2002/03 – Brindabella Ranges, Canberra
ACT/NSW
The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe
damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city.
Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s pasture,
forests and nature parks was severely damaged, and the renowned
Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. After burning for a week
around the edges of the ACT, the fires entered the suburbs of
Canberra on 18 January 2003. Over the next ten hours, four people
died and more than 500 homes were destroyed or severely damaged,
requiring a significant relief and reconstruction effort.
June 2007 –
Recovering from the 2003 Canberra Bushfire – A Work in
Progress, Australian Catholic University
A university based research team has found that many people
affected by the 2003 bushfires believe their local communities and
neighbourhoods were strengthened after the fires and that the
Bushfire Recovery Centre at Lyons became a lifeline to those who
had lost their homes or had suffered other losses.
The research report, “Recovering from the 2003 Canberra
bushfire: A work in progress” is based on a survey answered
by more than 500 people and a follow-up interview process. The
project was conducted by researchers from Australian Catholic
University (ACU National), the University of Canberra and the ACT
Department of Health, and funded by Emergency Management Australia,
under their Research and Innovation Program, with support from the
ACT Government.
Australian Catholic University Media Release
December, 2006 -
The Canberra Firestorm: Inquests and Inquiry into 4 Deaths and 4
Fires between 8 – 18 January 2003 - copy of report
2004 -
Drew B Richardson and Sashi Kumar, Emergency response to the
Canberra bushfires, The Medical Journal of Australia MJA 2004; 181
(1): 40-42
August 2003 – McLeod Inquiry into the
Operational Response to the 2003 Canberra Bushfires
The ACT Government established the McLeod Inquiry to examine and
report on the operational response to the bushfires. The Inquiry
was headed by Ron McLeod, a former Commonwealth Ombudsman. The
Inquiry handed down its findings on 1
August 2003 .
The Inquiry recommended there should be increased emphasis given to
controlled burning as a fuel-reduction strategy. That access to and
training of emergency personnel in remote areas need to be
improved. That a number of changes be made to the emergency
services and the policies that govern their operations, including a
greater emphasis on provision of information to the public.
2003
Canberra Bushfires - Wikipedia
2003 - 666 ABC
Canberra – Media Coverage of the Canberra Bushfires
Linton Bushfire - December 1998
The Linton bushfire occurred on Wednesday December 2, 1998. The
fire was six kilometers north of Linton in western Ballarat. It
burnt 660 hectares of private and public land. During the eventing
two CFA tankers became entrapped. One successfully took survival
action. The other was destroyed by fire and its crew of fire
volunteer firefighters perished.
Links to other Lessons Learnt Centres of Interest
Wildland
Fire Lessons Learned Centre (US) - aim is to improve safe work
performance through organisational learning in interagency wildland
fire
