@article {bnh-8116, title = {Indigenous fire and land management - impact and sustainability}, number = {680}, year = {2021}, month = {07/2021}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Context

Significant work has been done over the life of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre around the issues, opportunities and challenges facing remote Indigenous communities in the face of natural hazards. In the north of Australia, the predominant natural threats are cyclones, wildfire and flood, though the level of threat and impact of any of these differs considerably from region to region. There are other hazards that deeply concern remote community leaders, again, not equally across regions: heat stress and exposure, natural water resource salination and pollution, food security, toxicity and asthma issues from crude community waste burning, infrastructure issues (including road access); and related challenges; local capability to act, governance, resilience, inclusion etc.

The emergency management sector research has focused on technologies, capability, recruitment, and other aspects of EM agency preparation, response and recovery. This project responds to an identified gap in addressing the overall environment of Emergency management in remote areas. . . working together!

It is broadly recognised within Indigenous communities that EM is carried out FOR them, not WITH them. (See detailed discussion of this in the Arnhem Land context in Maypalama et. al.: 2016 and Sithole et. al.: 2021). This has generated increased interest, not only in the future engagement of communities in EM, but in the roles, if any, of EM and other agencies in the resilience of communities who, given structural and resource limitations in EM, are keen (and encouraged) to increase {\textquoteleft}self-reliance{\textquoteright} and take on more responsibilities in this space.

There is now a growing conversation nationally around government agencies and Indigenous communities collaborating more effectively. Much of this conversation has been around the perceived positive impact of traditional knowledge (particularly use of fire) on landscape health, and vulnerability to wildfire, how this may be integrated into rural fire service practice and what the real impact of this might be.

Indigenous leaders and rangers have consistently said and shown that use of fire is not separate from other (holistic) elements of caring for traditional country and that the social and cultural dimensions to land and fire management need to be acknowledged and respected to deliver the desired benefits to country and people (Sithole et. al. 2021: Maypalama et.al. 2019: James et. al. 2019: Burgess et. al. 2009). There are many aspects to this conversation and many perceived potential benefits of working together. They underpin this project{\textquoteright}s focus on partnerships to be able to explore this work together. Thus, the research brief is to:

Method

This research was conducted as a series of community-based discussions and workshops in the Northern Territory and north Queensland. NAILSMA provided resources, logistics, backgrounding and other support to local Indigenous researchers and facilitators who ran the meetings on country. This was a Participatory Action Research (PAR) method, consistent with preceding research on community resilience and partnerships by ARPNet and NAILSMA under the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC project Developing effective partnerships in remote north Australian communities: Indigenous research and leadership in Ramingining and Galiwin{\textquoteright}ku. Inherent in this approach are direct benefits to Indigenous researchers and their communities from the process and from longer term outcomes influenced by their research and advocacy with EM agency leaders.

\ Where possible, meeting notes from the NT and Qld discussions were drafted and circulated to respondents and all invitees to the final combined workshop. This was to share what had already been discussed and to help provide focus.

An Agency Reference Group (ARG) (made up predominantly of representatives from QFES, NTES and DFES, but including CDU, Red Cross, NAILSMA and BFNT people) was invited to review and respond to early workshop outcomes, and attend the final workshop. This step was to inform the ARG and Indigenous community invitees to the final workshop with a general view of both Indigenous and agency perspectives on EM priorities and partnership prospects. They were able to kick-off their face-to-face discussions with a degree of prior understanding and focus.

This final, combined workshop was hosted by Djabugay people on their land, facilitated by Barry Hunter, a Djabugay leader and consultant and supported by NAILSMA.

Findings

To inform a Future Research Strategy the research team has organised ideas from the workshop and broader project into:

The work found that gaps are evident within communities, within EM agencies and between them. Summary of the findings includes:

Research Priorities mirror the above gaps and challenges, leading to achieving practical steps in long-term relationship pathways:

Integrating Indigenous fire and land management knowledge with EM operations and systems is not about taking the knowledge, it{\textquoteright}s about building respectful and trusting relationships with Indigenous people to deliver more effective EM together.

Utilisation

This research method (Participatory Action Research) assumes that the Indigenous researchers and their communities are a focal end-user. Participating EM agencies are another key end-user, not only by benefiting from the research in the long run but through face-to-face interactions with community researchers through which opportunities and challenges in developing direct relationships with participating communities can be discussed and solutions progressed firsthand.

In this sense the research is being used as it develops, to benefit communities, relationship building and short-term achievable change. It is also aimed at the national agenda for partnerships with Indigenous land managers, seeking to inform the new Natural Hazards Research Australia[1] about future research priorities and to encourage more discussion, more experience sharing and broader engagement of Indigenous leaders and influential EM agency staff in collaborative workshops hosted by Communities in different jurisdictions on country. This latter aim reflects the success of this project{\textquoteright}s collaborations and use of this model as an ongoing forum to benefit the sector. See for example the Aims and Expectations of the final project workshop below.

\ The summary of next steps:

  1. Relevant EM agencies and community leaders to start or continue working on their relationship and achievable change now.
  2. This report, supported by participating agencies, is presented to the new Natural Hazards Research Australia as a foundation to attract a future fully funded program of collaborative PAR with community researchers and of partnered EM activity.
  3. For the next and future collaborative workshops to be planned and funding secured so they may become annual, focused, Indigenous led pillars of EM sector partnerships.
  4. Conversations continue at 3 levels: community level, transregional and across the multi-agency national conversation. This should include Qld, NT and WA EM agencies connecting more effectively with each other and supporting each other to progress partnership building at North Australia scale.
  5. Indigenous communities and land management groups, their representative organisations and supporters take whatever steps they are able to, to build resilience and capability in EM.
}, keywords = {challenges, Emergency management, fire management, Impact, indigenous, land management, opportunities, partnerships, research strategy, sustainability}, issn = {680}, author = {Glenn James and Danny Burton and Otto Bulmaniya Campion and Barry Hunter and Jimmy Morrison and Ted Gondarra and James Bayung} } @article {bnh-6850, title = {Adaptive prescribed burning in Australia for the early 21st Century {\textendash} context, status, challenges}, journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire}, volume = {29}, year = {2020}, month = {04/2020}, pages = {305-313}, abstract = {

Despite evident advances in knowledge and understanding concerning the application of prescribed burning for delivering benefits in wildfire control and a variety of sociocultural, economic and environmental outcomes, the practical application of prescribed burning in Australia is increasingly administratively and logistically complex, often controversial and climatically challenging. This series of papers does not address the merits or otherwise of prescribed burning {\textendash} we accept the lessons from antiquity and recent history that the use of prescribed fire in contemporary Australia is essential for reducing, although not always being able to deliver on, wildfire risks and meeting a variety of societal and environmental needs. This special issue focuses on several fundamental adaptive management and monitoring questions: are we setting appropriate management targets? Can these targets and associated indicators be readily measured? Can we realistically deliver on those targets? And if so, what are the costs and/or trade-offs involved? The 10 solicited papers included here provide a sample illustration of the diversity of approaches currently being undertaken in different Australian regions to address complex adaptive management and monitoring challenges.

}, keywords = {adaptive management, adaptive monitoring, fire management, fire regimes}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1071/WF20027}, url = {https://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF20027}, author = {Jeremy Russell-Smith and Lachlan W. McCaw and Adam J. Leavesley} } @article {bnh-7417, title = {Climatology of wind changes and elevated fire danger over Victoria, Australia}, journal = {Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth System Science}, year = {2020}, month = {10/2020}, abstract = {

Wind changes are a critical factor in fire management, particularly on days of elevated fire danger, and have been shown to be a factor in many firefighter entrapments in Australia and the USA. While there have been numerous studies of frontal wind changes over southeastern Australia since the 1950s, a spatial climatology of wind change strength and frequency over Victoria has hitherto been limited by the relatively low number of observation sites that have both high temporal resolution observations and sufficient length of record. This study used a recently developed high spatial (4-km grid) and temporal (1 hour) resolution, 46-year, homogeneous gridded fire weather climatology data set to generate a climatology of wind change strength by season at each gridpoint across Victoria. The metric used to define a wind change is the vector difference between the wind speed and direction over each 1-hour interval, with the highest value occuring on each day being selected for spatial analysis of strength and frequency. The highest values of wind change strength are found along the crest of the Great Dividing Range (the Great Divide), with a peak in spring. Elsewhere, the highest values occur in summer, with the areas south of the Great Divide, west of Melbourne and in central Gippsland showing higher values than the remainder of the state. The strength of wind changes generally decreases north of the Great Divide, although it is stronger in the northwest of the state in spring rather than in autumn. Lowest summertime (and other seasons) values occur in the northeast of the state and in far-east Gippsland. Exploring the frequencies of days when the highest daily Forest Fire Danger Index and the highest daily wind change strength jointly exceed defined thresholds shows that the northwest of the state has the highest springtime frequencies, whereas the highest autumn frequencies occur west of Melbourne and south of the Great Divide. The highest numbers of joint events in summer (when the greatest frequencies also occur) extend from central Victoria west to the South Australian border, with a secondary maximum in central Gippsland. These analyses offer important information for fire weather forecasters and for fire practitioners when preparing for a fire season or managing a fire campaign (for example, for allocating resources or understanding risks).

}, keywords = {Australia, bushfires, climatology, extreme weather, fire danger, fire management, firefighter entrapment, Victoria, wind changes}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1071/ES19043}, url = {https://www.publish.csiro.au/es/ES19043}, author = {Graham A. Mills and Sarah Harris and Brown, T and Alex Chen} } @article {bnh-6642, title = {A report on WRF software development (preliminary)}, number = {539}, year = {2020}, month = {01/2020}, institution = {Bushfire \& Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Bushfire is one of the major natural hazards Australia encounters every year because of its dry weather and widespread bushlands. During the dry season, occurrence of simultaneous bushfires at different locations is quite common. The fire management authorities face challenges on deployment of resources (human and other logistics) properly to mitigate multiple bushfires. To prioritize, they depend on the modelling of real-time behaviours of the fire under consideration. Fire rate of spread (RoS) is one of the most important parameters that the authority wants to determine before proceeding to resource allocation. RoS during forest fire can be slowed by reduced sub-canopy wind. In operational models, it is accounted by a parameter, wind reduction factor (WRF). Current values used as WRF are not based on science. In this work, we are presenting a software (preliminary version) that can calculate WRF scientifically. We apply a dynamic WRF obtained from a mathematical model in an operation model, Spark. This will lead to better prediction of RoS, once fully implemented.

}, keywords = {Bushfire, fire management, model, Rate of spread, software development}, issn = {539}, author = {Mahmood Rashid and James Hilton and Nazmul Khan and Duncan Sutherland and Khalid Moinuddin} } @article {bnh-6790, title = {Savanna fire management and bushfire and natural hazard scenario planning for north Australia}, number = {555}, year = {2020}, month = {03/2020}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The {\textquoteleft}Scenario planning for remote community risk management in northern Australia{\textquoteright} project is part of CDU{\textquoteright}s northern hub second round suite of projects, which commenced in July 2017. The hub involves collaborations between the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research (DCBR) at Charles Darwin University (CDU), the North Australia Indigenous Land \& Sea Management Alliance Ltd (NAILSMA), the Aboriginal Research Practitioners Network (ARPNet) also based at CDU, and regional stakeholders including north Australian Fire and Emergency Management agencies, Conservation Agencies and remote Indigenous communities. In this report, we provide summaries of the work undertaken to date in the two main components of the Northern hub{\textquoteright}s scenario planning project.

Firstly, we are developing a framework for the Fire \& Emergency Services agencies to engage with remote Indigenous communities to potentially improve Emergency Services delivery. The agencies recognise the need to improve the services provided remotely, but also recognise that in part and in some jurisdictions (particularly the NT) not only are they not funded to achieve this, also that the classic model of volunteering does not suit remote Indigenous community members, who are too busy dealing with unemployment and poverty. However, the expanding Indigenous Ranger program is a potential means to more appropriately engage with local Indigenous people to build resilience and disaster assistance.

The process has involved a suite of case studies where interviews have been undertaken with members of the, now, wide-spread Indigenous Ranger programs to ascertain the aspirations, willingness and capacity of the Indigenous Rangers to engage in EM activities. In this report, we provide summaries of the activities undertaken and information gathered to date at Hermannsberg in Central Australia, Broome in the Kimberley, Galiwinku on Elcho Island off Arnhem Land and Borroloola on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Secondly, we are continuing the program of service delivery of land management, monitoring and evaluation tools to assist fire managers in remote north Australia to develop {\textquotedblleft}Improved Fire Management Regimes{\textquotedblright}, by providing information with respect to the spatial distribution, and effects of fires on tropical savanna and rangeland habitats through the Savanna Monitoring \& Evaluation Reporting Framework (SMERF). In this report, we outline the further development of SMERF, in particular the proofing of the fire metrics collated in the previous year with a Far North Queensland Conservation estate case study in conjunction with partners at Queensland Parks \& Wildlife.

}, keywords = {fire management, Savanna, scenario planning}, issn = {555}, author = {Jeremy Russell-Smith and Kamaljit Sangha and Andrew C. Edwards} } @article {bnh-7311, title = {Seasonal fine fuel and coarse woody debris dynamics in north Australian savannas}, journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire}, year = {2020}, month = {09/2020}, abstract = {

Several studies have separately explored accumulation of the dominant fuels (grass, fine litter (\<6 mm diameter) and coarse woody debris (CWD, 6{\textendash}50 mm diameter)) in north Australian savannas. We report an analysis of two longitudinal datasets describing how these three fuel components covary in abundance throughout the year in eucalypt-dominated savanna over a rainfall gradient of 700{\textendash}1700 mm mean annual rainfall (MAR). Our observations concur generally with previous observations that litter accumulation results in a late dry season (LDS) peak in biomass, whereas cured grassy fuels typically are seasonally invariant, and CWD inputs are associated with stochastic severe wet season storms and dry season fires. The distinct LDS litter peak contributes significantly to the potential for LDS fires to be of higher intensity, burn more fuel per unit area and produce greater emissions relative to early dry season (EDS) fires. However, Australia{\textquoteright}s current (2018) formal savanna burning emissions avoidance methodology erroneously deems greater EDS fine fuel (grass and fine litter) biomass in four of nine designated vegetation fuel types. The study highlights the need to develop seasonally dynamic modelling approaches that better account for significant seasonal variation in fine fuel inputs and decomposition.

}, keywords = {emissions abatement, fire management, fire regime, fire seasonality, foliage projective cover, fuel accumulation, litter fuels, tropical savanna}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1071/WF20073}, url = {https://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/WF20073}, author = {Yates, Cameron P. and Harry MacDermott and Jay Evans and Murphy, Brett P. and Jeremy Russell-Smith} } @conference {bnh-6510, title = {Detecting active fires from space using Himawari-8: a report from the regional New South Wales trial }, booktitle = {AFAC19 powered by INTERSCHUTZ - Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forum}, year = {2019}, month = {12/2019}, publisher = {Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience}, organization = {Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Continuous monitoring fires over Australia using Himawari-8 geostationary satellite data (available every 10 minutes) has the potential to change lives.

Active-fire hotspots are routinely available from polar-orbiting satellites such as MODIS and VIIRS (Giglio et al. 2003; Giglio et al. 2016; Schroder et al. 2014) over Australia. Active-fire hotspots from those systems are only available a few times a day, with the specific times dictates by the satellite orbits themselves. With satellite orbits not necessarily concurring with time of maximum fire activity. In late 2015 though, the Japanese Meteorological Agency launched the Himawari-8 geostationary satellite, with full-disk observations (including Australia) available every 10 minutes (Bessho et al. 2016). These frequent observations have the potential to support continuous real-time satellite monitoring of active fires over Australia.

Download the full non-peer reviewed research proceedings\ from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forumhere.

}, keywords = {fire management, fires, monitoring, risk management, Satellite}, url = {https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/australian-journal-of-emergency-management-monograph-series/}, author = {Chermelle Engel and Stuart Matthews and Simon Jones and Karin Reinke} } @article {bnh-5424, title = {Determining Threshold Conditions for Extreme Fire Behaviour Annual Report 2017-2018}, number = {460}, year = {2019}, month = {03/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Extreme fires cause disproportionate impacts on the environment and the community. There are significant incentives to being able to predict their occurrence and behaviour. Most existing fire behaviour models have been developed based on data and observations of fires that were small to moderate in size. Consequently, they are not able to emulate the dynamic bushfire behaviour that can occur under extreme conditions.

The main aim of this project is to investigate the conditions and processes under which bushfire behaviour undergoes major transitions, including fire convection and plume dynamics, evaluating the consequences of eruptive fire behaviour (spotting events, convection driven wind damage, rapid fire spread) and determining the combination of conditions for such behaviours to occur (e.g. unstable atmosphere, fuel properties and weather conditions). To do this the project was separated into two phases. The first phase of the project was focused on data collection about extreme fires, analysis the frequency of occurrence of extreme fire phenomena and determination the potential of including them in fire behaviour models.

}, keywords = {extreme fire behaviour, fire behavour, fire management}, author = {Alex Filkov and Thomas Duff and Trent Penman} } @conference {bnh-6504, title = {Experiences with the global impacts of climate change}, booktitle = {AFAC19 powered by INTERSCHUTZ - Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forum}, year = {2019}, month = {12/2019}, publisher = {Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience}, organization = {Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Textbox Australia{\textquoteright}s emergency managers are in the grips of climate change. The climate is changing in Canberra, where I work. In turn that is affecting the spectrum of incidents that we as emergency managers are responding to. This involves the community through the risks to the community (that we seek to mitigate).

I seek to explore this through my direct experiences on the job: as an emergency manager, as a technical expert and as a research scientist. Our climate in Canberra has changed, and has changed dramatically, starting with the 1997 El Ni{\~n}o event when our climate started following what is termed the {\textquotedblleft}Hockey Stick Curve{\textquotedblright} (Mann et al, 1999). A typical summer now involves: extreme heat, extreme atmospheric moisture, extreme storms and extreme raised dust. By using the hockey stick concept it is clear that this is not the {\textquotedblleft}New Norm{\textquotedblright}, rather that the situation may deteriorate quickly.

Looking more widely, across the nation, we have seen challenging wildfire outbreaks in Queensland, Tasmania (twice) and other areas. My work as a fire behaviour analyst (FBAN) makes it clear that our prior expectations are losing their validity. What do we replace them with? Looking globally, I have deployed to Canada as an FBAN and I am collaborating as part of a global atmospheric research project looking at the growing impact of fire thunderstorms (pyroCbs). This required monitoring of smoke impact on the Greenland Ice Cap, and its potential impacts. I was in the IMT for two of the world{\textquoteright}s most significant pyroCb events. We are seeing this new wildfire problem occur in new regions, starting with Australia in 2001, but now expanding rapidly every year.

Staggering changes, devastating impacts and massive challenges - are we adapting correctly? I offer some take-home messages to help, covering observing, sharing, preparing and adapting.

Download the full peer reviewed research proceedings\ from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forumhere.

}, keywords = {Climate change, Emergency management, Fire behaviour, fire impacts, fire management, global impact, Wildfire}, url = {https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/australian-journal-of-emergency-management-monograph-series/}, author = {Rick McRae} } @article {bnh-5697, title = {From hectares to tailor-made solutions for risk mitigation: annual project report 2018-19}, number = {487}, year = {2019}, month = {07/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

We are pleased to present the 2018-2019 Annual Report for the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC project, {\textquotedblleft}From hectares to tailor-made solutions for risk mitigation: systems to deliver effective prescribed burning across Australian ecosystems{\textquotedblright}. The project aims to provide critical support to agency decision makers across southern Australia by undertaking a systematic investigation of the drivers of prescribed burning effectiveness across the region. This report describes the background, research approach and key milestones since the previous Annual Report in 2017-2018. The report focuses on the research outputs informing the development of the Prescribed Fire Atlas. The project has now delivered a rich, layered dataset capable of addressing nuanced questions about the quantitative risk reduction available through prescribed burning for multiple management values in varying landscapes. The project is now entering its final phase as we complete climate change and cost-effectiveness analyses and launch the Prescribed Burning Atlas in 2019/20. The Prescribed Burning Atlas will provide geographically based summary of risk for decision makers in an accessible, user friendly format. Our project is unique in placing the design and delivery of this utilisation output at the heart of the project. Active involvement of end users throughout 2020 and beyond will be crucial in ensuring uptake and translation into outcomes for end users and the communities they serve.

}, keywords = {cost-effective, ecosystems, fire management, Prescribed burning}, author = {Hamish Clarke and Owen Price and Matthias M. Boer and Brett Cirulis and Trent Penman and Ross Bradstock} } @article {bnh-5426, title = {Relicts at Risk: Impacts of the 2016 Tasmanian Fires on Pencil Pine (Athrotaxis Cupressoides)}, number = {459}, year = {2019}, month = {03/2019}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

The main goal of this study is to obtain empirical measurements of fuel loads within the first year after a fire to complement the measurements of fuel loads taken directly before the fires.\  This will not only allow us to precisely quantify the fuel loads consumed by these relatively low-severity fires, but it will also give us a baseline measurement of fuel loads.\  We can use this baseline to anchor measurements of fuel accumulation in mature wet eucalypt forests that are part of related TERN and BNHCRC studies attempting to measure both the effects of climate and stand age on fuel accumulation in wet forests.\ 

}, keywords = {fire impacts, fire management, post-fire recover}, author = {Aimee Bliss and Lynda Prior and David Bowman} } @conference {bnh-6507, title = {Safety awareness of firefighters and their perception of fire risks in cladding fires }, booktitle = {AFAC19 powered by INTERSCHUTZ - Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forum}, year = {2019}, month = {12/2019}, publisher = {Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience}, organization = {Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Owing to the extensive use of polymers in building products, there is the urgent need to resolve the present fire risks of highly combustible cladding products. Apart from understanding the risks associated with cladding materials on buildings, it is also essential to evaluate the underlying risks of existing noncompliant materials on buildings for residents, owners, and the public, and for firefighters during the management of such fire events. In this article, a fire risk perception survey was constructed by a collaborative effort from Fire and Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) and University of New South Wales. The survey can be subdivided into four major parts, i) demographics, ii) risk awareness and identification associated with cladding material, iii) the firefighter{\textquoteright}s own perceived risk associated with cladding fires and iv) risk mitigating behaviours. The majority of the questions are designed with five distinctive levels (i.e. ranging from rare to almost certain, or negligible to very high), and it will be distributed to firefighters from major states and rural fire agencies around Australia. The results will formulate a large and comprehensive database to increase our understanding of the firefighter{\textquoteright}s risk perception associated with combustible cladding materials.

Download the full peer reviewed research proceedings\ from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Research Forumhere.

}, keywords = {cladding, Emergency management, fire management, Fire risk, firefighter, risk awareness}, url = {https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/australian-journal-of-emergency-management-monograph-series/}, author = {Timothy Bo Yuan Chen and Anthony Chun Yin Yuen and Qing Nian Chan and Guan Heng Yeoh} } @mastersthesis {bnh-6114, title = {Sprinkler systems for the protection of buildings from wildfire}, volume = {Doctor of Philosophy}, year = {2019}, month = {08/2019}, school = {University of Wollongong}, type = {Doctorate}, address = {Wollongong}, abstract = {

Wildfires pose a significant hazard in many residential areas around the world. Minimisation of the risk to human lives and property requires a multi-faceted approach, involving fuel reduction, fire suppression, and engineering measures to improve the resistance of buildings to the effects of intense radiant heat, burning embers and flame contact. Measures that are recommended to improve the wildfire resistance of buildings typically focus on building materials and design features, as well as fuel sources close to the building. Wildfire sprinkler systems are often promoted as an optional, additional risk-mitigation measure. Typically, such systems are designed to spray water on building external surfaces, surround the building with airborne droplets, and/or wet nearby fuel sources during wildfires.

}, keywords = {Emergency management, Fire, fire management, sprinklers}, url = {https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses1/617/}, author = {Alan Green} } @article {bnh-5650, title = {Where to prescribe burn: the costs and benefits of prescribed burning close to houses}, journal = {International Journal of Wildland Fire}, year = {2019}, month = {06/2019}, abstract = {

Prescribed burning is used in Australia as a tool to manage fire risk and protect assets. A key challenge is deciding how to arrange the burns to generate the highest benefits to society. Studies have shown that prescribed burning in the wildland{\textendash}urban interface (WUI) can reduce the risk of house loss due to wildfires, but the costs and benefits of different arrangements for prescribed burning treatments have rarely been estimated. In this study, we use three different models to explore the costs and benefits of modifying the spatial arrangement of prescribed burns on public land, using the south-west of Western Australia as a case study. We simulate two hypothetical scenarios: landscape treatments and WUI treatments. We evaluate the long-term costs and benefits of each scenario and compare the results from the three models, highlighting the management implications of each model. Results indicate that intensifying prescribed burning treatments in public land in the WUI achieves a greater reduction in damages compared with applying the majority of the treatments in rural areas. However, prescribed burning in the WUI is significantly more expensive and, despite additional benefits gained from this strategy, in most cases it is not the most economically efficient strategy.

}, keywords = {benefit-cost analysis, fire management, fuel treatment, house loss, Prescribed burning, preventative mitigation, risk, trade-off, wildland fire economics, Wildland-urban interface}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1071/WF18192}, url = {http://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/WF18192}, author = {Veronique Florec and Michael Burton and David J Pannell and Joel Kelso and George J. Milne} } @article {bnh-6041, title = {Incentivising fire management in Pindan (Acacia shrubland): A proposed fuel type for Australia{\textquoteright}s Savanna burning greenhouse gas emissions abatement methodology}, journal = {Ecological Management \& Restoration}, volume = {19}, year = {2018}, month = {08/2018}, pages = { 230-238}, abstract = {

The Australian Government has sanctioned development of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) abatement methodologies to meet international emissions reduction obligations. Savanna burning emissions abatement methodologies have been available since 2012, and there are currently 72 registered projects covering approximately 32 million ha. Abatement to date has exceeded 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) principally through the application of low intensity early dry season fire management to reduce the amount of biomass combusted in higher intensity late dry season (LDS) fires. Savanna burning projects can only be conducted on areas with eligible fire-prone vegetation fuel types where implementing the improved fire management regime is considered ecologically appropriate. This study assesses the suitability of including tall\ Acacia\ shrublands ({\textquoteleft}Pindan{\textquoteright}) as a new eligible fuel type. These shrublands make up 12\% (~2 million ha) of the Kimberley region, Western Australia, where, on average, 32\% is fire affected annually, mostly in the LDS. A standard assessment protocol was applied to describe vegetation fuel type structural and pyrolysis characteristics. We show that Pindan (i) can be identified and mapped as a unique tall\ Acacia\ shrubland vegetation fuel type, (ii) characterised by a significantly greater shrubby fuel load biomass, and (iii) the conservation status of which would benefit from imposition of strategic prescribed burning programme. Savanna burning projects in the Pindan fuel type could potentially abate up to 24.43\ t.CO2-e/km2\ per year, generating significant income and employment opportunities for predominantly Indigenous land managers in the region.

}, keywords = {Abatement, fire management, Savanna}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12334}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/emr.12334}, author = {Erin Lynch and Jeremy Russell-Smith and Andrew C. Edwards and Jay Evans and Yates, Cameron P.} } @article {bnh-6928, title = {Sources of soil dryness measures and forecasts for fire danger rating }, year = {2015}, month = {12/2015}, institution = {Bureau of Meteorology }, address = {Canberra}, abstract = {

The fuel availability estimates in McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index used in Australia for issuing operational fire warnings is based on soil moisture deficit, calculated as either the Keetch{\textendash}Byram Drought Index (KBDI) or Mount{\textquoteright}s Soil Dryness Index (MSDI). These indices are essentially simplified, empirical water balance models designed to estimate soil moisture depletion in the upper soil levels. These two models over-simplify processes like evapotranspiration and runoff which can lead to large uncertainties in the predicted soil moisture deficit. With advancements in the science of soil moisture measurement and modelling, better products are available for use in fire danger ratings. As such, a detailed review of the established and emerging soil moisture estimation techniques becomes necessary. With this in view, efforts have been made in this paper to discuss various soil moisture estimation methods, their advantages and limitations in a fire danger rating context. The discussion is not intended to be complete and reflect the authors{\textquoteright} interests, but we hope that it helps to highlight the soil moisture data sources that may not be well known outside the hydrological community, especially the people in fire management.

}, keywords = {fire management, Forecasting, forest fire danger index, fuel, soil dryness}, isbn = {978-0-642-70672-0}, issn = {Bureau Research Report - BRR009}, url = {http://www.bom.gov.au/research/publications/researchreports/BRR-009.pdf}, author = {Vinod Kumar and Imtiaz Dharssi} } @article {14, title = {Integrated economic assessment of fire risk management strategies: Case studies in Central Otago, New Zealand, and Mount Lofty Region, South Australia}, volume = {44}, year = {2014}, month = {24/02/2014}, institution = {Bushfire CRC}, address = {Melbourne, Australia}, abstract = {

There are various options available to fire managers for strategically reducing losses from future fires. With limited funds, an increasing population to protect from fire, and an increasing tendency for people to live in fire-prone areas, fire managers face a significant resource allocation challenge. Knowing which fire-risk mitigation strategies provide the best value for money is potentially of great benefit. However the assessment of fire prevention strategies is complex, requiring integration of a large volume of information of various different types (technical, social, economic).

The aim of this study is to provide insights into the question of which fire-prevention strategies provide the best value for money? The approach taken in this analysis was inspired by INFFER (the Investment Framework for Environmental Resources), particularly by its application to the Gippsland Lakes. The management problem addressed in that study was similarly complex as the fire management problem. It was addressed using a quantitative analysis that integrated information about risk, management, costs, and values, in a spatial context, with high levels of stakeholder consultation. A broadly similar approach is applied in this study. We present a quantitative decision framework to provide an integrated assessment of the benefits and costs of fire risk management strategies.

Key findings from the project follow below. It is important to remember that these are specific pilot studies (and hence the outcomes relate to the two study areas and the scope of the analyses conducted). Generalisations about prescribed burning for other areas and circumstances should not be drawn from these studies. This project shows that the methodology works and can provide valuable decision-making inputs to fire management programs.

Various fire risk management strategies have potential to generate benefits, but they should be applied in a targeted way. This was particularly the case for prescribed burning in the Mount Lofty region study (South Australia), where a general prescribed burning strategy across all sub-regions does not provide value for money but prescribed burning in targeted sub-regions does.

Some strategies have particularly high costs and these are unlikely to provide value for money unless they can generate exceptional levels of fire prevention. The high cost usually occurred because strategies required actions over a large area and therefore incurred costs over a large area.

Benefits from reductions in fire spread from one zone to another were relatively low in both case studies. The majority of benefits were generated from strategies that were applied within or close to the valuable assets. Although information about fire spread was relatively weak, results were not sensitive to changes in the assumptions about spread within a plus/minus 50 per cent range.

On average, benefits from reducing asset losses are much larger than benefits from reducing suppression costs.

The most severe fires tend to cause the majority of losses, even after allowing for the fact that the most severe fires are rare events. This means that the majority of benefits from fire management occur in rare events. In between those rare events, strategies that offer good value for money on a long-term probabilistic basis may have costs in excess of benefits in most years.

The quantity and quality of available data was low for a number of key parameters. Some information was not collected, and some was not in an easily interpretable format.

In both case studies (Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia and Central Otago, New Zealand) the model results were found to be sensitive to several variables about which uncertainty was high. These provide a potential focus for future data collection.

}, keywords = {fire management, risk management}, isbn = {978 - 0 - 9875218 - 6 - 6}, author = {David J Pannell and Fiona L Gibson} }