Project Leaders are Douglas Paton, University of Tasmania; Peter Hughes and Peter White, La Trobe University and Bernd Rohrmann, University of Melbourne.

Risk communication is an ongoing difficulty for fire and emergency services. Coroner's reports continue to refer to the need for better, timely warnings and advice on safe action during fire events. This is because a significant proportion of the population in many communities fail to respond appropriately or adequately to fire weather and fire emergency warnings. The failure of pre-event safety messages, fire warnings, post-event communications and the associated action advice results in lower standards of safety and increased property, heritage or cultural, environmental and social losses.

One aim of this Bushfire CRC project is to develop a better understanding of community engagement with the media to facilitate better communication by agencies and more effective use of the media. The way in which communities and individuals respond to warnings and prepare in advance of an event, is strongly influenced by community psychology, and personal experiences and beliefs. For warning messages to be heeded the community needs to recognise that they are at risk.

The aim of this element of the research is to better understand how fire services can better deliver preparedness and warning messages to communities. Substantial research has been undertaken around Canberra and Hobart to gauge how people interpret community safety messages from agencies.

Outputs will include a framework and methodology for identifying community information and risk communication needs during bushfire emergency which is expected to lead the outcome of better informed and prepared communities.