Spotlight on CRC research at AFAC21 powered by INTERSCHUTZ

Several leading Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC researchers and experts will present the latest findings and resources for various research topics at the AFAC21 powered by INTERSCHUTZ conference, taking place online from 5–7 October with the theme ‘Balancing impact and expectations’:

Risk management

5 Oct, 10am – In a keynote presentation, Dr Adriana Keating (RMIT University), Prof John Handmer (RMIT University) and Dr Ken Strahan (Strahan Research) will summarise the value of CRC-funded disaster risk management research.

5 Oct, 2:40pm – Dr Strahan is also presenting with John Gilbert (Country Fire Authority) about their award-winning community archetypes that are guiding agency evacuation messaging campaigns.

5 Oct, 11:15am – Celeste Young (Victoria University) will explain the importance of inclusion when managing risk within emergency management organisations.

5 Oct, 11:15am – Dr Hamish Clarke (University of Wollongong) will ask which measurement systems we should be using to measure bushfire risk.

7 Oct, 2pm – Andrew Gissing (Risk Frontiers) will examine how well-prepared Australia is for severe-to-catastrophic disasters by presenting the new CRC-funded Capability Development Framework and showing how research can improve capability planning.

Future workforce

5 Oct, 12:15pm – Dr Blythe McLennan (Acting Utilisation and DELWP Program Manager at Natural Hazards Research Australia) will discuss the emergency services workforce in 2030 and how it can be strengthened by research from sectors other than emergency management.

Indigenous-led partnerships

5 Oct, 11:15am – Dr Timothy Neale (Deakin University) and Dr Adam Leavesley (ACT Parks and Conservation Service) will draw on CRC research to discuss the principles for partnership between First Nations people, and land and fire agencies. 

6 Oct, 3pm – Dr Kamaljit Sangha (Charles Darwin University) will highlight research about building resilience in remote Indigenous communities across northern Australia, including the development of Indigenous-led partnerships with agencies through scenario planning.

7 Oct, 11:10am – Dr Sangha will also present on understanding the true cost of natural hazards in the Northern Territory and developing effective, collaborative arrangements with remote communities to better manage natural hazards. 

Fire management

5 Oct, 2:10pm – Dr Alexander Filkov (University of Melbourne) will present CRC research about merging fire behaviours and how these interact with planned burning strategies.

5 Oct, 2:40pm – Dr Mahmood Rashid (Victoria University) will highlight the latest wind reduction factor modelling that considers vegetation data when predicting rate of wildfire spread.

7 Oct, 11:40am – Dr Thomas Duff (Country Fire Authority) will present an analysis of historic fires to define prescriptions and identify suitable prescribed burning windows for different landscapes.

6 Oct, 3pm – Dr Andrew Dowdy (Bureau of Meteorology) will introduce a long-range prediction system for fire weather conditions, developed as a new capability for Australian agencies.

Mental health

6 Oct, 4:50pm – Dr Amanda Taylor and Dr Jane Cocks (University of Adelaide) will showcase the results from a recent national survey of mental health and wellbeing in young emergency service volunteers, including the recently developed positive mental health resources.

6 Oct, 5:20pm – Wavne Rikkers (University of Western Australia) will discuss barriers that emergency service workers face when seeking help for mental health conditions.

Communications

5 Oct, 11:45am – Dr Erica Kuligowski (RMIT University) will present key findings about the use of videos in flood and fire emergency communications, and how videos can be used to more effective achieve agency goals.

6 Oct, 11:40am – Dr Briony Towers (RMIT University) and Leigh Johnson (Harkaway Primary School) will demonstrate the power of school-based bushfire education using the case study of Harkaway Primary School in Victoria.

Disaster resilience and recovery

5 Oct, 2:10pm – Phoebe Quinn (University of Melbourne), John Richardson (Australian Red Cross) and Emily Campbell (Massey University) will highlight the challenges of embracing complexity and simplicity when developing community-focused recovery resources.

5 Oct, 2:40pm – Completed PhD student Dr Susan Hunt will present key lessons from CRC research that collaborated with local government to see how they can leverage resilience through their many policies and plans.

5 Oct, 3:10pm – Prof Lisa Gibbs (University of Melbourne) will reflect on learnings from the 10 years of the Beyond Bushfires study and how community changes over time and place.

7 Oct, 12:10pm – Prof Gibbs, who leads the Recovery Capitals research at the CRC, will also present on community-led recovery and how this can be supported after disasters.

The conference program also features presentations from A/Prof Marta Yebra (Australian National University), A/Prof Michael Eburn (Australian National University), Prof Stephen Dovers (Australian National University), completed PhD student Dr Graham Dwyer (University of Melbourne) and completed associate student Dr Greg Penney (Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA).

You can read the full program for AFAC21 powered by INTERSCHUTZ here and register to attend here.