Journal articles on the topic 'Bushfires'
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1
Bandara, Sahan, Satheeskumar Navaratnam, and Pathmanathan Rajeev. "Bushfire Management Strategies: Current Practice, Technological Advancement and Challenges." Fire 6, no. 11 (November 3, 2023): 421. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/fire6110421.
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Bushfires are classified as catastrophic disasters capable of inflicting significant destruction. The key detrimental consequences of bushfires include the loss of human lives, trauma within communities, economic losses and environmental damage. For example, the estimated economic loss from the September 2019 to March 2020 bushfires in New South Wales (Australia) was about AUD 110 billion, including more than 3000 burned houses. There has been a notable increase in both the frequency and intensity of bushfires, as clearly demonstrated by recent bushfire events. Bushfires are an intricate phenomenon that transpires across various spatial and temporal scales. Further, the changing circumstances of landscapes, vegetation patterns, weather conditions and ecosystems account for the complexity. Therefore, continual attention is essential for the development of bushfire management strategies. In this context, this paper undertakes a comprehensive literature review of bushfire management strategies, encompassing aspects such as bushfire prediction, detection, suppression and prevention. Based on the review, a bushfire management framework is proposed that can eliminate or successfully mitigate the consequences of bushfires. Further, the paper delves into the domains of fire weather conditions, the initiation of bushfires and the adverse consequences stemming from these fires. Both terrestrial and aerial remote sensing methods have proven to be effective in predicting and detecting bushfires. Nevertheless, a simple unique solution cannot be proposed for bushfire management. Changing weather conditions, topography and the geographic mix of asset types need to be considered when deciding on bushfire management strategies and their breadth and depth of application.
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Perera, Kithsiri, Ryutaro Tateishi, Kondho Akihiko, and Srikantha Herath. "A Combined Approach of Remote Sensing, GIS, and Social Media to Create and Disseminate Bushfire Warning Contents to Rural Australia." Earth 2, no. 4 (October 6, 2021): 715–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/earth2040042.
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Bushfires are an integral part of the forest regeneration cycle in Australia. However, from the perspective of a natural disaster, the impact of bushfires on human settlements and the environment is massive. In Australia, bushfires are the most disastrous natural hazards. According to the records of the Parliament of Australia, the recent catastrophic bushfires in NSW and Victoria burnt out over 10 million hectares of land, a figure more significant than any previous bushfire damage on record. After the deadly 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which killed 173 people in Victoria, public attention to bushfires reached a new peak. Due to the disastrous consequences of bushfires, scientists have explored various methods to mitigate or even avoid bushfire damage, including the use of bushfire alerts. The present study adds satellite imagery and GIS-based semi-real-time bushfire contents to various bushfire warnings issued by government authorities. The new product will disseminate graphical bushfire contents to rural Australians through social media, using Google Maps. This low-cost Media GIS content can be delivered through highly popular smartphone networks in Australia through social media (Facebook and Twitter). We expect its success to encourage people to participate in disaster mitigation efforts as contributors in a participatory GIS network. This paper presents a case study to demonstrate the production process and the quality of media GIS content and further discusses the potential of using social media through the mobile network of Australia while paying attention to mobile blackspots. Media GIS content has the potential to link with the public information systems of local fire management services, disseminate contents through a mobile app, and develop into a fully automated media GIS content system to expand the service beyond bushfires.
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Visner, Michael, Sara Shirowzhan, and Chris Pettit. "Spatial Analysis, Interactive Visualisation and GIS-Based Dashboard for Monitoring Spatio-Temporal Changes of Hotspots of Bushfires over 100 Years in New South Wales, Australia." Buildings 11, no. 2 (January 23, 2021): 37. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/buildings11020037.
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The 2019–2020 bushfire season is estimated to be one of the worst fire seasons on record in Australia, especially in New South Wales (NSW). The devastating fire season ignited a heated public debate on whether prescribed burning is an effective tool for preventing bushfires, and how the extent of bushfires has been changing over time. The objective of this study is to answer these questions, and more specifically to identify how bushfire patterns have changed in the last 100 years in NSW. To do so, we conducted a spatio-temporal analysis on prescribed burns and bushfires using a 100-year dataset of bushfires. More specifically, three research questions were developed, with each one of them addressed differently. First, generalised linear modelling was applied to assess the changes in fire patterns. Second, a correlation analysis was conducted to examine whether prescribed burns are an effective tool for reducing bushfire risk. Third, a spatio-temporal analysis was applied to the bushfire location data to explore spatio-temporal clusters of high and low values for bushfires, known as hotspots and coldspots, respectively. The study found that the frequency of bushfires has increased over time; however, it did not identify a significant trend of change in their size. Based on the results of this study for the relationship between prescribed burns and bushfires, it seems impossible to determine whether prescribed burns effectively reduce bushfire risk. Thus, further analysis with a larger amount of data is required in the future. The results of the spatio-temporal analysis showed that cold spots are propagated around metropolitan areas such as Sydney, while hotspots are concentrated in rural areas such as the North Coast and South Coast regions of NSW. The analysis found four statistical areas that have become new bushfire frequency hotspots in the 2019–2020 bushfire season. These areas combined have about 40,000 residents and at least 13,000 built dwellings. We suggest that further analysis is needed in the field to determine if there is a pattern of movement of bushfire towards metropolitan areas. To make the results of this research accessible to the public, an online interactive GIS-based dashboard was developed. The insight gained from the spatial and temporal analyses in this research is crucial to making smarter decisions on allocating resources and developing preventive or mitigating strategies.
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He, Wanqin, Sara Shirowzhan, and Christopher James Pettit. "GIS and Machine Learning for Analysing Influencing Factors of Bushfires Using 40-Year Spatio-Temporal Bushfire Data." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 11, no. 6 (June 6, 2022): 336. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11060336.
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The causes of bushfires are extremely complex, and their scale of burning and probability of occurrence are influenced by the interaction of a variety of factors such as meteorological factors, topography, human activity and vegetation type. An in-depth understanding of the combined mechanisms of factors affecting the occurrence and spread of bushfires is needed to support the development of effective fire prevention plans and fire suppression measures and aid planning for geographic, ecological maintenance and urban emergency management. This study aimed to explore how bushfires, meteorological variability and other natural factors have interacted over the past 40 years in NSW Australia and how these influencing factors synergistically drive bushfires. The CSIRO’s Spark toolkit has been used to simulate bushfire burning spread over 24 h. The study uses NSW wildfire data from 1981–2020, combined with meteorological factors (temperature, precipitation, wind speed), vegetation data (NDVI data, vegetation type) and topography (slope, soil moisture) data to analyse the relationship between bushfires and influencing factors quantitatively. Machine learning-random forest regression was then used to determine the differences in the influence of bushfire factors on the incidence and burn scale of bushfires. Finally, the data on each influence factor was imported into Spark, and the results of the random forest model were used to set different influence weights in Spark to visualise the spread of bushfires burning over 24 h in four hotspot regions of bushfire in NSW. Wind speed, air temperature and soil moisture were found to have the most significant influence on the spread of bushfires, with the combined contribution of these three factors exceeding 60%, determining the spread of bushfires and the scale of burning. Precipitation and vegetation showed a greater influence on the annual frequency of bushfires. In addition, burn simulations show that wind direction influences the main direction of fire spread, whereas the shape of the flame front is mainly due to the influence of land classification. Besides, the simulation results from Spark could predict the temporal and spatial spread of fire, which is a potential decision aid for fireproofing agencies. The results of this study can inform how fire agencies can better understand fire occurrence mechanisms and use bushfire prediction and simulation techniques to support both their operational (short-term) and strategic (long-term) fire management responses and policies.
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He, Wanqin, Sara Shirowzhan, and Christopher James Pettit. "GIS and Machine Learning for Analysing Influencing Factors of Bushfires Using 40-Year Spatio-Temporal Bushfire Data." ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 11, no. 6 (June 6, 2022): 336. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11060336.
Full textAbstract:
The causes of bushfires are extremely complex, and their scale of burning and probability of occurrence are influenced by the interaction of a variety of factors such as meteorological factors, topography, human activity and vegetation type. An in-depth understanding of the combined mechanisms of factors affecting the occurrence and spread of bushfires is needed to support the development of effective fire prevention plans and fire suppression measures and aid planning for geographic, ecological maintenance and urban emergency management. This study aimed to explore how bushfires, meteorological variability and other natural factors have interacted over the past 40 years in NSW Australia and how these influencing factors synergistically drive bushfires. The CSIRO’s Spark toolkit has been used to simulate bushfire burning spread over 24 h. The study uses NSW wildfire data from 1981–2020, combined with meteorological factors (temperature, precipitation, wind speed), vegetation data (NDVI data, vegetation type) and topography (slope, soil moisture) data to analyse the relationship between bushfires and influencing factors quantitatively. Machine learning-random forest regression was then used to determine the differences in the influence of bushfire factors on the incidence and burn scale of bushfires. Finally, the data on each influence factor was imported into Spark, and the results of the random forest model were used to set different influence weights in Spark to visualise the spread of bushfires burning over 24 h in four hotspot regions of bushfire in NSW. Wind speed, air temperature and soil moisture were found to have the most significant influence on the spread of bushfires, with the combined contribution of these three factors exceeding 60%, determining the spread of bushfires and the scale of burning. Precipitation and vegetation showed a greater influence on the annual frequency of bushfires. In addition, burn simulations show that wind direction influences the main direction of fire spread, whereas the shape of the flame front is mainly due to the influence of land classification. Besides, the simulation results from Spark could predict the temporal and spatial spread of fire, which is a potential decision aid for fireproofing agencies. The results of this study can inform how fire agencies can better understand fire occurrence mechanisms and use bushfire prediction and simulation techniques to support both their operational (short-term) and strategic (long-term) fire management responses and policies.
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Adedokun, Olufisayo, Temitope Egbelakin, Thayaparan Gajendran, and Willy Sher. "Input-Process-Output of decision-making framework during bushfire." October 2023 10.47389/38, No 4 (October 2023): 77–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.47389/38.4.77.
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Australia has been grappling with recurring bushfires for over a century, significantly affecting the landscape and communities. Despite this, there has been an increase in residents moving into high-risk bushfire areas. This study aimed to develop a framework that could guide householder decision-making regarding self-evacuation during bushfires by identifying the incentives that encourage early evacuation. The study used a qualitative approach and 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents in the southeast part of New South Wales; a region hardest hit during the 2019–20 summer bushfire season. Thirteen potential incentives that motivate self-evacuation were identified. The framework provides valuable insights into how incentives could influence residents’ decision-making during bushfires. In addition, it serves as a useful reference for policymakers, fire services and emergency management organisations when creating effective ways to encourage early self-evacuation and, ultimately, reduce injury and fatality.
7
Partheepan, Shouthiri, Farzad Sanati, and Jahan Hassan. "Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Bushfire Management: Challenges and Opportunities." Drones 7, no. 1 (January 10, 2023): 47. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/drones7010047.
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The intensity and frequency of bushfires have increased significantly, destroying property and living species in recent years. Presently, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology advancements are becoming increasingly popular in bushfire management systems because of their fundamental characteristics, such as manoeuvrability, autonomy, ease of deployment, and low cost. UAVs with remote-sensing capabilities are used with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep-learning algorithms to detect fire regions, make predictions, make decisions, and optimize fire-monitoring tasks. Moreover, UAVs equipped with various advanced sensors, including LIDAR, visual, infrared (IR), and monocular cameras, have been used to monitor bushfires due to their potential to provide new approaches and research opportunities. This review focuses on the use of UAVs in bushfire management for fire detection, fire prediction, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and search and rescue to improve the accuracy of fire prediction and minimize their impacts on people and nature. The objective of this paper is to provide valuable information on various UAV-based bushfire management systems and machine-learning approaches to predict and effectively respond to bushfires in inaccessible areas using intelligent autonomous UAVs. This paper aims to assemble information about the use of UAVs in bushfire management and to examine the benefits and limitations of existing techniques of UAVs related to bushfire handling. However, we conclude that, despite the potential benefits of UAVs for bushfire management, there are shortcomings in accuracy, and solutions need to be optimized for effective bushfire management.
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Sharma, Saroj Kumar, Jagannath Aryal, and Abbas Rajabifard. "Remote Sensing and Meteorological Data Fusion in Predicting Bushfire Severity: A Case Study from Victoria, Australia." Remote Sensing 14, no. 7 (March 29, 2022): 1645. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14071645.
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The extent and severity of bushfires in a landscape are largely governed by meteorological conditions. An accurate understanding of the interactions of meteorological variables and fire behaviour in the landscape is very complex, yet possible. In exploring such understanding, we used 2693 high-confidence active fire points recorded by a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor for nine different bushfires that occurred in Victoria between 1 January 2009 and 31 March 2009. These fires include the Black Saturday Bushfires of 7 February 2009, one of the worst bushfires in Australian history. For each fire point, 62 different meteorological parameters of bushfire time were extracted from Bureau of Meteorology Atmospheric high-resolution Regional Reanalysis for Australia (BARRA) data. These remote sensing and meteorological datasets were fused and further processed in assessing their relative importance using four different tree-based ensemble machine learning models, namely, Random Forest (RF), Fuzzy Forest (FF), Boosted Regression Tree (BRT), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Google Earth Engine (GEE) and Landsat images were used in deriving the response variable–Relative Difference Normalised Burn Ratio (RdNBR), which was selected by comparing its performance against Difference Normalised Burn Ratio (dNBR). Our findings demonstrate that the FF algorithm utilising the Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis (WGCNA) method has the best predictive performance of 96.50%, assessed against 10-fold cross-validation. The result shows that the relative influence of the variables on bushfire severity is in the following order: (1) soil moisture, (2) soil temperature, (3) air pressure, (4) air temperature, (5) vertical wind, and (6) relative humidity. This highlights the importance of soil meteorology in bushfire severity analysis, often excluded in bushfire severity research. Further, this study provides a scientific basis for choosing a subset of meteorological variables for bushfire severity prediction depending on their relative importance. The optimal subset of high-ranked variables is extremely useful in constructing simplified and computationally efficient surrogate models, which can be particularly useful for the rapid assessment of bushfire severity for operational bushfire management and effective mitigation efforts.
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Kumar, Ratika, Parivash Eftekhari, and Gillian Gould. "Pregnant Women Who Smoke May Be at Greater Risk of Adverse Effects from Bushfires." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 12 (June 8, 2021): 6223. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126223.
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Bushfires substantially increase the environmental health risks for people living in affected areas, especially the disadvantaged (e.g., those experiencing health inequities due to their socio-economic status, racial/ethnic backgrounds, geographic location and/or sexual orientation) and those with pre-existing health conditions. Pregnant women exposed to bushfire smoke are at a greater risk of adverse pregnancy and foetal outcomes, especially if they smoke tobacco, which may compound the toxic impacts. Bushfires may also exacerbate mental stress, leading to an increase in smoking. There are gaps in the evidence and more research is required on the combined effect of bushfire smoke and tobacco smoke on pregnant populations.
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Cherbuin, Nicolas, Amita Bansal, Jane E. Dahlstrom, Hazel Carlisle, Margaret Broom, Ralph Nanan, Stewart Sutherland, et al. "Bushfires and Mothers’ Mental Health in Pregnancy and Recent Post-Partum." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 1 (December 20, 2023): 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21010007.
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Background: The compounding effects of climate change catastrophes such as bushfires and pandemics impose significant burden on individuals, societies, and their economies. The enduring effects of such syndemics on mental health remain poorly understood, particularly for at-risk populations (e.g., pregnant women and newborns). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of direct and indirect exposure to the 2019/20 Australian Capital Territory and South-Eastern New South Wales bushfires followed by COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of pregnant women and mothers with newborn babies. Methods: All women who were pregnant, had given birth, or were within three months of conceiving during the 2019/2020 bushfires, lived within the catchment area, and provided consent were invited to participate. Those who consented were asked to complete three online surveys. Mental health was assessed with the DASS-21 and the WHO-5. Bushfire, smoke, and COVID-19 exposures were assessed by self-report. Cross-sectional associations between exposures and mental health measures were tested with hierarchical regression models. Results: Of the women who participated, and had minimum data (n = 919), most (>75%) reported at least one acute bushfire exposure and 63% reported severe smoke exposure. Compared to Australian norms, participants had higher depression (+12%), anxiety (+35%), and stress (+43%) scores. Women with greater exposure to bushfires/smoke but not COVID-19 had poorer scores on all mental health measures. Conclusions: These findings provide novel evidence that the mental health of pregnant women and mothers of newborn babies is vulnerable to major climate catastrophes such as bushfires.
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Ullah, Fahim, Sara Imran Khan, Hafiz Suliman Munawar, Zakria Qadir, and Siddra Qayyum. "UAV Based Spatiotemporal Analysis of the 2019–2020 New South Wales Bushfires." Sustainability 13, no. 18 (September 13, 2021): 10207. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su131810207.
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Bushfires have been a key concern for countries such as Australia for a long time. These must be mitigated to eradicate the associated harmful effects on the climate and to have a sustainable and healthy environment for wildlife. The current study investigates the 2019–2020 bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) Australia. The bush fires are mapped using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, the hotpots are monitored, and damage is assessed. Further, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-based bushfire mitigation framework is presented where the bushfires can be mapped and monitored instantly using UAV swarms. For the GIS and remote sensing, datasets of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and VIIRS fire data products are used, whereas the paths of UAVs are optimized using the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The mapping results of 2019–2020 NSW bushfires show that 50% of the national parks of NSW were impacted by the fires, resulting in damage to 2.5 million hectares of land. The fires are highly clustered towards the north and southeastern cities of NSW and its border region with Victoria. The hotspots are in the Deua, Kosciu Sako, Wollemi, and Yengo National Parks. The current study is the first step towards addressing a key issue of bushfire disasters, in the Australian context, that can be adopted by its Rural Fire Service (RFS), before the next fire season, to instantly map, assess, and subsequently mitigate the bushfire disasters. This will help move towards a smart and sustainable environment.
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Ashkan Zarghami, Seyed, and Jantanee Dumrak. "Implications of artificial intelligence for bushfire management." January 2021 10.47389/36, No 1 (January 2021): 84–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.47389/36.1.84.
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A country’s history and development can be shaped by its natural environment and the hazards it faces. As a response to the threat of novel and unexpected bushfire disasters, scholars and practitioners have turned to the area of artificial intelligence. This paper explores the underlying principles of artificial intelligence tools and to investigate how these tools have been used to mitigate the risks of catastrophic bushfires. In doing so, this research provides an overview of applications of artificial intelligence tools to enhance effective management of bushfires through preparedness capability, responding capability and recovery capability. The future evolution of tools in artificial intelligence is discussed in the bushfire management context based on emerging trends.
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Watkins, G. O. "(P2-81) A Survey of the Health Effects of Bushfire Smoke on Patients Attending Two Sydney Emergency Departments." Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 26, S1 (May 2011): s162—s163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x11005267.
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The objective of this survey was to investigate the incidence of respiratory symptoms reported by emergency department patients during the Christmas 2001–2002 Sydney bushfire disaster. Two hundred and thirty patients attending two Sydney emergency departments for any reason completed questionnaires regarding respiratory symptoms. The symptoms investigated were cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness and wheeze. The same questionnaire was subsequently administered to a similar control group who were not exposed to bushfire smoke. 51% of those surveyed during the bushfires reported one or more of the respiratory symptoms investigated compared to 31% of the control group. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). A significantly higher proportion of respiratory patients in the study group reported an exacerbation of their condition and increased medication use during the bushfires (p < 0.01). The results are consistent with other research on the subject and suggest that exposure to bushfire smoke causes an increased incidence of respiratory pathology.
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Reisen, Fabienne, and Stephen K. Brown. "Implications for Community Health from Exposure to Bushfire Air Toxics." Environmental Chemistry 3, no. 4 (2006): 235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/en06008.
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Environmental Context. Significant bushfires have recently occurred in Indonesia (1997), Europe (2002), Australia (2000–2001) and the USA (2003), and burned large areas over extended periods of time. They cause widespread and serious air pollution through the release of respirable particles and other toxic air contaminants. These large fire events have shown clear impacts on community health and have caused increasing concern about the impact of bushfire smoke, whether from accidental or planned fires, on the health of surrounding communities. Abstract. Bushfires can cause widespread air pollution through the emission of high levels of toxic air contaminants that affect the health of surrounding communities. This review of studies that have evaluated the health impacts of bushfires in North America, Australia and South-East Asia shows that the primary pollutant consistently exceeding air quality guidelines is particulate matter. Elevated levels of respirable particles are likely to be the major cause of the higher number of hospital visits and admissions for respiratory and/or cardiovascular treatment, increased mortality, and elevated respiratory-related symptoms that were observed in communities after major bushfire events. Morbidity effects were found to be mostly short-lived and reversible after exposure ceased, and were more prevalent among susceptible groups such as asthmatics, children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing respiratory and/or cardiac illnesses. Implications of such exposures to the Australian population will be discussed in relation to existing (urban) air quality measures and options for community response to bushfire events.
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Zhou, Y., Y. Zhang, J. Vaze, P. Lane, and S. Xu. "Impact of bushfire and climate variability on streamflow from forested catchments in southeast Australia." Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions 10, no. 4 (April 5, 2013): 4397–437. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/hessd-10-4397-2013.
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Abstract. Most of the surface water for natural environmental and human water uses in southeast Australia is sourced from forested catchments located in the higher rainfall areas. Water yield of these catchments is mainly affected by climatic conditions, but it is also greatly affected by vegetation cover change. Bushfires are a major natural disturbance in forested catchments and potentially modify the water yield of the catchments through changes to evapotranspiration (ET), interception and soil moisture storage. This paper quantifies the impacts of bushfire and climate variability on streamflow from three southeast Australian catchments where Ash Wednesday bushfires occurred in February 1983. The hydrological models used here include AWRA-L, Xinanjiang and GR4J. The three models are first calibrated against streamflow data from the pre-bushfire period and they are used to simulate runoff for the post-bushfire period with the calibrated parameters. The difference between the observed and model simulated runoff for the post-bushfire period provides an estimate of the impact of bushfire on streamflow. The hydrological modelling results for the three catchments indicate that there is a substantial increase in streamflow in the first 15 yr after the 1983 bushfires. The increase in streamflow is attributed to initial decreases in ET and interception resulting from the fires, followed by logging activity. After 15 yr, streamflow dynamics are more heavily influenced by climate effects, although some impact from fire and logging regeneration may still occur. It is shown that hydrological models provide reasonable consistent estimates of forest disturbance and climate impacts on streamflow for the three catchments. The results might be used by forest managers to understand the relationship between forest disturbance and climate variability impacts on water yield in the context of climate change.
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Sidi, Insoime Mohamed, and Félicitée Rejo Fienena. "Etude Comparative des Effets des Feux de Brousse dans les Parcs Nationaux de Mikea et de Zombitse-Vohibasia a Madagascar." European Scientific Journal, ESJ 19, no. 33 (November 30, 2023): 262. http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2023.v19n33p262.
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A Madagascar, les feux de brousse sont un phénomène récurrent, et provoquent des effets néfastes au niveau environnemental et social. Dans ce contexte, une étude comparative a été effectuée dans le Parc National de Mikea et celui de Zombitse-Vohibasia. Cette étude vise à déterminer l’évolution de la richesse floristique sous l’action des feux de brousse. L’évolution des dégâts des feux de brousse dans ces sites a aussi été étudiée. Ce travail a aussi consisté à relever les différentes pratiques des feux de brousse avec leur degré d’utilisation. L'objectif général de cette étude est de déterminer les effets des feux de brousse dans ces aires protégées. De façon spécifique, il s’agit d’analyser et de quantifier la fréquence des incendies de brousse, de mesurer leur impact sur la biodiversité. L'étude a utilisé une méthodologie multi-facettes pour comparer les feux de brousse dans les deux zones d’étude. Les principales méthodes utilisées comprenaient la collecte de données des historiques sur les feux de végétation, les précipitations et la végétation ont été recueillies pour les deux régions. Pour l'analyse floristique, la méthode de Gentry (1993) a été utilisée. Elle a permis d’analyser la richesse floristique des deux zones d’études pour le Parc National de Mikea et celui de Zombitse-Vohibasia. Des entretiens et des observations sur le terrain ont été aussi menées pour comprendre l’évolution des dégâts des feux de brousse et les différentes pratiques des feux de brousse et leur degré d’utilisation dans ces sites d’études. Des analyses statistiques ont été réalisées pour comparer les caractéristiques des feux de brousse, y compris leur fréquence, leur intensité et leur impact sur la biodiversité. Les résultats de l'étude ont révélé plusieurs différences notables entre les feux de brousse dans le Parc National de Mikea et le Parc National de Zombitse-Vohibasia: les feux de brousse étaient plus fréquents dans le Parc National de Zombitse-Vohibasia en raison de patiques agricoles et de pâturage intensives. Par contre, au niveau de l’Impact sur la biodiversité, les feux de brousse dans le Parc National de Mikea avaient un impact plus grave sur la biodiversité en raison de la richesse floristique de cette région en espèces endémiques. L’origine des feux sont principalement souvent déclenchés par des activités humaines. Cette étude révèle des variations significatives dans les caractéristiques des feux de brousse entre le Parc National de Mikea et le Parc National de Zombitse-Vohibatia à Madagascar. Pour réduire les impacts négatifs des feux de brousse, il est recommandé d'impliquer les communautés locales dans la gestion des feux en fournissant des encadrements et des ressources pour des pratiques de gestion durable.
In Madagascar, bushfires are a recurring phenomenon, causing adverse environmental and social effects. In this context, a comparative study was conducted in Mikea National Park and Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park. This study aims to determine the evolution of floristic richness under the influence of bushfires. The study also investigated the extent of bushfire damage in these sites. The research also involved documenting different bushfire practices and their usage levels. The overall objective of this study is to determine the effects of bushfires in these protected areas. Specifically, it involves analyzing and quantifying the frequency of bushfires and measuring their impact on biodiversity. The study utilized a multifaceted methodology to compare bushfires in the two study areas. Key methods included collecting data on historical vegetation fires, precipitation, and vegetation for both regions. Gentry's method (1993) was used for floristic analysis, allowing the analysis of floristic richness in Mikea National Park and Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park. Interviews and field observations were also conducted to understand the evolution of bushfire damage and different bushfire practices and their levels of usage in these study sites. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the characteristics of bushfires, including their frequency, intensity, and impact on biodiversity. The study's results revealed several notable differences between bushfires in Mikea National Park and Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park. Bushfires were more frequent in Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park due to intensive agricultural and grazing practices. However, in terms of their impact on biodiversity, bushfires in Mikea National Park had a more severe impact due to the floristic richness of the region with endemic species. The origin of the fires is often linked to human activities. This study highlights significant variations in the characteristics of bushfires between Mikea National Park and Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park in Madagascar. To reduce the negative impacts of bushfires, it is recommended to involve local communities in fire management by providing guidance and resources for sustainable management practices.
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Sullivan, A. L., P. F. Ellis, and I. K. Knight. "A review of radiant heat flux models used in bushfire applications." International Journal of Wildland Fire 12, no. 1 (2003): 101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf02052.
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The need to determine the radiant heat flux (RHF) from bushfires for fire behaviour prediction, firefighter safety, or building protection planning purposes has lead to the development and implementation of a number of RHF models, most of which are based on the Stefan-Boltzmann equation of radiative heat transfer. However, because of the complex nature of bushfire flames, a number of assumptions are made in order to make the implementation of the radiative heat transfer equation practical for wildland fire applications. The main assumptions are: bushfire flame characteristics (geometry, temperature), flame radiative qualities (emission type, emissivity), and the view of the flame at the receiving element. The common assumption of a uniform emissivity of unity and an isothermal rectangular emitting surface produces a generic RHF model described here as an 'opaque box'. Because of the broad assumptions inherent in the opaque box model, it predicts the RHF of bushfires poorly. A comparison is made between the generic opaque box RHF model and the measurements of radiant heat flux emitted by a stationary propane-fuelled artificial bushfire flame front. Knowledge about the geometry and an understanding of the flame characteristics of a bushfire front are needed before generic RHF models will adequately describe the RHF emitted from bushfire flames.
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Hafenscher, Priszcilla, and Ferenc Jankó. "Flames and Viruses: Australian and Hungarian Media Representation of the Australian Bushfires and the COVID-19 Pandemic, A Case Study." Climate 10, no. 11 (October 27, 2022): 163. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli10110163.
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This study addresses the difference in media coverage of the Australian bushfires and the pandemic, using an Australian and a Hungarian news site. After a frame analysis of text and imagery, a narration analysis was conducted. Our results provided evidence that crises were covered in different ways. For a distant news portal, it was an obvious option to use the bushfires in order to visualize climate change. In contrast, the bushfire–climate link has been a politicized subject in Australia for decades; hence, the exceptional bushfire season was also unable to get the issue on the agenda. Although the Australian news media in our sample strived to portray a crisis under control, when compared to the pandemic, it was not so effective. Therefore, localization is a major challenge for effective climate communication, where lessons from the pandemic, using more economic and social frames, could be helpful.
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Munawar, Hafiz Suliman, Fahim Ullah, Sara Imran Khan, Zakria Qadir, and Siddra Qayyum. "UAV Assisted Spatiotemporal Analysis and Management of Bushfires: A Case Study of the 2020 Victorian Bushfires." Fire 4, no. 3 (July 26, 2021): 40. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/fire4030040.
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Australia is a regular recipient of devastating bushfires that severely impacts its economy, landscape, forests, and wild animals. These bushfires must be managed to save a fortune, wildlife, and vegetation and reduce fatalities and harmful environmental impacts. The current study proposes a holistic model that uses a mixed-method approach of Geographical Information System (GIS), remote sensing, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)-based bushfire assessment and mitigation. The fire products of Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are used for monitoring the burnt areas within the Victorian Region due to the 2020 bushfires. The results show that the aggregate of 1500 m produces the best output for estimating the burnt areas. The identified hotspots are in the eastern belt of the state that progressed north towards New South Wales. The R2 values between 0.91–0.99 indicate the fitness of methods used in the current study. A healthy z-value index between 0.03 to 2.9 shows the statistical significance of the hotspots. Additional analysis of the 2019–20 Victorian bushfires shows a widespread radius of the fires associated with the climate change and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) phenomenon. The UAV paths are optimized using five algorithms: greedy, intra route, inter route, tabu, and particle swarm optimization (PSO), where PSO search surpassed all the tested methods in terms of faster run time and lesser costs to manage the bushfires disasters. The average improvement demonstrated by the PSO algorithm over the greedy method is approximately 2% and 1.2% as compared with the intra route. Further, the cost reduction is 1.5% compared with the inter-route scheme and 1.2% compared with the intra route algorithm. The local disaster management authorities can instantly adopt the proposed system to assess the bushfires disasters and instigate an immediate response plan.
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Prasetyo, Diaz, and Trisna Mulyati. "Using Data Science to Assess the Impact of Disaster Event on Climate Change Belief: Case of Australian Bushfire Catastrophe." Proceedings of The International Conference on Data Science and Official Statistics 2023, no. 1 (December 29, 2023): 721–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.34123/icdsos.v2023i1.413.
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Australia, vulnerable to bushfire incidents due to its unique climatic conditions, witnessed a transformative event in the 2019-2020 bushfire season. This research examines the impact of these bushfires on public perception of climate change. Leveraging robust statistical techniques, including McNemar's hypothesis testing and logistic regression, the study deciphers survey data collated pre and post these fires. The study's hypothesis that post-fire respondents are more likely to acknowledge climate change's role is confirmed. Factors such as education, political affiliation, and support for fossil fuel reduction are identified as influential predictors of climate change belief. The analysis also highlights the complex interplay of demographic characteristics and media exposure in shaping attitudes. Notably, direct firebush exposure showed a nuanced relationship with belief. The research underscores a significant shift in Australian attitudes toward climate change following the bushfires. These findings contribute to our understanding of public opinion dynamics and the role of experiential factors in climate change belief.
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Cohen, David D. "The use of simultaneous IBA techniques to fingerprint fine particle emissions during the Australian bushfire 2019-20 black summer event." Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2326, no. 1 (October 1, 2022): 012001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2326/1/012001.
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Abstract The outputs of the multi-elemental IBA techniques of PIXE, PIGE, RBS and PESA have been used as inputs to positive matrix factorisation source apportionment methods to quantify and fingerprint bushfire smoke during the catastrophic black summer bushfires of 2019-20 season in NSW, Australia.
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Atkinson, Dale, Mark Chladil, Volker Janssen, and Arko Lucieer. "Implementation of quantitative bushfire risk analysis in a GIS environment." International Journal of Wildland Fire 19, no. 5 (2010): 649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf08185.
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Bushfires pose a significant threat to lives and property. Fire management authorities aim to minimise this threat by employing risk-management procedures. This paper proposes a process of implementing, in a Geographic Information System environment, contemporary integrated approaches to bushfire risk analysis that incorporate the dynamic effects of bushfires. The system is illustrated with a case study combining ignition, fire behaviour and fire propagation models with climate, fuel, terrain, historical ignition and asset data from Hobart, Tasmania, and its surroundings. Many of the implementation issues involved with dynamic risk modelling are resolved, such as increasing processing efficiency and quantifying probabilities using historical data. A raster-based, risk-specific bushfire simulation system is created, using a new, efficient approach to model fire spread and a spatiotemporal algorithm to estimate spread probabilities. We define a method for modelling ignition probabilities using representative conditions in order to manage large fire weather datasets. Validation of the case study shows that the system can be used efficiently to produce a realistic output in order to assess the risk posed by bushfire. The model has the potential to be used as a reliable near-real-time tool for assisting fire management decision making.
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Best, Ashleigh. "The legal status of animals: a source of their disaster vulnerability." July 2021 10.47389/36, no. 36.3 (July 2021): 63–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.47389/36.3.63.
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The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season had a devastating impact on animals. A report sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (2020) estimates that 3 billion native wild animals were affected by the bushfires, with several species now closer to extinction. Thousands of domesticated farm animals also perished, either as an immediate result of the bushfires or as a consequence of being euthanised with fire-related injuries. In addition, there was concern about the adequacy of arrangements for the evacuation and care of companion animals during the emergency. In these diverse ways, the bushfires brought the profound and multidimensional vulnerability of animals to disaster events into stark focus. Using case studies, this paper examines the role the law plays in contributing to this vulnerability. It investigates how the status of animals as ‘property’ under law increases their exposure to hazards and affects their priority in disaster planning and response. This paper also scrutinises the extent to which statutory welfare and environmental protections are capable of optimising wellbeing and survival outcomes for animals in disasters.
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Regan, Francesca. "Bushfires." Australian Planner 44, no. 4 (December 2007): 16–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07293682.2007.9982606.
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Gardiner, Sarah, Jinyan Chen, Margarida Abreu Novais, Karine Dupré, and J. Guy Castley. "Analyzing and Leveraging Social Media Disaster Communication of Natural Hazards: Community Sentiment and Messaging Regarding the Australian 2019/20 Bushfires." Societies 13, no. 6 (May 31, 2023): 138. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc13060138.
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This research presents a new model based on Twitter posts and VADER algorithms to analyze social media discourse during and following a bushfire event. The case study is the Gold Coast community that experienced the first bushfire event of Australia’s severe Black Summer in 2019/2020. This study aims to understand which communities and stakeholders generate and exchange information on disasters caused by natural hazards. In doing so, a new methodology to analyze social media in disaster management is presented. This model enables stakeholders to understand key message themes and community sentiment during and following the disaster, as well as the individuals and groups that shape the messaging. Three main findings emerged. Firstly, the results show that messaging volume is a proxy for the importance of the bushfires, with a clear increase during the bushfire event and a sharp decline after the event. Secondly, from a content perspective, there was a consistent negative message sentiment (even during recovery) and the need for better planning, while the links between bushfires and climate change were key message themes. Finally, it was found that politicians, broadcast media and public commentators were central influencers of social media messaging, rather than bushfire experts. This demonstrates the potential of social media to inform disaster response and recovery behavior related to natural hazards.
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Steenkamp, Malinda, Kirstin Ross, Harriet Whiley, Emmanuel Chubaka, and Paul Arbon. "Assessing the Quality of Roof-Harvested Rainwater after Bushfires." Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 34, s1 (May 2019): s42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x19001018.
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Introduction:Roof-harvested rainwater held in domestic tanks is used for a variety of purposes in Australia, including drinking and irrigation. There is limited evidence about the quality of rainwater after bushfires. Current health guidelines can be interpreted that landholders need to drain their rainwater tanks to avoid the risk of contamination. Anecdotal reports indicate that following such advice caused additional distress to landowners affected by bushfires in South Australia. Sustainable water management is important for future resilience and more evidence on water quality following bushfires is needed.Aim:This project investigated whether there is contamination of roof-harvested rainwater after bushfires, and if so, whether such water was safe for various purposes.Methods:In 2017 we tested artificially contaminated water spiked with chemicals associated with bushfires (chromated copper arsenate-treated ash and firefighting foam) and conducted a pilot field study using two purposely built roofs during a pre-fire season burn off. A field validation is planned for the summer of 2018/19 (December 2018 - March 2019), i.e., we plan to obtain 200 samples from 50 households affected by bushfire – two samples immediately after the fire event and another two after the first rain.Results:The artificially created contaminated water fell within guidelines for non-potable uses such as irrigation and stock watering, but was found unsuitable for drinking even after being filtered through two commercially available water filtration systems. We also plan to present results from our field study of 50 households.Discussion:Contaminant concentrations, even in artificially spiked water samples, are low and acceptable for non-potable uses. Bottled water should be used for drinking. Landholders should be encouraged to use their water for recovery purposes. Such advice may assist with decreasing the stress experienced by affected landholders and help with recovery efforts through the availability of a greater body of water.
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McKay, Jennifer M. "Reflecting the Hazard or Restating Old Views: Newspapers and Bushfires in Australia." International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters 14, no. 3 (November 1996): 305–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/028072709601400304.
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This paper illustrates that in the response and recovery phases of the 1994 Bushfire disaster in New South Wales, Australian and overseas newspaper reporting of the causes of bushfires focussed on scapegoating. The popular scapegoats were arsonists or failure of a public authority to provide fire-breaks. Thus two items were featured whereas the causes of most bushfires are multidimensional and official reports rarely attribute a cause. This paper applies an existing seven-theme classification of the content of newspaper reports to the 1994 event. Newspapers from the local community were examined and two other papers from fire-prone communities in Australia. In addition, reports in two international papers were examined for accuracy. This paper establishes that causes are scapegoated but that accuracy of impact figures is preserved despite the distance.
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Ariyaratne, Indunil Erandi, Anthony Ariyanayagam, and Mahen Mahendran. "Bushfire-Resistant Lightweight Masonry Blocks with Expanded Perlite Aggregate." Fire 5, no. 5 (August 30, 2022): 132. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/fire5050132.
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During bushfires, one of the building elements that is directly exposed to embers, radiant heat and direct flames is the “wall” element. This study investigated the feasibility of using expanded perlite aggregate in masonry (i.e., cement) blocks to enhance their bushfire resistant characteristics. The chemical, physical, and thermal properties of expanded perlite aggregate were determined first and then masonry block cement mixes were developed by replacing sand in the conventional mix with expanded perlite aggregate by volume at different percentages (100, 80, 60, and 40%). The properties of fresh and hardened cement mixes (slump, density, compressive strength, and water absorption) were measured. The developed masonry blocks were exposed to Bushfire Flame Zone conditions (i.e., 20–842 °C) and the standard fire curve for three hours (i.e., 20–1110 °C) to assess their resistance to bushfires and building fires, respectively. The properties of Cement–Expanded Perlite mixes were compared with those of the standard Cement–Sand mix. The test results showed that the use of perlite aggregate reduced the workability, density, and compressive strength of the cement mix while increasing the water absorption and fire resistance level. All the developed perlite blocks were lightweight and had three hours of fire resistance level (-/180/180). When exposed to bushfire flame zone conditions, the blocks made with 100, 80, and 60% perlite satisfied the maximum ambient surface temperature limit. Of these, masonry blocks made with 60% perlite aggregate are the most suitable for use in external walls of bushfire shelters and residential and commercial buildings in bushfire-prone areas.
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Fergie, Deane, Rod Lucas, and Morgan Harrington. "Take My Breath Away." Anthropology in Action 27, no. 2 (June 1, 2020): 49–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.3167/aia.2020.270208.
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This article eschews the singularity of much disaster, crisis and catastrophe research to focus on the complex dynamics of convergent crises. It examines the prolonged crises of a summer of bushfire and COVID-19 which converged in Eurobodalla Shire on the south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in 2019–2020. We focus on air and breathing on the one hand and kinship and the social organisation of survival and recovery on the other. During Australia’s summer of bushfires, thick smoke rendered air, airways and breathing a challenge, leaving people open to reflection as well as to struggle. Bushfire smoke created ‘aware breathers’. It was aware breathers who were then to experience the invisible and separating threat of COVID-19. These convergent crises impacted the ‘mutuality of being’ of kinship (after Marshall Sahlins) and the social organisation of survival. Whereas the bushfires in Eurobodalla drew on grandparent-families in survival, the social distancing and lockdown of COVID-19 has cleaved these multi-household families asunder, at least for now. COVID-19 has also made plain how the mingling of breath is a new index of intimacy.
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Whittaker, Joshua, Katharine Haynes, John Handmer, and Jim McLennan. "Community safety during the 2009 Australian 'Black Saturday' bushfires: an analysis of household preparedness and response." International Journal of Wildland Fire 22, no. 6 (2013): 841. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf12010.
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On Saturday 7 February 2009, 173 people lost their lives and more than 2000 houses were destroyed in bushfires (wildfires) in the Australian State of Victoria. The scale of life and property loss raised fundamental questions about community bushfire safety in Australia, in particular the appropriateness of the ‘Prepare, stay and defend or leave early’ policy. This paper presents findings from research undertaken as part of the Australian Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre’s (CRC) ‘2009 Victorian Bushfires Research Taskforce’. The research examined factors influencing patterns of life and property loss and survival across the fires through mail surveys (n=1314) of fire affected households. Just over half of the respondents (53%) stayed to defend their homes and properties, whereas the remainder left before or when the fires arrived (43%) or sheltered in a house, structure, vehicle, or outside (4%). Results reveal a survival rate of 77% for houses that were defended by one or more household members, compared to 44% for unattended houses. The paper identifies inadequate planning and preparedness and the tendency for people to wait until they are directly threatened before taking action as major factors leading to late evacuation, failed defence and passive shelter.
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Diabate, Wagnimè, and Agoh Pauline Dibi-Anoh. "Effects of Climate Variability on Bushfire Regimes in the Bagoué Region, Côte d'Ivoire." International Journal of Plant & Soil Science 36, no. 8 (July 16, 2024): 65–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.9734/ijpss/2024/v36i84836.
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Bushfires are an important factor in the dynamics of savannah landscapes. This study is carried out in the Bagoué region to evaluate the relationships between climatic variability and bushfire regimes. To achieve this objective, rainfall and temperature data were analyzed. The information’s were collected with 300 heads of household surveyed, 100 in Boundiali, Kouto and Tengrela were selected, respectively. A purposive sampling was defined according to the following criteria: any person who uses fires in agricultural activity; the respondent must be at least 30 years old and have been in the survey for at least 20 years. The results recorded from 1990 to 2002, showed that the rainfall was increased at 14.8%followed by a 10.7% and was decreased between 2003 and 2020 in Boundiali. Average annual rainfall was 1,408.99 mm, with a 13.2% increase between 1990 and 2002 and a 20.1% deficit between 2003 and 2020. Average annual rainfall in Tengrela also showed h1,515.9 mm, with a surplus of 171.5 mm, i.e. an increase of 12.8% from 1990 to 2002 and a rainfall deficit of 9.2% from 2003 to 2020. Temperatures rise to 0.7°C, 0.74°C and 0.74°C in Boundiali, Kouto and Tengrela between 1990 and 2020, respectively. Three fire periods were identified with lowest intensities and frequencies. The combination of rainfall declining, the temperatures increasing, the highest dry biomass, and the agricultural activities contributes to the emergence of bushfires in the Bagoué region. This study highlights the importance of addressing these factors to mitigate the impact of bushfires. This research highlights the importance of considering climatic factors in understanding bushfire dynamics in savannah landscapes.
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Verkaik, I., N. Prat, M. Rieradevall, P. Reich, and P. S. Lake. "Effects of bushfire on macroinvertebrate communities in south-east Australian streams affected by a megadrought." Marine and Freshwater Research 65, no. 4 (2014): 359. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf13039.
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Bushfires occur in most environments in Australia and yet there are few studies about fire effects on aquatic ecosystems. To study the effects of fire on aquatic macroinvertebrates we sampled three streams in burnt catchments (i.e. burnt) and three streams in unburnt catchments (i.e. control), nine months after severe bushfires in northern Victoria. The sampling period coincided with a severe and prolonged period of drought – during the 8th year of a series of thirteen consecutive years of below average rainfall. There was a significant effect of bushfire on macroinvertebrate richness, composition and function. At the burnt sites, there was lower taxon richness but a 4-fold increase in abundance, which was mainly to the result of increases in taxa such as Chironomidae, Simuliidae, Dinotoperla sp. and Taschorema sp. A higher percentage of gathering collectors was found at the burnt sites, whereas scrapers and shredders were co-dominant in the control streams. The responses of the macroinvertebrates may have been impaired by post-fire persistence of low flows associated with the continuing drought, in comparison with the rapid recovery of the catchment overstorey vegetation (Eucalyptus spp.). The consequences of the megadrought combined with catchment bushfires, have no doubt reduced the resilience of the macroinvertebrate communities.
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Lawes, Jasmin C., Luke Strasiotto, Shane Daw, and Amy E. Peden. "When Natural Hazards Intersect with Public Health: A Preliminary Exploration of the Impact of Bushfires and the COVID-19 Pandemic on Australian Coastal Drowning Fatalities." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 10 (May 17, 2021): 5314. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105314.
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Natural hazards combined with the COVID-19 pandemic have had significant global impacts to the community and the environment. This study explores the impact of the Australian 2019/20 bushfires followed by the COVID-19 pandemic on unintentional coastal drowning fatalities. Fatality data were collated using triangulation methodology. Percentage change in coastal drowning fatalities between 2019/20 financial year (FY) and the 15FY annual average (2004/5–2018/19) were calculated for the dominant bushfire period (August 2019–February 2020 inclusive) and COVID-19 restrictions in place for 2019/20FY (March–June 2020 inclusive). Relative risk (RR; with 95% confidence intervals [CI]) of coastal drowning was calculated against the average for overall, bushfire and COVID-19 periods, using coastal participation data as the denominator, weighted for the predicted decrease in the use of outdoor coastal areas due to these widespread events. Coastal drowning fatalities increased in 2019/20FY by 9% overall (bushfires: 6%; COVID-19: 9%). Swimming/wading drowning fatalities increased during the bushfire period (RR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.13–3.63), while boating and personal watercraft (PWC)-related fatalities increased during both the bushfire (RR = 2.92; 95% CI: 1.41–6.05) and COVID-19 period (RR = 3.86; 95% CI: 1.64–9.11). Rock fishing fatalities also increased across both the bushfire (RR = 4.19; 95% CI: 1.45–12.07; p = 0.008) and COVID-19 (RR = 3.8;95% CI: 1.24–11.62; p = 0.027) periods. Findings indicate the activity patterns leading to coastal drowning fatalities changed despite significant public health events impacting freedom of movement and thus opportunity for coastal participation. Understanding, and preparing for, the impacts of natural hazards on drowning risk is vital for future preventive efforts.
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Beyene, Tesfalidet, Erin S. Harvey, Joseph Van Buskirk, Vanessa M. McDonald, Megan E. Jensen, Jay C. Horvat, Geoffrey G. Morgan, et al. "‘Breathing Fire’: Impact of Prolonged Bushfire Smoke Exposure in People with Severe Asthma." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 12 (June 16, 2022): 7419. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127419.
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Wildfires are increasing and cause health effects. The immediate and ongoing health impacts of prolonged wildfire smoke exposure in severe asthma are unknown. This longitudinal study examined the experiences and health impacts of prolonged wildfire (bushfire) smoke exposure in adults with severe asthma during the 2019/2020 Australian bushfire period. Participants from Eastern/Southern Australia who had previously enrolled in an asthma registry completed a questionnaire survey regarding symptoms, asthma attacks, quality of life and smoke exposure mitigation during the bushfires and in the months following exposure. Daily individualized exposure to bushfire particulate matter (PM2.5) was estimated by geolocation and validated modelling. Respondents (n = 240) had a median age of 63 years, 60% were female and 92% had severe asthma. They experienced prolonged intense PM2.5 exposure (mean PM2.5 32.5 μg/m3 on 55 bushfire days). Most (83%) of the participants experienced symptoms during the bushfire period, including: breathlessness (57%); wheeze/whistling chest (53%); and cough (50%). A total of 44% required oral corticosteroid treatment for an asthma attack and 65% reported reduced capacity to participate in usual activities. About half of the participants received information/advice regarding asthma management (45%) and smoke exposure minimization strategies (52%). Most of the participants stayed indoors (88%) and kept the windows/doors shut when inside (93%), but this did not clearly mitigate the symptoms. Following the bushfire period, 65% of the participants reported persistent asthma symptoms. Monoclonal antibody use for asthma was associated with a reduced risk of persistent symptoms. Intense and prolonged PM2.5 exposure during the 2019/2020 bushfires was associated with acute and persistent symptoms among people with severe asthma. There are opportunities to improve the exposure mitigation strategies and communicate these to people with severe asthma.
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Moore, Grace. "'A Taste of Hell': Fires, Landscapes, Emotions, and Renewal." Sites: A Journal of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies 19, no. 2 (February 20, 2023): 49–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.11157/sites-id521.
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Australian settler fiction and poetry stage shifting notions of temporality in relation to bushfires. The fire was an important plot device in settler writing, initially adding a touch of local colour for readers back home in England through stories of melodramatic rescue. However, by the end of the nineteenth century, understandings of fire had begun to change, as settlers began to learn that fires were not simply one-off catastrophes, but rather they were recurring phenomena. Underpinning my arguments with theories of affect, in particular Brian Massumi’s work on ‘fear of future fire’ and the philosopher Alexander Bain’s work on trauma, I argue that as settlers became increasingly conscious of the cyclicality of bushfires, their understandings of time and its relation to landscape altered. Realist writing responded to this deepening knowledge of the Australian environment, and instead of emphasizing the fleeting drama of a fire, fiction began to focus on its seasonal return. These stories and poems highlight the extreme vigilance that accompanies heightened knowledge and memories of the land. We see characters waiting for fires to arrive in scenes that are often agonizing in their slow pace, leaving them caught, as Barbara Eckstein expresses it, ‘between bushfire and approaching’ (Eckstein 2014, 256). Yet we also see bushfires, both actual and anticipated, accumulate memories of fires that have come before, and the devastation they have caused. Memory and nostalgia play important and complicated roles in attempts to mediate and manage the Australian landscape, exposing the fiction of a land that could be tamed or pastoralized to become just like the home settlers had left behind. Drawing on the fire historian Tom Griffiths’ notion of the amnesia that enables survivors of bushfires to return to the site of the blaze and to build anew, I examine representations of characters who doggedly rebuild their old lives. In particular, I consider the fraught nature of ‘willed amnesia’ or the denial of the reality that fire will return, while also considering connections between memory and place. Keywords: bushfires; memory; disaster; fear; Australian settler culture
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Cheney, N. P. "Quantifying bushfires." Mathematical and Computer Modelling 13, no. 12 (1990): 9–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0895-7177(90)90094-4.
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Adedokun, Olufisayo, Temitope Egbelakin, Willy Sher, and Thayaparan Gajendran. "Why do people relocate to bushfire-prone areas in Australia." April 2024 10.47389/39, No 2 (April 1, 2024): 34–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.47389/39.2.34.
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Bushfires account for 40% of fatalities associated with declared disasters in Australia. A significant proportion of these fatalities occur closer to forested areas because over 90% of the recorded locations for the deaths were within 100 metres of bushland areas. Despite this, there has been an increase in people relocating to now-considered high-risk bushfire areas. This paper considers why people live in bushfire-prone areas particularly following Australia’s 2019–20 catastrophic summer bushfires. The study used a qualitative approach and conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with people living in the southeast part of New South Wales; a region hardest hit during the 2019–20 summer bushfire season. The interviews identified 7 reasons, as given by the participants, concerning why they thought people continued to move near bushland. The reasons were a quest for a ‘tree change’, proximity to family, location beauty, place attachment, work-related needs, property affordability and partner-related factors. These reasons were categorised into internal and external factors. This study serves as a useful reference when creating ways to encourage early self-evacuation and, ultimately, to reduce injuries and fatalities. These findings are not exhaustive and do not represent the entirety of New South Wales nor Australia or other countries. However, they represent a sample of lived experience by participants. Future studies might cover wider areas and include great numbers of participants and so garner diverse opinions about locations where people live and the hazard experienced.
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Platt, Stephen J., Shannon Treloar, and Gordon Friend. "Monitoring fire and biodiversity – the fire monitoring program of the Department of Sustainability and Environment." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 124, no. 1 (2012): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/rs12091.
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The interaction between fire and the environment is extremely complex. The Department of Sustainability and is taking a risk-based approach to bushfire management to minimise the impact of major bushfires on human life, property and the environment, and to maintain or improve ecosystem resilience. Since 2006, the Department has been undertaking flora and fauna monitoring and has established several programs including pre and post-fire flora monitoring,
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Smith, Michelle J. "Imagining Colonial Environments: Fire in Australian Children's Literature, 1841–1910." International Research in Children's Literature 13, no. 1 (July 2020): 1–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/ircl.2020.0324.
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This article examines children's novels and short stories published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that feature bushfires and the ceremonial fires associated with Indigenous Australians. It suggests that British children's novels emphasise the horror of bushfires and the human struggle involved in conquering them. In contrast, Australian-authored children's fictions represent less anthropocentric understandings of the environment. New attitudes toward the environment are made manifest in Australian women's fiction including J. M. Whitfield's ‘The Spirit of the Bushfire’ (1898), Ethel Pedley's Dot and the Kangaroo (1899), Olga D. A. Ernst's ‘The Fire Elves’ (1904), and Amy Eleanor Mack's ‘The Gallant Gum Trees’ (1910). Finally, the article proposes that adult male conquest and control of the environment evident in British fiction is transferred to a child protagonist in Mary Grant Bruce's A Little Bush Maid (1910), dispensing with the long-standing association between the Australian bush and threats to children.
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Insoime, Mohamed Sidi, and Félicitée Rejo Fienena. "Analyses de la Mise en Æuvre des Stratégies de Lutte contre les Feux de Brousse dans le District d’Ihosy, Région Ihorombe, Madagascar." European Scientific Journal, ESJ 20, no. 12 (April 29, 2024): 159. http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2024.v20n12p159.
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Les feux de brousse à Madagascar engendrent un phénomène répétitif et contribuent à la destruction de la richesse floristique et faunistique de la végétation. Le présent article se penche sur l'efficacité des stratégies de lutte contre les feux de brousse mises en œuvre dans le district d'Ihosy, situé dans la région Ihorombe. L'objectif principal est de déterminer les différentes stratégies de lutte contre les feux appliquées dans le district d’Ihosy et de pouvoir évaluer la performance des mesures adoptées pour prévenir et combattre les incendies de brousse dans ce district étudié. La méthodologie de cette étude implique une évaluation approfondie des initiatives actuelles, des politiques en place et des actions concrètes déployées pour faire face aux feux de brousse. Des données quantitatives et qualitatives sont collectées afin de mesurer l'impact des interventions sur la fréquence et l'intensité des incendies, ainsi que sur la préservation de la biodiversité locale. De façon typique, des enquêtes et des observations directes ont été réalisés sur le terrain. Sur ce, l’analyse des différentes stratégies de lutte préventive, active, communication et répression ont prouvé l’efficacité de cette lutte. Selon les observations directes et les données collectées sur le terrain, la diminution des incendies par rapport aux années précédentes est fortement liée à l’action participative et l’implication des acteurs des populations locales dans la lutte contre les feux de brousse. Certes les villageois constituent l’élément de base de la lutte mais, le budget alloué et les actions de lutte préventives des différentes zones d’actions sont nécessaires pour le succès de la lutte contre les feux de brousse à travers les sensibilisations et la mise en place des différents acteurs de lutte contre les feux dans chaque localité. En conclusion, cette analyse vise à contribuer à l'amélioration continue des pratiques de lutte contre les feux de brousse, en mettant en lumière les réussites à capitaliser et les domaines à améliorer dans le contexte spécifique d'Ihosy, dans la région Ihorombe, à Madagascar. The bushfires in Madagascar give rise to a repetitive phenomenon and contribute to the destruction of the floristic and faunistic richness of the vegetation. This article examines the effectiveness of bushfire control strategies implemented in the Ihosy district, located in the Ihorombe region. The main objective is to determine the different bushfire control strategies applied in the Ihosy district and to be able to assess the performance of measures adopted to prevent and combat bushfires in this studied district. The methodology of this study involves a thorough evaluation of current initiatives, existing policies, and concrete actions deployed to address bushfires. Quantitative and qualitative data are collected to measure the impact of interventions on the frequency and intensity of fires, as well as on the preservation of local biodiversity. Typically, surveys and direct observations have been conducted in the field. Thus, the analysis of different preventive, active, communication, and repression strategies has proven the effectiveness of this fight. According to direct observations and data collected in the field, the decrease in fires compared to previous years is strongly linked to participatory action and the involvement of actors from local populations in the fight against bushfires. Certainly, villagers constitute the basic element of the fight, but the allocated budget and preventive actions in different areas of action are necessary for the success of the fight against bushfires through awareness-raising and the establishment of various firefighting actors in each locality. In conclusion, this analysis aims to contribute to the continuous improvement of bushfire fighting practices, by highlighting successes to capitalize on and areas for improvement in the specific context of Ihosy, in the Ihorombe region, Madagascar.
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Davis, Deborah, Katelyn Barnes, Rebecca Williamson, Alison M. Behie, Christine Phillips, Rosalie Aroni, Celia Roberts, Ella Kurz, Danielle Schoenaker, and Christopher J. Nolan. "Pregnant women’s experiences of extreme exposure to bushfire associated smoke: a qualitative study." Environmental Research: Health 2, no. 1 (December 4, 2023): 015003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ad0d7d.
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Abstract In 2019/2020, multiple bushfires burned across south-east Australia converging into unprecedented megafires that burned 5.8 million hectares. From October 2019–February 2020, 80% of Australians were affected by smoke from these fires, exposing them to dramatic increases of PM2.5 in the air at an average level of ∼70 μg m3 per day, well above the World Health Organisation recommendation of ∼10 μg m3. Maternal exposure to PM2.5 has been associated with negative birth outcomes and an increased rate of birth defects, yet there is a dearth of literature regarding how pregnant women deal with exposure to bushfire smoke. The aim of this study was thus to investigate how pregnant and postpartum women experienced severe bushfire smoke associated with the 2019–2020 bushfires in south-east Australia and the strategies they used to mitigate exposure to smoke for themselves and their unborn or newborn children. Forty-three women who were exposed to fire and/or smoke from the 2019–2020 bushfires participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews via phone or videoconference. These women were selected purposively from a larger group of women who had elected to be interviewed. After interview, data were transcribed and thematically analysed using the four phases of disaster response (prevention, preparedness, response, recovery) as a frame. Overall, our results indicated that public health advice failed to meet the unique needs of this group. While many protected their properties appropriately and were reasonably well prepared for evacuation, they were unprepared for the disruption to vital services including power and communications. Women exposed to smoke inundation were unprepared for this outcome and self-initiated a variety of strategies. The support of community was also key to recovery. There is a clear need for specific recognition of the needs of pregnant women across all phases of disaster response, incorporating public health messaging, peer support, and access to resources.
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Homainejad, N., and C. Rizos. "APPLICATION OF MULTIPLE CATEGORIES OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS) IN DIFFERENT AIRSPACES FOR BUSHFIRE MONITORING AND RESPONSE." ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XL-1/W4 (August 26, 2015): 55–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-xl-1-w4-55-2015.
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Demand and interest in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for civilian applications, and advances in technology such as development of sense-and-avoid systems, will soon allow UAS to be flown alongside manned aircrafts in non-segregated airspace. An area that can benefit from the application of UAS is the bushfire services sector. Currently such services rely on watchtowers, fixed-wing manned aircrafts and satellite data for reliable information. UAS are a promising alternative to traditional methods of collecting bushfire data. There are several varieties of UAS and each category has certain limitations, hence a combination of multiple UAS with features appropriate for bushfire emergencies can be used simultaneously for collecting valuable data. This paper will describe the general UAS categories, some characteristics of Australian bushfires, and speculate on how a combination of several UAS operating in different airspaces can be of benefit for bushfire response personnel and firefighters.
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Vaughan, Adam. "Bushfires rage on." New Scientist 244, no. 3259 (December 2019): 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0262-4079(19)32282-1.
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Ebbs, Phillip. "Bushfires and burns." Journal of Paramedic Practice 12, no. 2 (February 2, 2020): 51. http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/jpar.2020.12.2.51.
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PACKHAM, DAVID. "BUSHFIRES IN AUSTRALIA." Australian Planner 30, no. 1 (March 1992): 8–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07293682.1992.9657542.
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Towers, Briony. "Children’s knowledge of bushfire emergency response." International Journal of Wildland Fire 24, no. 2 (2015): 179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/wf13153.
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In the aftermath of the Black Saturday bushfire disaster, the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission recommended that bushfire education be made a formal part of the Australian national curriculum. Crucially, the success of any hazards education program depends on the degree to which the learner’s existing knowledge and experience is accommodated in the education process. Yet accommodating children’s knowledge in bushfire education is hampered by a lack of research on how children conceptualise bushfire hazards. To address this gap, this paper presents a detailed qualitative analysis of children’s knowledge of bushfire hazards with a specific focus on emergency response. Across four bushfire-prone locations in south-eastern Australia, 26 focus group interviews were conducted with 87 children aged between 8 and 12 years. To better understand the construction of children’s knowledge, individual interviews were also conducted with 37 parents. Through their engagement in the research process, children demonstrated a capacity for engaging in serious discussions about bushfire hazards and although their knowledge was often characterised by gaps and misconceptions, they also demonstrated a capacity for understanding the fundamental principles of emergency response, particularly when they had been involved in bushfire planning within their household.
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Hayes, Peter A. J., and Mary M. Omodei. "Managing Emergencies: Key Competencies for Incident Management Teams." Australian and New Zealand Journal of Organisational Psychology 4 (April 1, 2011): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1375/ajop.4.1.1.
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AbstractEach year Australian fire and land management agencies deploy Incident Management Teams (IMTs) to manage bushfires. An important question is: what are the key competencies required for IMT personnel? Recent research in high reliability organisations suggests that teamwork-related competencies are likely to be most important because incident management depends critically upon interdependent team members, often operating in dynamic, uncertain, time pressured, and high stakes environments. This study used semi-structured interviews with experienced IMT personnel (N = 15) to identify 12 key competencies important for bushfire IMT roles. Analysis of 30 bushfire incidents described by interviewees confirmed that three competencies (a) interpersonal and communication skills, (b) leadership, and (c) IMT procedural knowledge were central. Potential implications for organisational decision making in emergency contexts in general are outlined.
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De Sisto, Marco, and John Handmer. "Communication: the key for an effective interagency collaboration within the bushfire investigation network." International Journal of Emergency Services 9, no. 3 (June 4, 2020): 299–312. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijes-04-2019-0020.
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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify strengths and weaknesses in knowledge sharing between related post-bushfire investigative agencies. Based on this study, such a sharing of knowledge is essential to enhance collaboration amongst practitioners in the reduction and management of the risk of bushfires.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a case study methodology; the research design is based on comparative analysis of six post-bushfire investigative departments in Italy and Australia (Victoria). A total of 44 bushfire investigators were interviewed between 2012 and 2013, across the two countries. Using focus groups and face-to-face interviews, the extent and quality of intra- and interagency knowledge sharing is analysed.FindingsDespite the desire to collaborate, there are three main conditions that prevent an effective interagency collaboration within the bushfire investigation network, namely, separation, unidirectionality and interpersonal disengagement. This study finds that knowledge sharing suffers from a missing “feedback system” culture, where agencies give each other feedback with strictly bureaucratic purposes, rather than create an ongoing learning mechanism that develops after every investigation. At agency level, we also find that, sharing investigative knowledge and experience through daily and planned meetings is a standard practice to police members; but this is not found in the fire agencies. When made cross-country comparisons between Australia and Italy, the existence of common courses, joint manuals and the sharing of human resources witnessed in Australia (Victoria) is something that would benefit Italian agencies still trapped in a competitive and jurisdictional mindset. At the same time, Australian agencies might want to reconsider the separation between bushfire suppression and investigation, a distinction that has been made clear in Italy through the creation of full-time bushfire investigator positions.Practical implicationsThis paper contributes to the improvement of interagency collaboration through the development of an investigative “social knowledge”. It reinforces the assumption that, to reduce and effectively manage the risk of bushfires, a combined effort from different stakeholders involved in forensic investigation is necessary.Originality/valueGiven the lack of research undertaken in the area of bushfire investigation, the current paper represents a unique piece of work. It is unusual, not only in identifying the current issues within the bushfire investigation network but also in providing agencies with theoretical and practical insights on how to reduce the extremely high number of bushfires and their risks.
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Pike, Caitlin E., Amy D. Lykins, Warren Bartik, Phillip J. Tully, and Suzanne M. Cosh. "Climate Change in Rural Australia: Natural Hazard Preparedness and Recovery Needs of a Rural Community." Climate 12, no. 5 (April 23, 2024): 57. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli12050057.
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Climate change has resulted in a worldwide increase in intensity and frequency of extreme weather events including bushfires. Previous research has shown that communities often do not engage in disaster preparedness, even when sufficient education and resources are provided. With the projected increase in natural disasters, preparedness is paramount, and more research is needed to gain an understanding into what impacts community preparedness in the face of climate change. This study investigated one rural Australian community’s preparedness for the 2019–2020 bushfires. Thirteen Australian adults who resided within a small rural community in New South Wales during the 2019–2020 bushfires participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Participants reported being unprepared for the 2019–2020 bushfires and that the community has started to prepare for future bushfires. However, they also described a belief in ‘climate cycles’ rather than climate change, limiting engagement in preparedness for future hazards. Participants also reported that they did not talk about the 2019–2020 bushfires, although described experiencing residual anxiety. Recommendations included support needed for rural communities to help with future preparedness efforts and mental health symptoms.
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Cowie, Christine T., Amanda J. Wheeler, Joy S. Tripovich, Ana Porta-Cubas, Martine Dennekamp, Sotiris Vardoulakis, Michele Goldman, Melissa Sweet, Penny Howard, and Fay Johnston. "Policy Implications for Protecting Health from the Hazards of Fire Smoke. A Panel Discussion Report from the Workshop Landscape Fire Smoke: Protecting Health in an Era of Escalating Fire Risk." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 11 (May 26, 2021): 5702. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115702.
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Globally, and nationally in Australia, bushfires are expected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. To date, protection of human health from fire smoke has largely relied on individual-level actions. Recent bushfires experienced during the Australian summer of 2019–2020 occurred over a prolonged period and encompassed far larger geographical areas than previously experienced, resulting in extreme levels of smoke for extended periods of time. This particular bushfire season resulted in highly challenging conditions, where many people were unable to protect themselves from smoke exposures. The Centre for Air pollution, energy and health Research (CAR), an Australian research centre, hosted a two-day symposium, Landscape Fire Smoke: Protecting health in an era of escalating fire risk, on 8 and 9 October 2020. One component of the symposium was a dedicated panel discussion where invited experts were asked to examine alternative policy settings for protecting health from fire smoke hazards with specific reference to interventions to minimise exposure, protection of outdoor workers, and current systems for communicating health risk. This paper documents the proceedings of the expert panel and participant discussion held during the workshop.