Understanding bushfire risk, warnings and responses - lessons from the 2018 Reedy Swamp fire

On Sunday 18 March 2018 a bushfire impacted on the communities of Reedy Swamp and Tathra in the Bega Valley Shire on the NSW south coast. The fire, known as the Reedy Swamp Fire, destroyed 65 and damaged 48 homes. 35 caravans and cabins were also destroyed. The fire displaced approximately 700 residents on the day, as well as an unknown number of tourists and visitors to Tathra. Fortunately no human lives were lost.

The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) commissioned the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre to undertake research into community preparedness and responses to the Reedy Swamp fire.

The research involved 87 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 120 people affected by the fire.

Key findings centre around the need to educate people further about the role that embers play in spreading bushfire into built-up areas, the dangers of late evacuation, providing greater clarity in official warning messages and how warnings may not be delivered in the event of power or technology failure. The study found that many people consider bushfire preparation as something that is undertaken when directly threatened by fire, not well in advance of an active threat. Many people within Tathra had not thought that a bushfire could impact the town, or had not considered the potential for fire to penetrate beyond the bush at the western edge of town. The research found that many of those who left at the last moment said they would leave earlier in a future bushfire and would be more prepared to gather animals and valuable items to take with them when they evacuated.

Based on this research, the NSW RFS continues to review and refine its approach to public information and warnings, and the structure and content of warning messages. The Service is piloting the use of Community Field Liaison teams to provide consistent messages and advice on the ground.

In addition to the Hazard Note, the full report is available at https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/publications/reedyswampfire

Further reading

Whittaker J, Blanchi R, Haynes K, Leonard J, Opie K (2017), Experiences of sheltering during the Black Saturday bushfires: Implications for policy and research, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 23, pp. 119-127.

Whittaker J, Haynes K, Tofa M, Wilkinson C, Taylor M (2020), Understanding bushfire risk, warnings and responses: A study of the 2018 Reedy Swamp fire, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.

Whittaker J and Taylor M (2018), Community preparedness and responses to the 2017 NSW bushfires, Hazard Note 45, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.

Whittaker J and Taylor M (2018), Community preparedness and responses to the 2017 NSW bushfires, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.