Project Leader - Alison Cottrell, James Cook University

To increase community resilience to bushfires, people need a better understanding of how government policy and public perceptions interact. There is a need for a better understanding of how the expectations of service providers, communities and agencies agree or differ. This data will be used to develop methods to enhance agreement and resolve differences. Once these are developed they may be evaluated for their effectiveness in meeting the needs of communities and service providers for bushfire mitigation, response and recovery.

The Bushfire CRC is advancing research in this area which will make a significant contribution to community wellbeing and knowledge. The program includes documenting the impact of the COAG bushfire review on fire service provision, preparation of reports on bushfire hazards for indigenous communities on western Cape York Peninsula, a review of approaches to bushfire hazards by state government fire services, and a review of existing literature on communities and bushfires.

The project aims to develop a better understanding of community perceptions and attitudes to bushfires and incorporate research from other hazard studies that can be successfully adapted to these communities.

Project Leader: Dr Alison Cottrell, James Cook University, Ph: (07) 4781 4653

Judy Newton, Queensland Fire & Rescue Service, Ph: (07) 3247 8157