who lived through the Wangary fire (South Australia, January 2005). Examining the bushfire experience from a domestic perspective is long overdue. Open-ended interviews were conducted with thirty-eight couples and families across the fire-affected region on the Lower Eyre Peninsula. A shortlist of fourteen were analysed in detail and they form the foundation of this thesis. These bushfire narratives include the perspectives of farming and non-farming families and cover a wide spectrum of circumstances and demographics. Five of the fourteen families lost their homes in the Wangary fire. Critical decision-making and the presence of children is at the heart of this case study. How the presence of babies and young children influences family decision-making, in advance of or during a bushfire, has not been considered or studied in any detail within the Australian research landscape. Exploring the differences of experience between women with young families and older women confirms the primary weakness of the national bushfire safety ('stay or go') policy. Gender and generation were the two defining factors that informed how people responded to and recovered from the Wangary fire. The perspective of younger people, within the context of bushfire research, has been neglected in the past; this case study incorporates their views and thoughts. It is hoped that insights gleaned from these bushfire narratives will encourage the enhancement of the national 'stay or go' policy.

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Socal, Chiara <1996&gt. "The spread of information: the Australian bushfire crisis 2019-2020." Master's Degree Thesis, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10579/18794.

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Australia’s environment has always been affected in one way or the other by bushfires. Most of Australia's native plants rely on fire to reproduce themselves. Furthermore, native Australians have been using fire to protect their belongings and for agricultural reasons for centuries. This paper will focus on how the information spread through social media, in particular through Twitter. The aim is to see how information, about the Australian bushfire crisis, spread through Twitter and to see what the public perception was. In further detail, this thesis is divided into three sections. The first section is dedicated to the most important social media and mass communication literature. The second section is dedicated to the Australian bushfire crisis of 2019/2020, in detail. Meanwhile, the third section will focus on web research and Twitter data analysis of the news and information surrounding the Australian bushfire crisis and its public perception.

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Brown, Douglas Norman. "Domestic Architecture and the Perception of Risk in Bushfire-Prone Areas." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/18959.

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This thesis examines the way in which the architecture of a house, specifically construction materials and the structure’s immediate environs, influences residents’ perception of bushfire risk. Three research questions were used to consider different aspects of risk perception for domestic architecture within a bushfire context. These questions were: • Do residents living in bushfire-prone areas of Australia give the same bushfire risk rating to their locality and their house? Do these reflect the bushfire risk for the same area as assessed by the state fire authority? • When anticipating a bushfire, which parts of their current house do residents in bushfire-prone areas of Australia believe to be the safest and which parts the most vulnerable? • What architectural interventions might change residents’ perceptions of the bushfire risk of their homes? The method used to test the research questions was mixed methods with pragmatism as the research worldview. A questionnaire containing both quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to residents in eight sample sites selected from bushfire-prone areas of the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast of NSW, Australia. The questionnaire was completed by 252 respondents either in print or electronic form. The majority of respondents gave a lower bushfire risk rating for their local area than their local fire authority, the NSW Rural Fire Service. The majority of respondents gave the same or a lower risk rating for their house than for their local area. During a bushfire respondents indicated they intended to take shelter in up to twenty different places/parts of their house and immediate environs. While the bathroom was the most frequent choice, it represented less than one quarter of responses given. Respondents identified up to ten different places/parts of their house and immediate environs that they intended to avoid during a bushfire, with upstairs rooms and spaces being the most frequent choices. Materials used in the construction of homes did not appear to influence how respondents allocated the bushfire risk to their house. Rather it was the area directly surrounding their house and its proximity to bushland (particularly National Parks) that respondents used to determine the bushfire risk of their property. Non-architectural variables such as gender, age, pet ownership, property ownership, and responsibility for dependents had little effect on the way respondents allocated their bushfire risk. The age of the house also did not influence respondents’ perception of their bushfire risk with respondents in houses constructed to the latest building codes (AS 3959) not indicating that their houses had greater bushfire resistance. Respondents identified fifteen architectural improvements to increase the safety of houses during a bushfire; the most frequently ones were, roof sprinklers and the clearing of vegetation close to the house. For architectural improvement, four overarching themes emerged: specific bushfire-resistant additions; building construction; cleared space/limited vegetation; and building maintenance/defence. The findings of this research, when evaluated against industry knowledge, may be useful in developing new regulatory standards or providing advice in relation to new or existing homes in wild/forest/bushfire-prone areas of the world.

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Brown, Charlotte Olivia. "Disaster Waste Management: a systems approach." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/7038.

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Depending on their nature and severity, disasters can create large volumes of debris and waste. Waste volumes from a single event can be the equivalent of many times the annual waste generation rate of the affected community. These volumes can overwhelm existing solid waste management facilities and personnel. Mismanagement of disaster waste can affect both the response and long term recovery of a disaster affected area. Previous research into disaster waste management has been either context specific or event specific, making it difficult to transfer lessons from one disaster event to another. The aim of this research is to develop a systems understanding of disaster waste management and in turn develop context- and disaster-transferrable decision-making guidance for emergency and waste managers. To research this complex and multi-disciplinary problem, a multi-hazard, multi-context, multi-case study approach was adopted. The research focussed on five major disaster events: 2011 Christchurch earthquake, 2009 Victorian Bushfires, 2009 Samoan tsunami, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake and 2005 Hurricane Katrina. The first stage of the analysis involved the development of a set of ‘disaster & disaster waste’ impact indicators. The indicators demonstrate a method by which disaster managers, planners and researchers can simplify the very large spectra of possible disaster impacts, into some key decision-drivers which will likely influence post-disaster management requirements. The second stage of the research was to develop a set of criteria to represent the desirable environmental, economic, social and recovery effects of a successful disaster waste management system. These criteria were used to assess the effectiveness of the disaster waste management approaches for the case studies. The third stage of the research was the cross-case analysis. Six main elements of disaster waste management systems were identified and analysed. These were: strategic management, funding mechanisms, operational management, environmental and human health risk management, and legislation and regulation. Within each of these system elements, key decision-making guidance (linked to the ‘disaster & disaster waste’ indicators) and management principles were developed. The ‘disaster & disaster waste’ impact indicators, the effects assessment criteria and management principles have all been developed so that they can be practically applied to disaster waste management planning and response in the future.

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Plange, Naa Adubi Lamle. "Decolonising Fire: Recognition justice and Aboriginal fire knowledge in the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire news narrative." Thesis, Department of Government and International Relations, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/25697.

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Australia’s 2019-2020 summer bushfires brought to light two key conversations during its news coverage: the need for better forms of bushfire management, and most importantly, the revival of Aboriginal cultural burning practices. The Australian landscape was formed through fire, and for more than 60,000 years, Aboriginal people across the continent have developed knowledge of the land through generations of custodianship and culture. Despite the ecological and scientific value of Aboriginal place-specific knowledge that has developed alongside the changes of this continent's vast ecosystems, the establishment of the settler-colonial system has deemed this knowledge invalid and unscientific. Drawing on the concepts of decolonisation, misrecognition, epistemic violence, Aboriginal academic literature, and recognition as a component of justice especially, this thesis challenges covert themes of settler-colonialism present in the bushfire news narrative, and will showcase why recognition justice must underscore discussions and initiatives concerning cultural burning. Through a thematic content analysis of news articles published prior, during, and after the bushfires, the findings of this study will highlight how Aboriginal people and their knowledge are still undermined in the media, and on a macrocosmic level, Australia as a colonial institution.

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De, Vos Johanna B. M. "Respiratory health effects of occupational exposure to bushfire smoke in Western Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Population Health, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0001.

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Bushfires are an integral part of the Australian environment, and consequently Australian fire fighters are regularly confronted with the challenge of bushfire fighting activities. Bushfires can be extensive and long-lasting, and as a result fire fighters can be exposed to bushfire smoke for long periods without respite. Anecdotal evidence suggests that bushfire smoke exposure can lead to respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. In an optimal environment, fire fighters are equipped with respirators and protective filters to prevent the inhalation of the air toxics in bushfire smoke. Yet, reports from the fire ground indicate that the protective filters are not effective in preventing the inhalation of bushfire smoke. As a result, fire fighters have increasingly expressed concern about the ineffective equipment and the resultant respiratory symptoms during and after bushfire fighting. This research aims to establish a scientific data base to support the anecdotal evidence. The objectives of the research were: (1) to identify and quantify the air toxics in Western Australian bushfire smoke; (2) to profile the acute respiratory health effects associated with bushfire smoke exposure; (3) to assess the effectiveness of three different types of filters under controlled conditions in a smoke chamber, and in the field during fuel reduction burn-off; (4) to formulate recommendations for reducing fire fighters' exposure to bushfire smoke; and (5) to inform policy decision makers about the most effective form of respiratory protective equipment for bushfire fighting. Exposure trials were conducted in an experimental setting utilising bushfire smoke conditions in a smoke chamber and during prescribed burn-offs. Repeated measurements of respiratory symptoms, pulmonary function and oximetry were undertaken before and after bushfire smoke exposure. In addition, personal air sampling inside the respirators was undertaken to quantify and compare the levels of filtered air toxics. The analysis of the collected data demonstrated that, of those compared, the particulate/organic vapour formaldehyde filter was most effective in protecting fire fighters' respiratory health during the smoke exposure period of maximally 120 minutes. Further research would be useful to determine the v effectiveness of the filters under more realistic conditions during bushfire fighting activities. The findings of this research have resulted in a policy review in Western Australia. In 2006, the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) reviewed its Bush Fire Smoke Exposure Standard Operational Procedures 51, and now issues the recommended particulate/organic vapour/formaldehyde filters to the 1,000 FESA career fire fighters. The use of protective equipment for bushfire fighters is inadequately regulated worldwide and the recommendation implemented by FESA can be seen as proactive and in advance of national and international best practice. In conclusion, this project was instrumental in the translation of public health research into best practice that protects occupational health, without the need for the lengthy process of legislative reform. Fire fighter organisations in other countries with high frequencies of bushfires could learn from this example, and move to review their policies and introduce adequate personal protection for fire fighters.

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Haimes, Paul William. "Designing for communities in bushfire-prone situations: Redesigning the FireWatch website interface." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2015. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1620.

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This research describes the redesign of Landgate’s FireWatch service – a web-based map application that uses data derived from satellites to provide near real-time bushfire information. FireWatch was originally built for emergency services personnel, but recent Australian state government inquiries have called for individuals, households and communities to have independent access to bushfire information. Therefore, it was necessary to redesign FireWatch with a new remote community-based audience in mind. The thesis describes multiple iterations of a user-centred action research design process that resulted in a publicly accessible web application known as MyFireWatch. Due to delayed access to actual community–based users, scenario-based design and a personas frame-work were created to consider the user’s perspective. These personas then informed the recruitment of community-based users in the remote Western Australian town of Kununurra. Working with these remote community-based users quantified what functionality provided by FireWatch could be useful to this new audience. It also revealed that the information presented to them could be used in unanticipated ways and that satellite information can assist users in identifying key landmarks. However, user feedback indicated a lack of awareness of bushfire map applications in Australia, including FireWatch. Results from an online questionnaire verified that the design process undertaken resulted in a usable interface that met the needs of the majority of users, although several participants noted that the interface was slow to respond to user input. There was significant support for user-sourced fire information, although several participants raised concerns of how the information would be verified and how user-sourced information would impact the usability of the application. Participants used social media but were also highly reliant on traditional media and word of mouth – something that Landgate will need to consider in future efforts to increase awareness of MyFireWatch Two frameworks arose from the research undertaken: a pattern language for presenting map-based hazard information and a personas framework for designing for remote Australian community based users.

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Ruane, Simone Louise. "Adapting Bushfire Policy to Changing Conditions: A Case Study of South-West Western Australia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88739.

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Policy strategies that support climate change adaptation to increasing bushfire risk are critical. However, little is known about the socio-institutional dimensions that enable and constrain the bushfire policy sector to adapt to changing conditions. This “Thesis by Compilation” comprises five journal articles that respond to the question: “What factors influence bushfire policy change and how can these insights be used to inform planned adaptation to increased bushfire risk???

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Bayat, Daryoush. "Development of a long range wireless sensor platform." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2011. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/469.

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Wireless Sensor Networks have emerged as an exciting field in recent years. There have been numerous studies on how to improve and standardise different aspects of wireless sensor networks. This paper aims to develop a wireless sensor network suitable for environmental monitoring applications. More specifically this paper aims to address the limited communication range of the existing wireless sensor technology. In order to achieve the desired objectives, we have initially developed a hardware platform and then integrated the hardware with a long range RF radio module to achieve the goals. The system is further enhanced with mesh networking capabilities to increase the communication range and overall reliability of the network. The developed wireless sensor network is composed of sensors, microcontroller, RF radio module, antenna and expansion connectors for additional sensors and peripheral devices. The developed wireless sensor network has been rigorously tested under three different scenarios to ensure the correct operation of the mesh network, communication range and effect of environmental obstacles such as vegetation and trees. The developed wireless sensor network has been proven to be a suitable platform for environmental monitoring applications and the modular design has made it very easy to optimise it for different applications.

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Christensen, Warren. "Nipped in the bud : a situational crime prevention approach to the prevention of bushfire arson /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2006. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe19432.pdf.

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Plucinski, Matthew Paul Mathematics &amp Statistics Australian Defence Force Academy UNSW. "The investigation of factors governing ignition and development of fires in heathland vegetation." Awarded by:University of New South Wales - Australian Defence Force Academy. School of Mathematics and Statistics, 2003. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/38702.

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Heathlands typically experience regimes consisting of frequent and intense fires. These fire regimes play important roles in the lifecycles and population dynamics of all species in these communities. Prescribed fire is commonly applied to heathlands to minimise the risk of wildfires as well as to promote biodiversity. Ignitions in heathlands tend to either be unsustainable, or quickly develop into rapidly spreading intense fires. This presents a major problem for the application of prescribed fire and is the primary focus of this thesis. Heathland ignition has been investigated in three sections; litter ignition; vertical development of fire into the shrub layer; and horizontal spread through the shrub layer. These were studied in laboratory experiments using miniature versions of field fuels. Ignition success in litter layers was related to the dead fuel moisture content. Litter type, ignition source, and presence of wind were found to affect the range of ignitable fuel moisture contents of a litter bed. The effect of litter type was best explained by density. Dense litter beds required drier conditions for ignition than low density litter beds. The vertical development of fire into shrubs was mostly dependent on live fuel moisture content, but crown base height, presence of wind, ignition source, shrub height and the percentage of dead elevated fuel were also important. Horizontal spread of fires through shrub layers was most affected by the presence of a litter layer, with nearly all ignitions successful when there was an underlying litter fire. Fire spread would only occur in shrubs without a litter layer when the shrub layer was dense and dry, or had a substantial dead fuel component. Spread was more likely to be sustained when there was wind. Models predicting the moisture content of dead fuels were tested in heathlands, and as would be expected those that can be calibrated for different fuel types were found to have the best performance. Fuel moisture content and fuel load models were reviewed for heathlands, and a number of recommendations for future research were made.

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Ladbrook, Megan. "Spatial and temporal patterns (1973-2012) of bushfire in an arid to semi-arid region of Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2015. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1660.

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Aim and background The aim of this study was to reconstruct fire regimes/history of an extensive arid to semi-arid region of Western Australia for the last 40 years by studying temporal and spatial fire scar patterns using remote sensing in a Geographic Information System environment. Methods A fire history database was constructed, for the years 1973-2012 of an area of Western Australia between the Murchison and Minilya Rivers, of all bushfires greater than 1 ha that were visible from Landsat satellite imagery ranging from 30 – 60m ground resolution. The data was analysed to characterise a general bushfire regime for the region which included: mean and median size of fire scars; range and mean count of bushfire numbers; and the effect that land-systems, vegetation types/structures, land tenure and climate had on the bushfire regime. The 82 land-systems were grouped into 4 main land types and the 141 vegetation types were grouped into 7 vegetation groups and 7 vegetation structural groups. The percentages of areas burnt were calculated and a correlation coefficient was calculated between total area and total area burnt for each variable within the study area. Land tenure was divided into 3 types and two discrete areas in the northern study area were compared to determine if land tenure had an impact on fire regimes. To assess the effect climate had on the bushfire extent I calculated their correlation to both cumulative rainfall and mean maximum temperature. A generalised linear model was used to determine which climatic variables impacted on the bushfire regime. Results A total of 23.8% of the total study area burnt during the study period. The individual fire scars ranged from4000 km2. The frequency of fires ranged from 10-40+ years across the different vegetation types. The land type that burnt the most extensively in both the southern and northern study areas was Sandplains/coastal (southern — 16.6%; northern — 57%). The land type that burnt the least extensively in the southern study area was Alluvial/plains with eucalypts/claypans group (2.3%), and in the northern study area it was the Hills/mesas group (~1%). The Heathland vegetation (54%) burnt the most extensively in the southern study area and Hummock grassland (68%) in the northern. The northern study area had a greater variety of vegetation groups that burnt than the southern area (northern — 37; southern — 22). The Acacia Shrubland vegetation group contained the greatest number of fire fronts that stopped shortly after burning into this group. Only Shrub and Mallee structural groups burned in the southern study area (grass, tree, samphire shrub, chenopod shrub and bare did not burn); all structural groups except Mallee burnt in the northern study area. Two regions in the northern study area with structurally similar vegetation showed some differences in fire frequency when grazing activity by feral goats was restricted vs. unrestricted, though there was insufficient data for statistically relevant findings. The variables retained in the generalised linear models of fire extent were; rain in the previous two years to year of fire (positive relationship) and rain in the previous three years to fire (negative relationship) for the northern study area, and number of annual days over 35°C (positive relationship), rain in the year of fire (negative relationship) and rain in the three years prior to fire (positive relationship) in the southern study area. Conclusions Bushfire size distribution and frequency are comparable to other regimes in similar climates; however on average they tended to be larger. Infrequent, extensive (>4000 km2) bushfires can skew the statistics since the area burnt contributes to mean values to a greater degree as the individual fires get larger. Such large fires are strongly linked to 2 year antecedent above average rainfall episodes, especially in the northern study area and particularly when pluvial periods are followed by droughts and above-average temperatures. The extent of a bushfire is partially dependent on vegetation type and structure, and land-system. More research needs to be undertaken to see how much of an influence (if any) grazing practices leads to difference in bushfire regimes. Predicted future changes in climate may lead to more frequent and higher intensity bushfires in the study area. This research furthers the understanding of bushfire regimes in arid Western Australia. It also contributes to expanding current knowledge of bushfires in an arid Acacia shrubland ecosystem and it should improve predictions and management of bushfires in these extensive regions of Australia.

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Hill, Beth Emily. "Between bushfire and climate change: Uncertainty, silence and anticipation following the October 2013 fires in the Blue Mountains, Australia." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17762.

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Based on 18 months of ethnographic research in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, following the catastrophic October 2013 bushfires, this thesis investigates the local community response to this disaster as they rebuilt their destroyed homes and recovered. The ambiguity and disagreement surrounding the connection between climate change and the bushfires are analysed as a foundational aspect of how climate change was materialising for residents in daily life. Ambivalence, uncertainty, silence and contradiction characterised the public and private discourse about a heating world in this community. This thesis argues that people’s engagement with climate change is an unstable and iterative process in which local culture and context, in this instance the context of disaster, are of central importance. Local frontline workers avoided articulating the ontologically threatening prospect of climate change catastrophe by focusing on a more comprehensible narrative about the prevailing bushfire threat that could be addressed through existing preparedness measures. The lack of shared public narrative that connected local realities with global climate change meant that people continued to relate to it as an abstract and distant phenomenon, even as they confronted its effects in rising insurance premiums, changed building codes, and shifting bushfire seasons. This research contributes to the understanding of a contemporary Western cosmology, that is, to a particular self-world relationship that is implicated in the causes of climate change and that continues to inform local responses to environmental change in Australia. Additionally, this inquiry elucidates the fraught relationship between vulnerability and responsibility for suburban residents in an era of climate change.

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Penney, Greg Peter. "Wildfire suppression – an international analysis of operations, strategy and firefighter safety." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2020. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2349.

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Wildfire suppression remains an inherently dangerous yet increasingly frequent task for fire services throughout Australia and the world. Each year firefighters from career and volunteer agencies respond to wildfires that impact the urban interface. When such an event occurs during a period of intense fire behaviour the conditions are often incompatible with life for persons either caught in the open or those seeking refuge in a vehicle. In order to improve firefighter safety and operational effectiveness at the rural urban interface (RUI) during landscape scale wildfires, this dissertation serves to examine critical components of wildfire response, most notably wildfire suppression strategies and tactics applied during a landscape scale wildfire event and the procedures and protective systems utilised in the event of firefighter entrapment and burnover. The theme of the research is firefighter safety and suppression effectiveness during mega-wildfire response at the rural urban interface (RUI), also known as the wildland urban interface (WUI). Mega-wildfires are those landscape wildfires that overwhelm firefighting resources, typically generate their own localized weather systems, and require campaign style efforts lasting extended durations. Wildfire events including Margaret River (2011), and Yarloop (2016) in Western Australia, the devastating Californian and Greece wildfires (2018) and the unprecedented wildfires throughout eastern Australia in late 2019 / early 2020 meet this category. The RUI is the land where towns and cities exist alongside forest and other vegetation that supports the development of an established headfire with a quasi-steady rate of spread (RoS) across the landscape. In such instances, firefighters are called on to protect vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure from the ember storms, radiant heat and flames that accompany the head fire. In doing so, firefighters face great personal peril. If the incorrect suppression tactics or strategies are applied, or if wildfire behaviour suddenly changes, firefighter entrapment and burnover resulting in significant injury or fatality remains an all too common consequence. The studies not only quantify the severity of the conditions firefighters encounter when attempting to protect life, property and the environment at the RUI, but also find traditional wildfire suppression strategies and tactics at the RUI need to be reexamined. Whilst the field of wildfire engineering is in its infancy, the studies suggest its development and adoption into wildfire suppression operations has the potential to improve both operational effectiveness and firefighter safety.

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Dong, T. T. Trang. "Chemical composition and toxicity of emissions from burning five vegetation types of Western Australia under experimental combustion conditions." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2019. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2180.

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This study investigated the emission factors (EFs) for inorganic gases (CO2, CO, SO2, NO and NO2), carbonyls (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde and benzaldehyde), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) from laboratory-based fires of vegetation from five typical vegetation types of Western Australia. Species burnt were three grasslands (Spinifex represented by Triodia basedowii, Kimberley grass represented by Sehima nervosum and Heteropogon contortus, and an invasive grass represented by Ehrharta calycina (Veldt grass)), Banksia woodland and Jarrah forest under different combustion conditions. Chemical composition (water-soluble metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – PAHs) and in vitro toxicity of PM2.5 were also measured. Vegetation samples were burnt in a ceramic chamber in varying combustion conditions altered by controlling the vegetation moisture content (<10%, 12–16% and 20–25%) and the air flow rate (0, 1.25 and 2.94 m.s-1). Burns of woodland (Banksia) and forest (Jarrah) had significantly higher EFs for CO, SO2 and PM2.5 compared with those from grassland (Spinifex). Emissions of temperate grass (Veldt) fires were significantly different from those of the tropical grass (Spinifex and Kimberley grasses), with lower EFCO2 and higher EFs for CO, carbonyls and PM2.5. EFs for SO2, NO and NO2 were variable between different vegetation types, indicating variation in the nitrogen and sulphur content of the fuels. The EFs for most carbonyls were similar between most vegetation types, with the exception of Veldt grass. Functions which may be useful to predict emissions of infrequently measured carbonyls (acetaldehyde, acetone and propionaldehyde) from the EF for formaldehyde, a commonly measured and reported substance, were also proposed. Fifteen VOCs were identified in the smoke, but concentrations were too low to be quantified. Benzene, toluene, styrene and indene were the most frequently detected VOCs. Moisture content did not strongly influence the modified combustion efficiency (MCE) and EFs for gaseous pollutants, but significantly affected the EF for PM2.5 with higher emissions from burns of moister vegetation. Increasing the air flow rate significantly increased the emissions of most pollutants. However, combustion conditions did not strongly affect the PM2.5 chemical composition. The MCE, EFs for CO and CO2 results in this study were similar to values reported from field measurements for similar vegetation types in Australia, indicating the applicability of these laboratory-based results. Emission factors were different to the profiles generated from vegetation fires in other parts of the world. Toxicity of PM2.5 on human lung epithelial (A549) cells was assessed using cell viability and cytokine production measurements. Responses on cell viability were associated with K and Na concentrations in PM2.5, whilst the cytokine production of cells was more affected by the PM2.5-bound PAH, Al, Cu and Mn concentrations. Toxicity between vegetation types was different, which might be due to the differences in chemical composition of PM2.5. PM2.5 emitted from Jarrah burns appeared to have the highest toxicity on epithelial cells, followed by those from Banksia, Veldt grass and Spinifex. The findings of this study on toxicity of PM2.5 demonstrate the adverse impact on human health of particulate from bushfires and emphasise the importance of vegetation type on toxicological outcomes of bushfire-derived PM2.5. The EFs obtained in this study can be used in models to estimate the emissions from bushfires in Australia, particularly Western Australia. Results on toxicity of PM2.5 provide information for relevant government agencies to preliminarily evaluate the risk to human health, especially for firefighters and communities in close proximity to bushfire events.

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Ward, David Jefford. "People, fire, forest and water in Wungong: the landscape ecology of a West Australian water catchment." Thesis, Curtin University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2006.

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Bushfire is, in terms of human lives lost, property destroyed, and damage to natural systems, by far the most urgent environmental problem in Australia. This thesis tries to answer a number of questions about bushfire behaviour, history, effects, and management, in the Wungong Catchment of Western Australia. It does so by an overtly cross-disciplinary approach, involving a mixture of the three main streams of human knowledge, namely the humanities, natural science, and social science.First, I offer a literature review of several hundred books and papers drawn from the three main streams of knowledge mentioned above. The review includes some discussion of ‘bushfire epistemology’, a currently vague and neglected matter.The concept of ‘place’ is important to humans, so I then give a straightforward geographical description of Wungong Catchment, with some mention of the history of bushfire. To describe the vegetation, I use inductive statistics, and a method developed by me from the ideas of Delaunay (1929) and Dirichlet (1850). Given that there are hundreds of plant species within the catchment, I use a landscape approach, and only sketch the main tree species, and two iconic plants, the balga and the djiridji, both of which are important to the original custodians of the catchment, the Nyoongar people. There is discussion of other people’s research into the effect of bushfire on seed banks, and the flowering intervals of some plants of the jarrah forest.To see if Western Australia is anomalous, or fits into the worldwide pattern of humans using fire as a landscape management tool, I then examine some records of bushfire in other lands, including Africa, Madagascar, India, and Europe. The thesis then looks at the history of fire in the jarrah forest of Western Australia, based on observations by early European explorers and settlers from 1826 onward, the views of various foresters, and some opinions of current Nyoongar Elders.Using a mixture of natural science, applied mathematics, and archaeology, I give the results of cleaning the stems of those ancient plants called grasstrees, or balga (Xanthorrhoea spp.). These carry the marks of former bushfires, stretching back to 1750. They confirm historical reports of frequent fire in the jarrah forest, at 2-4 year intervals, and a recent decline in fire frequency. This contradicts the view, held by some, that European arrival increased the frequency of fire.As support for the balga findings, I present a simple mathematical model of self-organization in bushfire mosaics. It shows how lengthy bushfire exclusion can lead to disastrous situations, in which large areas of landscape become flammable and unstable. It shows how frequent, patchy burning can maintain a stable bushfire mosaic, with mild, beneficial fires. In the next chapter, I offer mathematical suggestions on how current unstable mosaics can be restabilized, by careful reintroduction of such burning.In dry, south-western Australia, water supply is an important topic, and a better understanding of the hydrological effects of bushfire may help with both bushfire and water management. I draw upon the natural science of forest hydrology, and the effects of fire in catchments. The evidence comes not only from Australia, but also from the United States, and South Africa.Turning to social science, I introduce Professor Peter Checkland’s ‘Soft Systems Methodology’, and suggest how it could be applied in resolving complicated conflict about bushfire management. I finish in legal style, with a summing up, and a verdict on the use of bushfire as a land management tool in Wungong Catchment, and possibly in other flammable landscapes.

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MPhale, Kgakgamatso M. "Radiowave propagation measurements and prediction in bushfires." Thesis, 2008. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/2028/1/01front.pdf.

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Australian vegetation is fire-prone. Every year, wet and dry sclerophyll forests of Western Australia, southeastern Australia and grassland ecosystems of the northern part of the continent are subject to high intensity fires. The sclerophyll vegetation contains up to 2.71 % of the element potassium. The element exists in plants’ organic matrix: attached to the oxygen containing and carboxyl functional groups; in aqueous form such as potassium (K+) ions surrounded by water; and as discrete particles in dried plant parts. Theoretically, temperature in the conflagrations can be as high as 2000ºC. During the high intensity bushfires, potassium atoms and salts are released from the plant structure as it crumbles into the combustion zone where the species are ionized. Up to 20 % of the potassium present in plants is ionized in a bushfire environment. During suppression of the threat, high frequency (HF) - ultra high frequency (UHF) radio communications systems are in constant use by suppression crews in firegrounds. Despite their use, HF and very high frequency (VHF) radio communications are reported to be failing in extreme bushfire conditions. The reports of radio communication failure tend to be anecdotal and therefore warrant an investigation. This study aims at carrying out field and laboratory radio wave attenuation and phase shift measurements at HF to X-band frequencies in moderate intensity fires. Very high intensity bushfires often spread very fast and change direction rapidly therefore it is unsafe to set up equipment for measuring attenuation and phase shift in the fires. Consequently, numerical experiments were used to study radio wave propagation in very high intensity fires. Propagation measurement data at radio wave (HF-VHF) frequencies through fire are scarce and that which is available lacks precision. It is also the purpose of the study to produce attenuation and phase measurement data at these frequencies. The field and laboratory measurements were carried out using a Radio Wave Interferometer (RWI) and Vector Network Analyzer (VNA - HP 8277C). RWI uses the same principles as Microwave interferometer (MWI) except that RWI works at radio frequencies. Electron density and momentum transfer collision frequency in moderate intensity bushfire plumes were estimated from the attenuation and phase shift measurements. Laboratory and field measurements using a VNA - HP 8277C and RWI respectively in moderate intensity fires (700-1000 K) have revealed that electron density in the plume could range from 1014-1016 m-3. Theoretical calculations based on local thermal equilibrium in grassfires flames with temperatures up to 1200 K suggest that electron density could be up to 1017 m-3 if up to 20 % of the inherent potassium atoms are ionized. There are at least two possible mechanisms that could lead to a significant signal strength reduction (attenuation) in bushfire environments. They are signal refraction due to thermal bubble and ionization-induced signal absorption in the plume. Electrons, which result from thermal ionization of potassium in the fire, transfer energy from the incident radio wave to the fire plume through collision with inherent neutral particles. The transfer of energy can significantly attenuate and induce a phase shift on radio wave signals. Experimental work carried out in the project suggest that radio wave attenuation is significantly higher at UHF and X-Band frequencies than at HF. Field radio wave propagation measurements at 1.50 m above the seat of a moderate intensity grassfire revealed that 30 MHz signals can be attenuated by up to 0.03 dB/m while 151.3 MHz signals were attenuated by up to 0.05 dB/m. An intense cane fire attenuated 151.3 MHz signals by 0.05 dB/m. The attenuation effect was observed to increase when X-band (10.0 -12.5 GHz) signals were considered. Attenuation coefficients up to 4.45 dB/m were measured. Phase shift induced on the signals was also observed to increase with the increase in frequency band (low for HF and high for X-band). A 30 MHz signal suffered a 3.08º phase shift in the moderate intensity grassfire whereas in the X-band frequencies, a phase shift of up to 29.31º was observed in a fire of about the same intensity. Numerical experiments have shown that signal loss due to refraction is frequency dependent in very hot regions of bushfire plumes. X-band waves are more affected than VHF waves. Numerical experiments predicted maximum attenuation coefficients of 0.11 dBm-1 for 150 MHz and 0.31 dBm-1 for 3 GHz radio waves when they propagate about a meter above fuel-flame interface of a 90 MWm-1 bushfire with fuel potassium content of 0.50 %. Theoretical studies also revealed that; for potassium content of about 0.20 %, a collimated beam of radio signals (10 cm wide) propagating at grazing angles to the fuel-flame interface of a very high intensity bushfire (1600 K) could suffer attenuation coefficients of about 1.45 dBm-1. This effect is calculated to decrease with the increase in height above the combustion zone. For very high intensity bushfires in fuels with high potassium content (e.g., up to 3.00 %), attenuation by refraction is likely to be the most significant form of radio wave energy loss for collimated beams propagating at grazing angles to the fuel-flame interface. The Line-Of-Sight (LOS) radio wave propagation measurements in moderate intensity vegetation fires (700-1000 K) have shown that signal attenuation is plume temperature and frequency dependent. Transmission through hottest region of the fire (combustion zone) suffers significant signal strength loss whereas low attenuation has been observed at cooler regions of the plume. This could be explained by the fact that “collisional plasma effect” on radio waves is more pronounced at combustion zone than at the thermal plume region of the fire as the effect is temperature dependent. Bcontinent with a potential combustion zone temperature of 2000ºC. These bushfires have a potential to adversely affect LOS radio wave communications when transmission is through the hottest part of the fire. It must be noted that radio wave communication blackout could even occur at temperatures as low as 1300 K provided that the fire is sufficiently ionized.

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Towers, BC. "Children's knowledge of vulnerability and resilience to bushfires." Thesis, 2012. https://eprints.utas.edu.au/14807/10/Towers_whole_thesis.pdf.

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Following the Black Saturday bushfire disaster in 2009, the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission strongly recommended that bushfire education be incorporated in the national school curriculum. This recommendation, and its adoption by state governments around Australia, represents a unique opportunity to address the long neglected area of bushfire education for children. However, an extensive literature argues that the success of any hazards education program depends on the degree to which it accommodates the existing knowledge and perspectives of the learner. Yet, to date, there has been no research on children’s knowledge of bushfire hazards and disasters or the actions that can be taken to mitigate or prevent their impacts. To address this research gap, this thesis presents a detailed analysis and theoretical rendering of children’s knowledge of bushfire hazards in south-eastern Australia, as studied from children’s own perspectives. A constructivist grounded theory methodology and childcentred qualitative research techniques, such as focus groups, drawing and puppet play, were employed to examine children’s knowledge of the conditions and processes that cause bushfire hazards and disasters and the conditions and processes that mitigate or prevent them. The role of environmental and socio-cultural context in the development of children’s hazards knowledge was also examined in-depth. The analyses of children’s knowledge and perspectives culminated in the development of a substantive grounded theory titled Seeking Adaptation. The theory is comprised of three major components: the problem of perceiving vulnerability; the process of building resilience; and a set of contextual and modifying conditions which include direct experience with fire, the school, the family, and the research process itself. The theory of Seeking Adaptation identifies children as active participants in bushfire management who have the potential to make substantial contributions to household and community resilience. However, capitalising on this potential will require education programs that accommodate their perspectives and provide ample opportunities for genuine and purposeful engagement with the physical and social world.

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Shearer, Ashleigh. "Child Protection Employees observations of Foster Children s experiences of loss following Bushfires." Thesis, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/131287.

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This item is only available electronically.
Due to the common occurrence of bushfires in Australia, research has previously been conducted on this natural disaster and its long term consequences on individuals, families and communities. Children are particularly vulnerable and can experi ence side effects such as depression, anxiety and self destructive behaviours. Despite there being a large existing body of research on the consequences of this natural disaster, research has not been conducted on foster children and their experiences of l oss following bushfires. Foster children are not exempt from the adverse side effects of bushfires and may be at an added risk for psychological distress due to their previous experiences of trauma. This growing and vulnerable population should be represented in the literature. The present study aimed to explore the views of Child Protection employees on foster children s experiences of loss following bushfires. An interview guide was developed and the observations of seven Child Protection employees were obtained. Participants were questioned about foster children s behaviour and mental health during the evacuation and re covery periods of the 2019 Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island Bushfires. A thematic analysis was used to generate six themes from the data, which were organisation concern for loved ones and irreplaceable possessions sense of adventure re living the bushfire event anxiety and resilience'. The results suggest that whilst foster children did exhibit concern and some symptom s of anxiety, overall they demonstrated resilience and benefited from their carers organisation. The findings may have implications on the procedures undertaken by Child Protection agencies following bushfires.
Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2020

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Fudge, Anthea Leigh. "Analysis and amelioration of smoke taint in wine." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/100716.

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The occurrence of smoke taint in wine is of worldwide concern for grape growers, winemakers and the wine industry. An improved understanding of the impact of bushfire smoke on grapes and wine is important to enable industry to overcome this challenge. Smoke taint occurs when vineyards are exposed to smoke from bushfires or prescribed bums and can result in wine which exhibits undesirable smoky and ashy aromas and flavours. The prior research summarised in Chapter 1 addresses many of the early knowledge gaps concerning the impact of smoke on grape and wine quality such as: the composition of smoke taint, including identification of several of the volatile compounds involved, and the complex sensory properties imparted to wine that cause the detrimental effects to wine quality. However, these studies do not offer industry many practical solutions to mitigate the incidence or severity of smoke taint. This research reported in Chapter 2 describes several methods for ameliorating smoke taint in wine; i.e. the efficacy of (i) reverse osmosis (RO) and solid phase adsorption, and (ii) commercial fining agents, as treatments for smoke tainted wine. The ability of these methods to reduce the perception of smoke-related sensory attributes and concentrations of smoke-derived volatile phenols are described in two papers, which form the basis for this chapter on the amelioration of smoke taint in wine. The studies reported in Chapter 3 describe the use of spectroscopy as a rapid analytical method for screening wines for smoke taint. The capability of spectroscopic techniques, in combination with chemometrics, to be used for the classification and discrimination of wine are also introduced. The need for rapid detection of smoke taint in grapes and wines was identified as a priority for industry following the demand for analysis of grapes and wine after a fire event. Winemakers operate under considerable time and resource constraints during vintage, thus rapid determinations of fruit quality, including the assessment of smoke exposure by fruit, are required. A predictive method employing mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy was developed by scanning control and smoke-affected wines, and applying multivariate data analysis techniques to the resulting data, to generate a calibration model for the classification of smoke tainted wines. Two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) was also investigated as a novel method for characterising smoke taint in wines. Again, two papers are presented as the basis for a chapter concerning the spectroscopic analysis of smoke taint in wine.
Thesis (Ph.D.) (Research by Publication) -- University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2015.

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McFarlane, Alexander Cowell. "The psychiatric sequelae of a natural disaster : the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires / Alexander Cowell McFarlane." 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/38364.

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Typescript (Photocopy)
Includes bibliographies
3 v. ;
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Thesis (M.D.)--Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, 1990

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37

Douglas, Grahame. "Property protection from extreme bushfire events under the influence of climate change." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:36944.

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Natural disasters give rise to loss of life, property (including homes, industry and livelihood) and environmental values and may be increasing with the impacts of climate change. Bushfires are a natural part of the Australian landscape and the ecology of the range of biota found within the various landscapes. They pose significant risks to people and property and require increasing demands for management in the face of these risks. Bushfires (also known as wildland fires) can be highly complex both spatially and temporally within the landscape. Attempts to better explain such events has given rise to a range of fire behaviour models to quantify fire characteristics such as rate of spread, fire line intensity, flame heights and spotting distances. However, there is a need to develop clear criteria when applying these models in land use planning and construction practice for bushfire protection. In Australia, a number of empirical models have been developed to quantify bushfire behaviour. These models have limitations, both in their application and in their capacity to draw upon data with which to utilise them. Two such models are used in the current study, being the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Meter (Mark 5) and the more recent Dry Eucalypt Forest Fire Model, and both have been used to develop design bushfire(dimensions and characteristics of a bushfire in a regional setting) conditions for the state of New South Wales (NSW). These models use different input parameters, as well as different intermediate parameters to describe fire behaviour. In addition, the study utilises and extends the forest fire danger index (FFDI) andKeetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) data to all 21 NSW fire weather districts. It also provides a new database for daily fuel moisture content (FMC). By using case studies that show 'validation' of methodological approaches, it can be confirmed that suitable extreme value assessment statistical techniques can be applied to the outputs of the identified models for the purposes of determining design bushfires. The study also seeks to give greater understanding of the frequency and shifts in the seasonality of fire weather, and changes in bushfire severity as consequences of climate change. A technique of generalised extreme value analysis based on moving data window to detect the impact of climate change on recurrence values of various indices has been developed. The evaluation of trends in fire weather through various metrics for FFDI, FMC and KBDI have revealed that a number of districts in NSW exhibit pronounced shifts at the extreme arising from climate change. However, the role of the El Nino Southern Oscillation does not appear to play a major role in these shifts over the long term. The current investigations have provided significant improvements on previous investigations such as improved datasets providing wider representation of all the NSW fire weather districts and covering a longer period of time; the use of new metrics, including the use of the GEV assessment through a moving period approach; the metrics being applied to fire weather parameters other than FFDI; and, trends in fire weather parameters being considered in conjunction with other global factors. The methodology and the technique developed in the current study have the potential to be utilised in many parts of the world for the development of design conditions and to study the impact of the climate change on the local fire weather conditions.

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Eftekharian, Esmaeel. "Investigation of buoyant plume wind enhancement." Thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:58465.

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Bushfires are a natural disaster that has a devasting effect on nature and mankind. The vulnerability of buildings to bushfires has caused enormous loss of property and in extreme conditions, loss of life. It is well known that bushfires invade building structures via three mechanisms, namely embers, thermal radiation, and flame contact. Based on recent bushfire field surveys and numerical simulations, bushfire enhanced wind has also been identified to be a major contributor to building damage. Wind enhancement by bushfires can have a destructive impact on buildings arising from the increasing pressure load on structures downstream of the bushfire front as well as the increasing velocity of embers carried by wind during bushfire attacks. However, the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are not yet fully understood. This study aims to (1) fundamentally understand the interaction of longitudinal wind velocity with vertical buoyant plume that leads to enhancement of wind velocity downstream of the buoyant source; (2) quantify the effects of fire intensity, wind velocity, terrain slope, and different fire sources on wind enhancement by fire; and (3) develop correlations between the enhanced wind flow characteristics and these contributing factors. This study used FireFOAM, an open-source computational fluid dynamics solver, to numerically solve thermo-fluid governing equations based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES). A module has been developed and implemented within the FireFOAM solver to compute and extract the identified parameters to help explain the phenomenon of wind enhancement by fire. To determine the effects of each contributing factor, the stepwise method in which one parameter is subjected to change while the others are maintained constant was used. The numerical model was validated against two sets of experimental data, namely, a buoyant diffusion fire plume in still air and a buoyant diffusion fire plume in cross-wind conditions. The reliability of the FireFOAM LES was checked by LES uncertainty analysis which includes the resolved fraction of the kinetic energy of turbulence, the ratio of the grid spacing to the Kolmogorov scale, and turbulent spectra at characteristic locations. The numerical analysis commenced with simulation of the interaction of wind and a dimensionally finite source of fire, called a point source fire. Results revealed that when wind interacts with fire, a longitudinal negative pressure gradient is generated within the fire plume region downstream of the fire source where the flow density is lower than that of ambient condition. This fire-induced pressure gradient causes flow acceleration and consequently results in enhancement of wind in longitudinal direction (parallel to the wind direction). The results generated in this thesis substantiated that this generation of the fire-induced pressure gradient is the main reason why wind enhancement occurs during fire-wind interaction. It was also found that with the increase of fire intensity corresponding to the fire heat release rate per unit area for a point source fire, the fire-induced pressure gradient and consequently wind enhancement increases. In addition to the impacts of fire intensity, the effects of free-stream wind velocity on the enhancement of wind by fire were also studied. To this end, a number of simulations were performed under constant point source fire intensity but different free-stream wind velocities. An appropriate normalization approach was developed based on the free-stream dynamic pressure. Consequently, the fire-induced pressure gradient was normalized to describe the effects of free-stream wind velocity on wind enhancement by fire. Results showed that with an increase of free-stream wind velocity under constant fire intensity, the normalized fire-induced pressure gradient decreases, which causes a comparative reduction in wind enhancement by fire. The effect of fire source configuration on wind enhancement by fire is another parameter studied in this thesis. The width of the bushfire front can be assumed as infinite and as such, can be treated as a line fire source. Hence the computational domain approximates a truncated section of an infinitely wide bushfire front. A study was carried out to compare wind enhancements by fires of point and line sources. Simulations were performed under the same free-stream wind velocity and fire heat release rate per unit area for both line and point source fires. It was found that the longitudinal fire-induced pressure force induced by a line fire source is much greater, hence resulting in a stronger wind enhancement, than a point source. Vertical flow distribution analysis was also performed for the two simulated cases. The results reveal that in contrast to the longitudinal flow enhancement, vertical flow enhancement by a point fire source is higher than that for a line fire source. This finding is attributed to the more intensified vertical fire-induced pressure gradient and buoyancy forces in the point source configuration than the line source case. Developing correlations for wind enhancement by fire based on the main contributing factors corresponding to fire intensity and wind velocity is one of the main practical findings of this research study. In this regard, a series of simulations with different combinations of free-stream wind velocity and line fire intensity was performed to develop correlations for wind enhancement. Two relevant non-dimensional groups, namely, Froude number and normalized fire intensity, were utilized to respectively quantify the impacts of free-stream wind velocity and fire intensity on wind enhancement. A correlation was developed to determine the maximum wind enhancement and the corresponding location as a function of Froude number and normalized fire intensity. Furthermore, the concept of wind enhancement plume line was defined as a line along which the local wind enhancement occurs at a given longitudinal location downstream of the fire source. A correlation was also developed for this case. It was also found that after wind hits the maximum value at a certain location downstream of the fire source, it undergoes a gradual decay along the wind enhancement plume line for which a correlation was also developed as a function of normalized longitudinal direction. In this thesis, the effect of terrain slope on wind enhancement caused by a line source fire has been presented. A number of simulation scenarios were performed for practical values of terrain upslope and downslope. It was observed that upslope terrain intensifies wind enhancement whereas downslope terrain reduces wind enhancement. The simulation results revealed that in upslope terrain cases, the buoyancy force component parallel to the sloped surface amplifies the fire-induced pressure force and consequently intensifies wind flow. However, in the downslope cases, the component of buoyancy parallel to the sloped surface opposes the wind flow and consequently mitigates the wind velocity. It was also found that a steeper gradient in upslope and downslope terrain respectively causes an increase and a reduction in wind enhancement by fire. In summary, this research provides a fundamental explanation for enhancement of horizontal wind with a vertical buoyant plume by the development of a theoretical framework based on fire-induced force and acceleration analysis. The developed fire-induced force analysis and acceleration theory were employed and the effects of wind velocity, fire intensity, fire-source configuration, and terrain slope on the enhanced wind by fire were studied. Trends between the studied contributing factors were analyzed and correlations were developed for fire-wind enhancement flow characteristics.

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Westcott, Rachel. "Advancing public health in the context of natural hazards : normalising preparedness within a framework of adapted protection motivation theory." Thesis, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:49051.

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This research sought to discover and recommend proactive strategies to strengthen and improve human safety and well-being in a changing climate of natural hazards. This thesis documents the rationale, process and outcomes of that research. People’s ability to navigate their daily lives within an environment of worsening natural hazards is an adaptive public health and safety priority - given the predicted global increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events. There is an urgent need to strengthen and normalise people’s preparedness behaviour, and to connect it with an unequivocal understanding of the benefits of such changes. Enhancing people's adaptive responses will help to avoid, or at least minimise, associated human trauma and tragedy. That is the aim of this research. Achieving positive, adaptive change requires proactive medium to longer term public policy planning and implementation of strategies leading to considered, appropriate response choices and desired protective behaviour as social norms. Demands upon individuals, families, communities and workplaces are high in the complexity of 21st century life: adapting to narrow the bushfire (or other natural hazard) awareness-preparedness gap – to become fire-fit – requires a re-ordering of priorities so that fire-fitness becomes a societal-wide, integrated routine – as routine as buying groceries or fuelling a car. This predominantly pragmatic qualitative research used the socio-cognitive Protection Motivation Theory (described by Rogers in 1975) in the context of bushfire natural hazards with the ultimate aim of reducing human morbidity and mortality, and concurrently promoting positive physical and psychological capacity. The study considered data across and within two demographic groups – emergency responders and the owners of any kind and any number of animals. It sought to 1. determine and discover how casualties to life, property and the environment, including the physical and psychological health of people, their microclimates and livelihoods, can be reduced and minimised while building a culture of preparedness as an integral part of daily life, and 2. help negate wider perceptions of preparedness as a difficult, time-consuming task which although on nearly everyone’s ‘to do’ list is frequently not prioritised. The major qualitative phase (phase 1) was followed by a minor quantitative phase (phase 2) in the form of a pilot survey (discussed in Chapter 7) that investigated farmers’ bushfire experiences and management strategies. The pilot survey was conducted with a view to determining topics requiring further research, as well as identifying knowledge and learning translatable to novice landowners. This thesis is presented as a series of six papers – four published (P1-P4), two submitted (SP1, SP2). Each paper addresses particular research questions, noted in the box at the beginning of each chapter, and each published paper is followed by a connecting narrative designed to convey the momentum, flow and logic of the research progression. The order of the papers presented in the thesis follows the chronology of the research. Paper 1 critically explores the literature and investigates Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) as a framework. Paper 2 provides an overview of the qualitative data and identifies the focus for the next stage of analysis. Paper 3 discusses public policy and leads in to Paper 4 which proposes a number of innovative and practical strategies to help improve fire-fitness for individuals and across communities. The following two papers supplement and complement the four published papers. SP1 contains more detail concerning public policy initiatives. SP2 is essentially P1 in practice and demonstrates how PMT can be usefully applied to achieve the aim of the research - to reduce human morbidity and mortality in natural hazard events. Thus, the reader is encouraged to read SP1 following P3, and SP2 following P4. Readers’ attention is drawn particularly to the Results, Interpretative Analysis and Discussion sections in SP1 and SP2, where additional information on policy and how PMT was expanded and applied may be found. Journal selection for the published papers was actively – and flexibly - considered from the beginning of the project with the selection of suitable journals narrowing as the focus of the research itself became more specific. Table 1, Journal selection and chronology of publication, details this process. The research results indicate desired outcomes are indeed achievable by engaging a bold, innovative willingness to move beyond standard conservatism in the sector, and demonstrating a commitment to trial and evaluate recommendations. The wellbeing and safety of people in natural hazards is increasingly a public health issue. This thesis proposes proactive initiatives that affirmatively and assertively respond to meeting the parallel escalation of the inherent danger of natural hazards in a changing climate without alienating public sentiment. It also identifies the need for further research to fill a gaping omission in the literature regarding cropland fires - with respect to crop types and placement, how different crops ‘carry’ a fire, and if firebreaks can be better utilised as a fire management tool. A summary of the strategies developed from the results of this research is presented in Table 4, Strategies to help achieve fire-fitness. These are described in more detail in papers P3, P4, SP1 and SP2. In reconstructing the ‘costs’ and ‘rewards’ described in an expanded Protection Motivation Theory to favour an overall net gain, and by providing ways to establish fire-fitness as a desirable and attainable social norm, this research makes a practical and timely contribution to future public policy decision-making in the global ‘new reality’ of natural hazards.

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Kotzur, Ivan. "Remotely sensing primary production recovery following bushfire." Thesis, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/262029.

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Vegetation growth is the key process driving landscape dynamics and carbon flux. Fire disturbs gross primary productivity to varying degrees depending on fire effects and the ability of the landscape to absorb these. Simple remote sensing diagnosis can build a description of vegetation growth considering physiological drivers from the top down, which are related to fire disturbance through time. Analysis of these disturbances in terms of ecosystem processes at landscape scales are not common. This method used here produces results showing a near constant relationship between fire severity and vegetation type, and time to GPP recovery in a semi-arid shrub landscape. Other landscapes with structurally complex vegetation show a range of GPP values and recovery trajectories with time after fire. The balance of radiation and conductance model components’ response to fire disturbance needs to be analysed further. The work here highlights the opportunities in remote sensing available to analysis of landscape disturbance and the potential for integrating such fluctuation into landscape models

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Sullivan, Andrew. "Competitive Thermokinetics and Non-linear Bushfire Behaviour." Phd thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/49411.

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The prediction of the behaviour and spread of bushfires has always been fraught with a large number of unknowns,not the least of which has been the seemingly capricious nature of fire itself. Operational bushfire prediction systems, developed as they are using empirical methods, aim to predict the long-term mean spread of a bushfire based on its steady-state behaviour....

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Frandsen, M. "Promoting community bushfire preparedness: Bridging the theory – practice divide." Thesis, 2012. https://eprints.utas.edu.au/15309/1/front-frandsen.pdf.

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The present study adopts a mixed-methods action research approach to examine the validity of a model developed to predict adoption of bushfire preparedness measures, and to subsequently apply the motivational factors found in this model to develop more effective and sustainable community bushfire preparedness initiatives. The research focuses on how individual, social, and societal factors interact to influence the adoption of protective measures against bushfire hazards. The premise upon which the Social Attachment Model of Bushfire Preparedness (Model) is based argues that it is not perception of threat or information per se that determines action, but rather how residents interpret this in the context of experiences, beliefs, and expectations that are developed and enacted in their social environment. These influential social processes were thus integrated into the development and implementation of a fire agency community bushfire preparedness pilot. The goal of this pilot was to increase the adoption and sustainment of community bushfire preparedness behaviour. The first component of the present study was therefore to develop and test the theoretical Model of bushfire preparedness to assess the underlying individual, social, and societal influences of preparing for bushfires. Data for this analysis were collected from questionnaires delivered to participants living in four bushfire risk areas in Tasmania, Australia (Bagdad, Binalong Bay, Fern Tree, and Snug). Findings demonstrated that individual, community, and agency components of the Model interact to influence residents’ decisions to adopt bushfire mitigation strategies. The second component of the study utilised qualitative data obtained from telephone interviews with a sample of 34 residents living in the four target areas. Thematic analysis was used to elicit further insight into residents’ bushfire preparedness decision making processes. These data were also used to validate the Model with major findings including the significant influence of place attachment and responsibility on residents’ decisions to prepare for bushfire. The third component of the study involved the application of the Model to inform the development and implementation of a community bushfire preparedness program. The collaboration of the researcher with the Tasmania Fire Service’s Community Development Officer, and the trialling of the Bushfire Ready Communities Tasmania Pilot (Pilot), provided an opportunity to conduct action research to determine how the Model findings could be practically applied to a bushfire preparedness promoting community initiative. This action research therefore bridges the theory-practice divide that commonly plagues hazards research. The efficacy of the Pilot, and the value of the applied model findings, was evaluated by collecting data from feedback surveys, focus groups, and interviews with participating residents. Longitudinal qualitative data obtained from re-interviewing the original 34 participants following their participation (or not) in the Pilot activities, provided data on the long-term benefits and sustainability of its initiatives. The findings indicate that developing community bushfire preparedness programs based on community engagement and empowerment principles results in more effective, sustainable, and economical ways of delivering preparedness education to communities. By utilising a community engagement approach, residents were more receptive of bushfire protective information and more likely to adopt these measures as information provided was more specific and contextualised, and communicated in a manner eliciting ‘shared responsibility’. Overall, the findings indicate that the conceptual Social Attachment Model of Bushfire Preparedness can be successfully applied to develop and implement more effective community bushfire preparedness initiatives. These findings have important implications for emergency management agencies who wish to employ more effective community engagement strategies, and for communities themselves who aspire to increase the collective bushfire preparedness of their communities. The thesis concludes with the caveat that for positive outcomes of these community engagement programs to be realised, fire agencies need to first realise the potential of community engagement principles to foster community bushfire preparedness, ensure that these messages filter down to their volunteer fire brigades (who represent the front line of this ‘dual process community engagement approach’), and provide support and training to the volunteer fire fighters to ensure that the effective implementation and sustainment of these initiatives are achieved. If these feats are realised, community bushfire preparedness, fostered through the reciprocal and complementary relationship between the community and the fire agency, will ensure that these measures are sustained and resilience to future hazards promoted.

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Prior, TD. "Householder bushfire preparation : decision-making and the implications for risk communication." Thesis, 2010. https://eprints.utas.edu.au/10756/2/prior-whole.pdf.

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In order to minimise the impact of bushfire hazard consequences on the Australian community it is important to promote protective behaviours among those members of society living in at-risk locations. The adoption of protective behaviours is a core component of contemporary bushfire risk management, and is known to increase the capacity of individuals to maintain or regain prior levels of functioning following significant hazard activity. However, although considerable effort has been directed towards encouraging preparedness for bushfires in Australia, this effort has largely been unrewarded, and levels of household preparation remain low. In particular, research examining a broad range of hazards has demonstrated that neither susceptibility to a hazard and perception of risk, nor providing information about a hazard or its consequences results in a significant increase in preparation. These discontinuities point to the influence of additional motivational and interpretive (social-environmental) factors in the preparation decision, and suggest a need to move beyond examinations of the antecedents of behaviour to an exploration of the cognitive processes that bring about behaviour change. This thesis examines the decision cues that influence individual socio-cognitive processing in the decision to prepare for bushfires. Information about people’s attitudes to bushfires and bushfire preparation was obtained using 36 in-depth telephone interviews in January 2006 and between March and April 2007. Grounded theory was used to build a substantive model of bushfire preparedness decisionmaking. Surveys were distributed (2006/07 and 2007/08) systematically to houses within 100 metres of the bushland fringe in suburbs identified as being at risk from bushfire with assistance from local fire agencies. Quantitative data were used to validate and test the suitability of the substantive model developed from the interview data using confirmatory Structural Equation Modelling. Results confirmed that levels of bushfire preparedness are generally low. Several cues influenced the decision to prepare, including outcome expectancy, sense of community, preparation inhibitors, collective problem solving and intentions to prepare. The substantive model of bushfire preparedness decision-making was successfully validated and tested with data from Hobart, but a poorer model fit was observed with data collected from Sydney. Modelling the decision cues shows that individuals living in high bushfire risk areas are making a clear distinction between the decision to prepare and the decision not to prepare for bushfire, but the relative importance of the decision cues vary between communities and over time. The decision not to prepare was primarily driven by negative outcome expectancy. Positive outcome expectancy leads to strong beliefs in the value of making bushfire preparations. The results confirmed earlier observations that traditional risk communication techniques have proved ineffective and provide a framework for the development of alternative approaches to bushfire risk communication. Because preparing and not preparing are relatively discrete processes, and because important decision cues are likely to vary between communities and over time (e.g. sense of community and collective problem solving), bushfire risk communication strategies must seek to accommodate this variability. The data indicate that bushfire risk communication should utilise both information provision and community engagement processes. The results support the conclusion that the adoption of these approaches will increase the likelihood that community members will take responsibility for their collective preparedness, recognise and implement the salient actions outlined in the bushfire risk communication message, and increase the level of trust in the sources of risk communication messages and the agencies that deliver them.

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Balcombe, Luke John. "Perceptions of preparedness for bushfire: a case study of Tamborine Mountain." Thesis, 2006. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/2043/1/01front.pdf.

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The research explored perceptions of preparedness for bushfire-related matters at the rural-urban community of Tamborine Mountain. A literature review expressed the need for changes in bushfire mitigation/management as a result of the need for increased self-reliance. The social construction of risk methodology was applied to a multi-method case study to derive and deliver an analysis of agreements and differences in the perceptions/expectations of fire services and the community (see results below). How the fire services’ and the community’s perceptions/expectations agreed: 1. There are varied degrees of perception regarding bushfire risk. 2. Experience with fire appears to be related to awareness of associated risks. 3. Risk awareness does not appear to be related to recent Australian bushfire events. 4. The overall view was that fire breaks are a necessary fire management initiative. 5. The local bushfire season was perceived to be from early spring to summer. 6. There is a need for Bushfire Management Plans to be effectively implemented. How the fire services’ and the community’s perceptions/expectations differed: Fire services’ perspective: 1. Most people in the community would rely on fire services to respond in the event of a fire. 2. Most people are unaware of the bushfire risk. 3. The public expects things to be done for them. 4. Controlled burns are not wanted by the public. 5. Provision of advice is possible but can not tell residents they need to take action. Community’s perspective: 1. At least half of survey respondents reported they would not rely on help from fire services in the event of a fire. 2. Most people reported being aware of the bushfire risk but have other priorities in their life that take precedence. 3. The survey results indicated that individual householders see themselves as the most responsible for personal and home safety. 4. Respondents supported controlled burns as long as they are carefully done. 5. Respondents reported feeling frustrated that specific advice is not provided. Bushfire-related matters that need further resolution: Also important for the basis of discussion are some bushfire-related matters that need further resolution. These matters are separate from how the perceptions/expectations agreed and differed because they were solely from either the fire services’ or the community’s perspective (as represented below). Bushfire-related matters identified through interviews with the fire services: 1. Fire services perceive there is confusion within the community about the roles of urban and rural fire brigades. 2. Fire services want to improve their capacity to convert data and information relevant to bushfire mitigation and management into knowledge to guide decisions. 3. Fire services were interested in how they can inform the public of the need for preparation against the risk of bushfire without sensationalising the topic. 4. Fire services see that it is necessary to find ways of improving the community’s participation in bushfire mitigation and management. Bushfire-related matters that arose from the community survey and community group interviews: 1. Community groups seek operation of optimum controlled burn return intervals. 2. Research data indicated a high proportion of retired people in the community. Strategies need to be developed to effectively engage such resources of time and knowledge. 3. Survey respondents indicated that they are not confident in the costs of protecting property against fire and bushfire safety aspects to do or use if the need arose. 4. A wide range of media was identified as being the preferred way of receiving information, direct engagement with fire services was the least preferred. Survey and interview results were interpreted into the key research findings (as presented on this and the previous page) and were used as the basis of discussion. The research findings were distilled into patterns of language and further summarised into a common language so that they could be compared and combined with similar research such as the findings and recommendations of State and Federal Governments of Australia. A common language related to preparedness for bushfire has the potential for fire services, Governments and communities to move forward with bushfire community education efforts. The research findings indicated that the community’s preparedness for bushfire was especially associated with the topics of risk perception, experience of fire, confidence in bushfire safety aspects and responsibility for life/property protection and less associated with controlled burning acceptance, impact of educational efforts and cost/effort required. The research explored contemporary bushfire issues in an at-risk-from-bushfire Australian rural-urban locality adjacent to and mixed amongst protected areas. The term “marginalised” can be used to describe the landscape of some places partly as a result of the effects of bushfire. Some people are “marginalised” because of how their perceptions/situation regarding bushfire-related matters shape their behaviours and attitudes towards preparedness for bushfire. This finding is of particular concern to fire services throughout Australia as are expanding rural-urban interface areas, difficulties in impacting upon targeted areas for community education and the possible increase in the incidence of adverse weather conditions. The current situation is that citizens need to be aware of their exposure to hazardous conditions, and share responsibility for the mitigation of bushfires. The research provides the relevant information to understand preparedness for bushfire issues from the local fire services’ and an at-risk-from-bushfire rural-urban community’s perspectives. Where there is agreement between fire services and the community, investment in communication is about reinforcing shared perceptions/ expectations. The differences in perceptions/expectations highlight those areas that need particular attention by fire services and communities alike. It was an important priority for the research to effectively capture certain locals’ perspectives, especially those with fire experience so that such invaluable knowledge is recorded. The case study illustrated a snapshot of a rural-urban community with bushfire-related matters as a medium to communicate that. This thesis provided an unbiased account of stakeholder perspectives with an emphasis upon recognition of the different constructions of bushfire risk within a community as a part of the transition towards increased self-sufficiency for bushfire preparations and shared responsibility for the protection of life and property.

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O'Donnell, Megan. "Effects of bushfire exposure on prenatal and early life development in humans: a life history perspective." Phd thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/132117.

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Taking a life history theory perspective, this dissertation considers the effects of bushfire related stress on a suite of human reproductive outcomes. Life history theory suggests that human reproduction is responsive to environmental pressure and that this responsiveness can be detected via changes to reproductive strategy, such as degree of maternal investment. Using multivariate analysis, this dissertation examines the effects of maternal fire exposure in two populations on gestational age, birth weight, secondary sex ratio, plurality rates, fertility rates, and behavioural indicators. It hypothesises that decreases will be observed in those measures that indicate degree of maternal investment, such as birth weight, gestational age, and plurality, as well as predicting decreases in sex ratio associated with differential loss in early pregnancy. It suggests that behavioural indicators will worsen as sequela of in utero stress. Using a mixed-methods approach, the dissertation also documents the experience of mothers who have lived through bushfires while pregnant, hypothesising that they will have experienced considerable subjective and objective stress. The dissertation finds that reproductive responses vary considerably between the populations studied and potentially in relation to the intensity of fire exposure. Contrary to the hypothesis, it finds that birth weights increased in the population exposed to a smaller fire (the 2003 Canberra fire), while remaining unchanged in the population exposed to a larger fire (Black Saturday fire, Victoria, 2009). However, the reverse was true of secondary sex ratio, which decreased in the population exposed to the Black Saturday fire, while remaining unchanged in the Canberra population. Gestational age was unaffected in both cases. Behavioural indicators and fertility rates were largely unaffected by fire exposure, although they both appeared sensitive to other environmental factors. Mothers in both fires reported feeling stressed, although mothers exposed to the Black Saturday fire reported higher perceived and objective stress. Mothers in both fires reported that public support and information were, at times, insufficient. Taken together, the findings indicate the functioning of finely tuned evolutionary mechanisms that adjust to environmental conditions only where a threshold of severity is met, thereby protecting reproductive strategy from the influence of more transient stressors.

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Schauble, J. J. "Red steers and exploding houses: cultural interpretations of bushfire and community understanding." 2008. http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/3587.

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Cultural representations of bushfire have long reflected the importance of these events in both the nation’s history and in popular imagination.
The central argument of this thesis is that depictions of fire in literature, art, film and popular culture have demonstrated the capacity to shape community understandings of bushfire behaviour and may influence the way in which people respond to and behave during such emergencies. In support of this, the role that bushfire has played in popular culture is explored and the perpetuation of certain myths and understandings through a range of cultural expressions is examined. It is contended that these cultural artefacts can have a direct impact upon community understanding of bushfires, their place in the Australian landscape and — importantly — how the broader community respond to such events.
The work discerns the shift in attitude towards bushfire in such cultural expressions from the 19th century until the present day. One purpose of the research is to posit whether such influences may act as impediments to the delivery of community bushfire education programs.
The structure of the thesis incorporates an introductory review of relevant literature and theoretical material. As the study of the cultural interpretation of disaster in Australia is in its infancy, pertinent overseas research is examined that identifies theoretical models that may be applied to bushfires in Australia. In particular, the representation of bushfire in • visual art • children’s literature; • adult fiction; is examined in detail.
Primary texts and artistic works will be examined for evidence of the understandings about bushfire that they generate or sustain. These interpretations will be compared with scientific and experiential understandings of bushfire behaviour and to the limited literature in disaster studies that has examined myths and perceptions of such events.
In the visual arts, fire has an obvious attraction for practitioners, both during its impact and in its aftermath. There has been an evident revival of interest in fire as a theme in the late 20th and early 21st centuries parallel to the intense interest artists showed in these events at the end of the 19th century.
Juvenile literature in Australia has produced extensive manifestations of bushfire representations. Fire lends itself to depiction in this genre for a number of reasons. It has been used, for example, to locate stories in a distinctly Australian context. It provides the elements of danger and adventure that allow for the development of strong narratives. Finally, it has a bold visual element that lends itself to pictorial interpretations. There is significant theoretical support for the idea that knowledge learned at this stage of a person’s development is retained until much later in life.
Conversely, bushfire appears to be relatively unusual as the basis for adult fiction, although (particularly in the 19th century) it is often incorporated into the background landscape. There are only a handful of adult novels in which bushfire is central to the narrative, while there are many in which it forms part of the backdrop.

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McDermott, BMC. "Emotional distress and depression in children and adolescents following Australian bushfire disasters." Thesis, 2005. https://eprints.utas.edu.au/20610/1/whole_McDermottBrettMichaelCharles2005_thesis.pdf.

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Given the evidence from epidemiological studies of a substantial unmet child & adolescent mental health service need, it is typical that children with mental health symptoms following a natural disaster are not routinely provided an intervention. However, following a devastating Australian natural disaster the author directed an innovative inter-sectoral response. Proactive, school-based screening for post-disaster mental health sequelae was seen as a way of identifying school-age children with persisting disaster related symptoms. Identified children were offered a targeted mental health intervention. The intervention, a guided trauma workbook for children and group therapy program for adolescents proved to be acceptable to children, parents and teachers as well as being cost effective. Major study investigations included the emotional responses of Primary and High School children, the proportion of children whose responses met case criteria for emotional trauma or depression and the relationship of these symptoms to trauma related events and factors intrinsic to children such as their level of anxiety and perception of disaster related threat. The responses of children of volunteer fire fighters and younger children who attended infant school were also investigated. Given the large sample size (n = 2379 Primary and High School students, n = 310 Infant School students) multivariate analyses were able to control for age and gender and investigate the relative contribution of individual factors versus bushfire-related variables to depressive and emotional trauma symptoms. In Infant School children a novel measure of infant trauma responses, the Early Childhood Trauma Self-Report, a combination of a picture, vignette and brief statements followed by yes/no responses was also trialled. Also the relationship of parent-report of symptoms was compared to child-report. The final analysis chapter reports a replication study following a major bushfire disaster in Canberra, the Australian National Territory. Advances in design included using two new measures of child and adolescent psychopathology: a measure of Post traumatic stress disorder and a general child and adolescent psychopathology screening measure. Changes were also made to improve the disaster related information collected. The thesis concludes with a discussion of research limitations and future research directions in the field of child and adolescent mental health responses to natural disasters.

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Noellie, Ahou RUETH geb YAO. "Mapping Bushfire Distribution and Burn Severity in West Africa Using Remote Sensing Observations." Doctoral thesis, 2010. https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-54244.

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Fire has long been considered to be the main ecological factor explaining the origin and maintenance of West African savannas. It has a very high occurrence in these savannas due to high human pressure caused by strong demographic growth and, concomitantly, is used to transform natural savannas into farmland and is also used as a provider of energy. This study was carried out with the support of the BIOTA project funded by the German ministry for Research and Education. The objective of this study is to establish the spatial and temporal distribution of bushfires during a long observation period from 2000 to 2009 as well as to assess fire impact on vegetation through mapping of the burn severity; based on remote sensing and field data collections. Remote sensing was used for this study because of the advantages that it offers in collecting data for long time periods and on different scales. In this case, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite instrument at 1km resolution is used to assess active fires, and understand the seasonality of fire, its occurrence and its frequency within the vegetation types on a regional scale. Landsat ETM+ imagery at 30 m and field data collections were used to define the characteristics of burn severity related to the biomass loss on a local scale. At a regional scale, the occurrence of fires and rainfall per month correlated very well (R2 = 0.951, r = -0.878, P < 0.01), which shows that the lower the amount of rainfall, the higher the fire occurrence and vice versa. In the dry season, four fire seasons were determined on a regional scale, namely very early fires, which announce the beginning of the fires, early and late fires making up the peak of fire in December/January and very late fires showing the end of the fire season and the beginning of the rainy season. Considerable fire activity was shown to take place in the vegetation zones between the Forest and the Sahel areas. Within these zones, parts of the Sudano-Guinean and the Guinean zones showed a high pixel frequency, i.e. fires occurred in the same place in many years. This high pixel frequency was also found in most protected areas in these zones. As to the kinds of land cover affected by fire, the highest fire occurrence is observed within the Deciduous woodlands and Deciduous shrublands. Concerning the burn severity, which was observed at a local scale, field data correlated closely with the ΔNBR derived from Landsat scenes of Pendjari National Park (R2 = 0.76). The correlation coefficient according to Pearson is r = 0.84 and according to Spearman-Rho, the correlation coefficient is r = 0.86. Very low and low burn severity (with ΔNBR value from 0 to 0.40) affected the vegetation weakly (0-35 percent of biomass loss) whereas moderate and high burn severity greatly affected the vegetation, leading to up to 100 percent of biomass loss, with the ΔNBR value ranging from 0.41 to 0.99. It can be seen from these results that remotely sensed images offer a tool to determine the fire distribution over large regions in savannas and that the Normalised Burn Ratio index can be applied to West Africa savannas. The outcomes of this thesis will hopefully contribute to understanding and, eventually, improving fire regimes in West Africa and their response to climate change and changes in vegetation diversity
Feuer ist ein wichtiger ökologischer Faktor für die Biokomplexität und den Fortbestand der westafrikanischen Savannen. Feuer kommt in westafrikanischen Savannen - insbesondere wegen des hohen Bevölkerungsdrucks infolge des starken Bevölkerungswachstums – immer häufiger vor. Es wird sowohl zur Umwandlung natürlicher Savannen in landwirtschaftliche Flächen als auch als Energielieferant verwendet. Diese Studie wurde mit der Unterstützung des BIOTA-Projekts durchgeführt, das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF, gefördert wird. Ziel dieser Dissertation ist die Bestimmung der räumlichen und zeitlichen Verteilung von Buschfeuern während eines langen Beobachtungszeitraumes (2000-2009) sowie die Kartierung von Brandschäden zum Verständnis der Auswirkung von Feuer auf die lokale Vegetationsstruktur. Fernerkundungs- sowie Felddaten werden in dieser Arbeit verwertet. Fernerkundungsdaten wurden für diese Studie verwendet, da sie größere Flächen abdecken und die Daten über längere Zeiträume in verschiedenen Maßstäben zur Verfügung stehen. Daten des Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-Satelliten mit einer Auflösung von 1 km wurden verwendet, um in regelmäßigen Abständen aktive Feuer zu kartieren und die saisonale Verteilung von Feuern, ihr Vorkommen und ihre Häufigkeit nach Vegetationstyp zu bestimmen. Mit Landsat ETM+ Satellitendaten (Auflösung von 30 Metern) und Felddaten wurden auf einem lokalen Maßstab Brandschadensklassen definiert. Mittels der Biomasse-Felddaten wurde dann der Biomasse-Verlust abgeschätzt. Die Feuerhäufigkeit, mittels Satellitendaten ermittelt, und der Niederschlag pro Monat zeigen eine sehr gute Korrelation (R2 = 0.951, r = -0.878, P < 0.01). Daraus lässt sich schließen, dass Feuer bevorzugt in den Monaten vorkommen, in denen es wenig Niederschlag gibt und umgekehrt. Auf regionaler Ebene wurden innerhalb der Trockenzeit vier Feuer-Perioden identifiziert; ‚sehr frühe Feuer’, die am Anfang der Feuersaison entstehen, ‚frühe bis späte Feuer’, die den Höhepunkt der Feueraktivität im Dezember/Januar bilden, und ‚sehr späte Feuer’ am Ende der Feuersaison bis zum Beginn der Regenzeit. Es zeigte sich, dass eine beträchtliche Feueraktivität in den Vegetationszonen zwischen dem Regenwald und der Sahelzone vorherrscht. Besonders wiesen Teile der ‚Sudan-Guinea’- und der ‚Guinea’-Savanne eine hohe Feuerpixel-Frequenz auf, d.h. hier traten Feuer in vielen Jahren am selben Ort auf. Diese hohe Pixelfrequenz wurde auch in den meisten Schutzgebieten in diesen Savannen-Gebieten gefunden. Was die Landbedeckung betrifft, so ergaben die Ergebnisse, dass das höchste Feueraufkommen in den laubabwerfenden Waldgebieten und im laubabwerfenden Buschland vorkam. Die Brandschäden, bzw. der Einwirkungsgrad, wurden im lokalen Maßstab untersucht. Hier korrelierten die Felddaten zur Brandeinwirkung signifikant mit den sogenannten ΔNBR-Index-Werten, die von Landsat-Aufnahmen des Pendjari-Nationalparks hergeleitet wurden (R2 = 0,76). Der Korrelationskoeffizient nach Pearson ist r = 0,84, und nach Spearman-Rho ist der Koeffizient r = 0,86. Bei sehr niedrigen Brandschäden (mit ΔNBR-Werten zwischen 0 und 0,40) war die Vegetation schwach beeinträchtigt (0-35 % Biomasseverlust), während die Vegetation bei mäßigen und hohen Brandschäden sehr beeinträchtigt war und bis zu 100 % der Biomasse verbrannt war; hier lag der ΔNBR zwischen 0,41 und 0,99. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass durch Satellitenbilder die Verteilung von Feuern über größere Flächen in der afrikanischen Savanne effektiv bestimmt werden kann, und dass der Normalized Burn Ratio-Index auf Westafrika zur Berechnung von Brandschadens-Klassen anwendbar ist. Die Ergebnisse liefern einen entscheidenden Beitrag zum Verständnis von Feuer-Ausprägungen in Westafrika, um letztlich den Einsatz von Feuer, auch im Hinblick auf den Klimawandel und die Veränderungen in der Vegetationsdiversität, verbessern zu können

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Evans, Kathryn. "‘Antipodean England’? A history of drought, fire and flood in Tasmania from European settlement in 1803 to the 1960s." Thesis, 2012. https://eprints.utas.edu.au/12935/1/Evans_thesis.pdf.

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The influence of climatic variability on the European history of Tasmania has largely been neglected as a field of study. It is demonstrated here that severe weather events, such as drought, floods, storms, extreme cold and bushfires, have had a significant impact on that history. Drought affected farming operations, town water supplies, mining and industry, and later hydro-electric power generation. Floods and storms disrupted transport and communication networks and damaged property in towns and in the country. Bushfires also periodically wrought widespread property damage. An environmental history approach is employed to explore the dominant images and perceptions of Tasmania‟s climate, the impacts of severe weather events on the population, the responses made to them, and how these changed over time from 1803 to the 1960s. For ease of analysis, the thesis is divided into four periods of post settlement history: early European settlement from 1803 to the 1810s; the period of pastoral expansion from the 1820s to 1855; from self-government in 1856 to 1900; and from Federation in 1901 to the 1960s. Scrutiny of a range of primary and secondary source material, including official despatches, government department records, meteorological data, emigrant guides, scientific papers, newspaper accounts, farm diaries and private correspondence, published and unpublished works on the histories of towns or regions, industries, government agencies, land settlement policies and Tasmanian identity and promotion, resulted in new insights into the role played by severe weather events on Tasmanian history. The thesis also advances knowledge of these events and their impacts on Tasmanian society, economics and politics. From the first years of settlement Tasmania was widely promoted and regarded as an „Antipodean England‟ – relatively free of the harsh climatic extremes of mainland Australia. It is argued here that this image was both inaccurate and inappropriate – inaccurate because drought, floods, storms and bushfires are all part of the natural weather cycles of Tasmania and have, at times, severely affected the Tasmanian population; and inappropriate, because it downplayed the potential risks posed by climatic variability and contributed to a state of unpreparedness by government and the wider population. The thesis demonstrates that severe weather events have long affected Tasmanian history, that they occur within a wider environmental, cultural and societal context that influences their human consequences, and that the nature and severity of these impacts changed over time.

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Robinson, Alice. "Landfall: reading and writing Australia through climate change." Thesis, 2012. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/24440/.

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This creative writing thesis begins with the premise that climate change poses critical outcomes for the Australian continent, and asks what the consequences of this are as the precariousness of Australia’s future in relation to climate change continues to gather pace. Comprising a novel (70%) and exegesis (30%), the thesis as a whole seeks to explore the connections between climate change, land and culture in Australia, and to investigate settler Australian understandings regarding ‘place’, ‘belonging’ and ‘home’ in relation to both settlement and unsettledness in contemporary times.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Bushfires'

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