Research loaded program for AFAC19

The latest natural hazards science is set to be the feature this year at AFAC19 powered by INTERSCHUTZ, the annual Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC and AFAC conference.

With the program released around the theme A shift to the new norm: riding the wave of change, the conference will be held in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 27-30 August.

The conference opens with the traditional Research Forum, highlighting the leading research in emergency management from not just the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, but beyond.

The Forum includes topics on a diverse range of emergency management aspects, from fire behaviour, predictive services and smoke modelling, to community preparedness, health & wellbeing and resilience & recovery.

This year will also see the first Dr Laurie Hammond oration, in honour of the CRC’s late Chair, CRC CEO Dr Richard Thornton announced.

“Laurie was a thought leader for our field and significantly shaped the direction of the CRC. We are very pleased to announce that the inaugural Dr Laurie Hammond oration will be given by Prof Mary O’Kane AC. Prof O’Kane has had a distinguished career in research and higher education and will discuss science and its impact upon policy and practice at local, national and international levels,” Dr Thornton said.

Dr Thornton believes that research has a huge role to play to reduce the impacts of natural hazards and to help prepare for the unexpected.

“This is why the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC exists and is a key partner in AFAC19. The strength of the CRC lays in its collective nature,” Dr Thornton said.

CRC researcher Prof Lisa Gibbs (University of Melbourne) and John Richardson (Red Cross) along with leading climate scientist Prof Andrew Pitman (University of New South Wales) will present the opening keynotes for the Research Forum. Prof Gibbs and Mr Richardson will speak about research learnings from Black Saturday and recovery from traumatic events, while Prof Pitman will cover climate extremes and what they mean for natural hazards in the future.

Other speakers featured within the AFAC19 conference are former UNDRR director Dr Robert Glasser, demographer Eliane Miles and former New Zealander of the Year Dr Lance O’Sullivan. The conference will conclude with a panel session exploring what has changed in the decade since Black Saturday.

The conference will be run concurrently with the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) National Conference and the Australian Disaster Resilience Conference (ADRC) as streams during the conference.

Over 100 exhibitors will also feature at the conference, showcasing the best of emergency services in the air, land and sea.

Don’t miss out on your chance to hear local and international speakers share the latest in research and practice across the emergency management sector. Register now to take advantage of the Early Bird offer which expires on the 28 June.

AFAC19 will conclude with field trips and several professional development programs that feature a forum on personal protective clothing and equipment, firefighter safety research and a workshop on emergency management’s digital future.

You can view the full program on the conference website.