Magazine explores CRC research, case studies and technology

The Summer 2015/2016 edition of Fire Australia magazine features key research that’s making an impact on the fire, emergency services and land management sectors, including case studies, advances in technology and the application of local knowledge.  

The magazine, published by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, AFAC and the Fire Protection Association Australia, provides a quarterly update on the latest news, developments, research and technical information for the industry.

A highlight from this edition – Smart phones and sky scans for better fire mapping – explores the potential for more accurate mapping of bushfires using satellite technology. CRC researchers from the Disaster Landscape Attribution project have developed an app which will help land managers quickly and more accurately assess fuel loads before and after prescribed burns.

Be Ready Warrandyte examines a case study conducted by the CRC Out of uniform project in Warrandyte, Victoria, focusing on community-led initiatives for bushfire preparedness. Researcher Dr Blythe McLennan looks at the challenges and opportunities of sharing responsibility when preparing for bushfires.

In Perceptions of risk and connection to landscape, understanding people's sense of bushfire risk and connection to the landscape in which they live has helped researchers develop a visual mapping tool kit for working with residents of fire-prone areas. The tool kit has been developed by AFAC and is available here.

Reflecting on the 2015 International Day for Disaster Reduction, Knowledge for life, considers how combining traditional, local and Indigenous practices with current science and research can help remote communities reduce the risk of disasters.

How would Adelaide hold up if an earthquake struck? A case study put together by CRC researchers asks the question, What if a large earthquake hit Adelaide? In the case study the South Australian capital is put to the test of a realistic earthquake disaster scenario using a methodology developed by the research team.