Research leader

A/Prof Kevin Tolhurst
A/Prof Kevin Tolhurst Research Leader

Research team

Dr Derek Chong
Dr Derek Chong Research Team

End User representatives

Lauren Sturgess End-User

This project was commissioned and funded entirely by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria. 

The project had two primary aims:

  • better describe the characteristics of bushfires that have the greatest impact on house loss and the effect of land use planning responses in reducing bushfire risk; and
  • validate the model against documented fire events.

These aims were met by providing:

  • quantification of convective strength across the landscape and validate it against documented fire events;
  • an algorithm to improve convective updraught strength to calculate maximum local wind strength;
  • a better ember launch and transport model;
  • a relationship between the modelled ember attack levels on dwelling ignition and spotfire development; and
  • an improved PHOENIX RapidFire characterisation and improved understanding of bushfire risk and the assessment of treatment options for improved planning responses through the development of specific planning modules.