-
New directions
-
Survey of Black Saturday communities
-
Protecting fire fighters – an online resource
-
DC-10 trial gets in the air
-
Demand for Annual Report exceeds expectations
New directions
Last week, the Executive Management Team of the Bushfire CRC
met to map out the short and long term future of the Bushfire
CRC.
We are now in a period where the initial seven year period of
the Bushfire CRC program has moved from a research activity focus
to provision of research outputs that can be adopted by industry.
The next shift of emphasis is to the new three year research
program, which is being developed, and a longer term focus on how
best to provide industry with its knowledge needs on an ongoing
basis.
Bushfire CRC staff were joined by two of the new principal
scientific advisers, Professor Rod Keenan of the University of
Melbourne and Professor John Handmer of RMIT University, at the
Australian Emergency Management Institute at Mt Macedon.
The purpose of the meeting was to address all the issues that
are needed to take us forward.
This included a number of priorities such as:
- Ensuring the best processes are in place to manage research
outputs, online content, and internal business systems.
- Maintaining the high profile of the Bushfire CRC both amongst
all partners and in the wider community.
- Continuing with a strong output of publications and other
research products that meet the needs of industry
The Bushfire CRC Strategic Directions 2007-2010
document, which was presented to the Governing Board in late 2007,
was substantially reinvigorated by the discussion. A new strategic
directions document with a longer term outlook will be presented
later to the Governing Board for its approval.
Survey of Black Saturday Communities
A survey designed to help better understand residents’
actions in the 7 February 2009 Victorian bushfires has been
conducted and analysed as part of the more extensive Bushfire CRC
Research Taskforce work on the Black Saturday fires.
Building on the 600
face-to-face interviews with residents in fire affected areas, the
Task Force survey was sent to more than 6000 households in October
2009.
The survey gathered information on how the 7 February bushfires
affected people and their property. It included how information and
warnings were received and understood; the level of householder
planning; and peoples’ preparation and response to the
bushfires.
This research was funded by the Victorian Department of
Sustainability and Environment, the Country Fire Authority and the
Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner.
Download the Second Report on Human Behaviour and Community Safety or
the Executive Summary
Or read the
media
release
Protecting Firefighters – an online
resource
Following on from the good work that was
achieved at last September’s Bushfire CRC/AFAC Annual
Conference, more useful outputs from the pre conference workshops
are now available for our industry as part of the ongoing focus by
the Bushfire CRC on research adoption.
I encourage you to view our new Protecting
Firefighters Information Package, which combines the
research projects on Safe Behaviour and Decision Making, Effective
Incident Management Teams, and Firefighter Health and Safety. It is
also available on the
Knowledge Web.
The package includes summaries of presentations made at
the Protecting Firefighters Workshop as well as an
array of supporting written and visual materials.
The package will be supplemented by new products as they develop
and is designed primarily to assist with sharing basic information
on this important research. A Fire Update will be
published soon to more broadly promote this package. And please,
let us know what you think. Your feedback will help shape upcoming
projects.
DC-10 trial gets in the air
As mentioned in my previous newsletter,
the Bushfire CRC is conducting a trial of the DC-10 air tanker in
Victoria.
Since then, we have conducted trials over eucalypt bushland in
the Wombat State Forest, an hour west of Melbourne, on grasslands
near Avalon where the plane is based, and at a Mallee fire in the
north-west of Victoria.
All the data collected from these flights will be analysed for a
report at the conclusion of the trial period in March.
Demand for Annual Report exceeds
expectations
Our Annual Report 2008-9 was recently mailed to all
Bushfire CRC partners. We have had a number of requests for
additional copies and are endeavouring to meet this demand as soon
as possible. The report is a succinct statement on the year’s
activities accompanied by other information in a summary form that
some partners are finding useful when dealing with both internal
and external audiences. If you would like more copies contact
vaia.delizissis@bushfirecrc.com
The Annual Report is now also online.
Gary Morgan
CEO
Bushfire CRC
