tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/nsw-rural-fire-service-58388/articlesNSW rural fire service – The Conversation2020-09-28T02:48:35Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1463172020-09-28T02:48:35Z2020-09-28T02:48:35ZBirthdays, holidays, Christmas without mum or dad: how to support kids with a parent away fighting fires<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359697/original/file-20200923-20-1tclqan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C31%2C5184%2C3849&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Among the sacrifices made by firefighters, and those who support fire-affected communities, is precious time spent with family. In California, thousands of firefighters and community support workers or volunteers have missed important moments such as birthdays, school events or family gatherings. </p>
<p>In Australia, where bushfire season includes December-January, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1920/Quick_Guides/AustralianBushfires">thousands</a> routinely miss out on Christmas, New Year’s Eve and chunks of school holidays with family because they’re off fighting fires or <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-04/australia-defence-reservists-to-help-in-bushfire-recovery/11840764">helping those affected</a>. Some only go home to sleep before returning to the fire front. Others are deprived of family time for weeks or months.</p>
<p>My research focuses on how to support children with at least one parent who must travel afar for work (such as military families). But the same techniques may apply in households with a firefighter or other fire-affected community support worker in the family.</p>
<h2>How might children respond?</h2>
<p>Children might respond to parents working away for long periods:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-25070-020">emotionally</a> (teariness, whinging, emotional outbursts or withdrawing)</li>
<li><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10591-011-9144-8">socially</a> (clingy behaviour or struggling with routines) </li>
<li><a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/125/1/16.full.pdf">cognitively</a> (skill regressions, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25830802/">delays in development</a>), and </li>
<li><a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1018364.pdf">physically</a> (nightmares, issues with toileting, or sleep and feeding regressions). </li>
</ul>
<p>Children are <a href="http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/parent-resources/separation-anxiety/">never too young</a> to realise a parent is missing. </p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-support-children-whose-parent-works-away-for-long-periods-125641">How to support children whose parent works away for long periods</a>
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<h2>Parents can prepare</h2>
<p>I conducted <a href="https://articlegateway.com/index.php/JMPP/article/view/2928/2783">research</a> with 19 children aged between 2 and 5 who had a parent who worked away at times. I also talked to one of their parents and educators about the children’s and family’s responses, strengths and coping strategies.</p>
<p>Many parents find it useful to explain <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cha.2016.8">why they work away, where they are going, and what they will do</a> using age-appropriate language. </p>
<p>Some found it helpful to <a href="http://artinearlychildhood.org/journals/2018/ARTEC_2018_Research_Journal_1_Article_5_Roger.pdf">mark where they were going on a globe</a> or map, repeating the story each day for a few weeks before leaving. Where possible, homemade sticker calendars marked off the days until the parent returned.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young child photographs a burnt out landscape" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359699/original/file-20200923-17-n2dsi5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Develop and practice a narrative simple enough for the child to repeat. For example: ‘Mum is away fighting fires. She will be home after New Year.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pictures can help explain the roles of emergency services, defence personnel, front line workers and volunteers. Discuss how these workers use their skills to save people, forests, animals, farms and buildings. Partner with <a href="https://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/333815/UNE-Newsletter-Volume-3-Issue-22.pdf">children’s educators</a> to find resources to help children understand.</p>
<p>Talk about other jobs where parents work away, and explore some of the <a href="https://ecdefenceprograms.com/">children’s resources available</a>, including those designed for children with a <a href="https://ecdefenceprograms.com/index.php/auslan-keyword-posts/">disability or language delay</a>. Share these, and <a href="http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/media/resources-bushfire-affected-communities/">bushfire resources</a>, with educators. Children’s educators can be a <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244017706711">great support</a> when parents work away.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/children-need-support-when-a-parents-work-takes-them-away-from-the-family-home-125641">Develop and practice a narrative</a> simple enough for the child to repeat. For example, “Mum is away fighting fires. She will be home after New Year.” This can improve children’s <a href="http://artinearlychildhood.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ARTEC_2019_Research_Journal_1_Article_3_Rogers_Bird_Sims.pdf">confidence</a>.</p>
<h2>Children should be able to talk about their fears</h2>
<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1049731513517143?journalCode=rswa">Some children fear</a> their parent will be <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/fcre.12099">killed or injured when they work away</a>. Parents can and should encourage children to talk openly about their fears. </p>
<p>Showing children pictures of safety precautions and equipment they use might reduce fears. Consider restricting unsupervised use of media to reduce exposure to the news. Telling their educators about children’s fears can be useful.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two firefighters face a blaze." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359698/original/file-20200923-22-ktsuv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents can and should encourage children to talk openly about fears they have regarding their parents work or service.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Parents found pets could be a comfort and a conversation topic. Some <a href="http://artinearlychildhood.org/journals/2018/ARTEC_2018_Research_Journal_1_Article_5_Roger.pdf">bought a new pet</a> before they went away, asking for updates and photos (of course, pet ownership is a long term commitment and is not a decision that should be made lightly).</p>
<p>Other parents allowed <a href="https://aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1080%2F1350293X.2020.1817236&data=02%7C01%7Ccegan%40une.edu.au%7C4aaa3c03bc79423c0dc608d8585c7721%7C3e104c4f8ef24d1483d8bd7d3b46b8db%7C0%7C0%7C637356501440241201&sdata=iq5b6JLne%2BtJlIUenYlzAaHBXPoX7zJIL4ZiA66PCWE%3D&reserved=0">pets to comfort</a> children at night by letting the pet inside when they were away.</p>
<h2>I’m here, you’re there, but we’re still in touch</h2>
<p>Setting up a joint project before the parent goes away can increase children’s confidence and <a href="https://jmvfh.utpjournals.press/doi/10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0022">agency</a>. Examples include a vegetable garden, flowerpots, worm or mushroom farms, craft projects, dolls house or adventure kingdom using recycled materials. Children can continue the project and send updates and photos.</p>
<p>When children missed their parent, the “at home” parents asked the child to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roses-story/id1439753804?ls=1&mt=8">draw what they were looking forward to</a> doing with the “away” parent when they returned. These were photographed and sent to the parent via messages, emails or post. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/27661">Parents set up a basket </a> for these drawings. The “away” parent could then work through the activities on their return.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A parent and child water a garden." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359700/original/file-20200923-14-micudt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Setting up a joint project, such as a garden, before the parent goes away can be helpful.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Providing art and craft materials for children helped them to express feelings. Some young children made faces out of modelling clay to <a href="https://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/172003/soe_newsletterv1.2.pdf">show how they felt</a> when their parent worked away. </p>
<h2>Self-soothing tools</h2>
<p>Other parents of young children used <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244017706711">mascots</a>, such as two teddy bears: one for the child and one for the away parent. The child could hug the bear when they wanted to cuddle the parent, and was told the parent would feel the hug (and vice versa). The parent took photos of the bear in different locations, as did the child did during outings.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A child and a teddy, both wearing masks, look out a window." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359518/original/file-20200923-14-1ik614p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some parents gave the child a teddy and had a matching one for themself. The child was able to hug the bear when they wanted to cuddle the parent.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Children found comfort in video and audio recordings of the parent reading <a href="http://www.defence.gov.au/DCO/_Master/documents/Books/Roses-Story.pdf">bedtime stories</a>, including short stories they enjoyed as a child. <a href="http://www.defence.gov.au/DCO/_Master/documents/Books/Anthonys-Story.pdf">A small photo album</a> featuring the child and the parent next to the child’s bed also helped. Some parents also allowed children to sit on the “away” parent’s loungechair when they were absent.</p>
<p>Overall, parents found children responded to situations differently, but finding strategies that boosted understanding and maintained connection with the absent parent built resilience.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/value-beyond-money-australias-special-dependence-on-volunteer-firefighters-129881">Value beyond money: Australia's special dependence on volunteer firefighters</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146317/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marg Rogers works for the University of New England, Australia. Her team receives funding from The Ian Potter Foundation to create two programs for educators and parents of young children from defence force families (<a href="http://www.ecdefenceprograms.com">www.ecdefenceprograms.com</a>). We do not get paid to do the research by the funding body, instead, the funding helps to pay for the costs of the project.</span></em></p>My research focuses on how to support children with a parent who must travel afar for work. Strategies that boost understanding and maintain connection with the absent parent build resilience.Marg Rogers, Lecturer, Early Childhood Education, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1298812020-01-22T19:03:31Z2020-01-22T19:03:31ZValue beyond money: Australia’s special dependence on volunteer firefighters<p>Australia’s unprecedented bushfires have cemented its rural firefighters at the heart of the nation’s identity. </p>
<p>It’s not just that these men and women put themselves in the line of fire. It’s that these “firies” are almost all volunteers, battling blazes for sheer love of their local community.</p>
<p>Relying on volunteers isn’t unique to Australia’s rural firefighting brigades. Other countries with large numbers of volunteer firefighters include Austria, Germany, France, the United States, Japan and China. </p>
<p>But Australia arguably relies on these volunteers to an extent unparalleled in the world, due to the country’s sheer size and the extent to which it is <a href="https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/community-safety/bushfire">prone to bushfire</a>. In terms of sheer scale of fires, only the vastness of Russia and Canada can compete, and neither has a climate and ecology quite so primed to burn.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-say-weve-seen-bushfires-worse-than-this-before-but-theyre-ignoring-a-few-key-facts-129391">Some say we've seen bushfires worse than this before. But they're ignoring a few key facts</a>
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<h2>Almost 1% of the population volunteers</h2>
<p>About 195,000 Australians volunteer with the nation’s six state and two territory bushfire services. The most populous state, New South Wales, has the largest number (71,234). The Australian Capital Territory has the fewest (a little more than 400). </p>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=667&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=838&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=838&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311321/original/file-20200122-117911-1kpb21a.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=838&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<p>The numbers reflect how many people live in rural areas and the degree to which those communities face bushfire risk. Thus Tasmania has 5,000 volunteer fighters despite having a smaller population than the ACT, because relatively more live in small towns.</p>
<p>On raw figures, Australia has the ninth-largest number of volunteer firefighters by nation, after China, Russia, the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Germany, Poland and Austria. </p>
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<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=593&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=746&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=746&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311526/original/file-20200123-162228-1xm2nl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=746&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>Comparing raw national figures doesn’t necessarily capture the special place of rural firies in Australia. Austria and its neighbours, for example, have cultures of volunteer municipal firefighting brigades that go back <a href="http://www.aeiou.at/aeiou.encyclop.f/f311018.htm;internal&action=_setlanguage.action?LANGUAGE=en">nearly a thousand years</a> and cover structural fires as well. </p>
<p>Australia’s voluntary fire brigades are focused on bushfires. If we were to exclude <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0%7E2016%7EMain%20Features%7ESmall%20Towns%7E113">the 71% of the Australia population</a> that live in major cities, the proportion of Australia’s rural population volunteering with a bushfire service is more like 4.5%. This indicates how central these brigades are to local communities.</p>
<p>It hard to put a precise number on the value volunteer firefighters make to Australia’s economy, but it is significant. The amount and quality of volunteer work is, of course, variable. But let’s assume each volunteer gives 150 hours of their time a year. This is likely conservative, given estimates of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-12-27/volunteer-firefighters-approaching-100-days-ask-for-help/11829100">the time volunteers have given up this season</a>.
At the average weekly Australian wage (including superannuation guarantee), the volunteers contribute about A$1.3 billion to the community.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-can-expect-far-more-fire-catastrophes-a-proper-disaster-plan-is-worth-paying-for-129326">Australia can expect far more fire catastrophes. A proper disaster plan is worth paying for</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>Operations and funding</h2>
<p>Even though most firefighters in the rural fire services are volunteers, there are still significant costs. The NSW Rural Fire Service, for example, maintains more than 2,000 brigades with their own stations, vehicles and other running costs. It also employs 965 paid staff in administrative and operational roles. Capital investment of $42 million for stations and equipment was made in 2018-19 in addition to running costs. </p>
<p>The following breakdown is indicative of the running costs facing every state or territory service. </p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/311316/original/file-20200122-117962-tsdgu2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Michelle Cull/The Conversation</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>While funding depends on the individual state or territory, in general the services are funded by levies, imposed through state and territory laws. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=846&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=846&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=846&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1063&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1063&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309863/original/file-20200114-103954-kujjhx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1063&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sample of a rates notice including the fire services levy for Murrindindi Shire Council, Victoria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Murrindindi Shire Council</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Victoria’s Country Fire Authority, for example, is funded under the <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/cfaa1958292/">Country Fire Authority Act (1958)</a> through a <a href="https://www.sro.vic.gov.au/fire-services-property-levy">property levy</a>. It is collected by local councils and passed on to the state government, which then distributes it to the authority. The levy includes a fixed component plus a variable rate based on a property’s market value. </p>
<p>New South Wales also has a levy tied to council rates (under the <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1997/65">Rural Fires Act 1997</a>). But most funding comes from a levy on insurance payments (imposed under the <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2017/32/full">Emergency Services Levy Act 2017</a>). In the 2018/19 financial year these levies raised about $440 million combined. State and federal governments kicked in a further $50 million, with $26 million in “other income” – mostly recouped costs from interstate and overseas deployments and use of its aircraft by other agencies.</p>
<h2>The role of donations</h2>
<p>Donations have not historically been a major funding source for any state or territory fire service. But in times of crisis the public often want to do their bit by giving money. </p>
<p>In the 2017-2018 financial year, for example, the <a href="https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/fundraising%3C/u">NSW Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donations Fund</a> received $768,044 in donations. Now it has $50 million or so coming its way due to comedian <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-14/celeste-barber-facebook-fundraiser-is-complicated/11861146">Celeste Barber’s bushfire appeal</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-donate-to-australian-bushfire-relief-give-money-watch-for-scams-and-think-long-term-129445">How to donate to Australian bushfire relief: give money, watch for scams and think long term</a>
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<p>It’s possible many of those giving to Barber’s fundraiser didn’t realise their money would only go to New South Wales brigades. It’s also possible many thought they might help volunteers directly, such as through reimbursements for taking leave without pay. Others want to ensure volunteers don’t <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-11/nsw-bushfires-firefighters-raise-money-to-buy-face-masks/11790096">have to buy their own equipment</a>.</p>
<p>Volunteers won’t necessarily benefit directly in the way <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6554386/australians-should-consider-a-national-bushfire-levy/">donors might like</a>. This is not to say donations won’t help, though. Volunteer brigades might benefit from money for new vehicles or computers, for example. </p>
<p>The sacrifices made by Australian volunteer firefighters have only added to the “firies” mythos. Fire services have been flooded with <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/we-asked-volunteer-firefighters-what-they-need-to-get-through-this-bushfire-season">record numbers of applications</a>. As the threat of bushfires increases, the national love affair with volunteer firies is likely to only intensify. </p>
<p>Which is something no elected politician would be wise to ignore.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: the infographic “Top 10 nations with volunteer firefighters” has been updated to correct an error. The estimated population of Poland in 2019 was 37,887,768, not 8,955,102 as originally stated. 8,955,102 was Austria’s estimated population.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129881/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Cull is a member of CPA Australia and FPA Australia and sits on an advisory board for the Salvation Army. </span></em></p>Australia’s rural firefighting organisations hold a special place in the nation’s heart. Part of what makes them so interesting is how they are organised and funded.Michelle Cull, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Financial Planning, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1293232020-01-06T04:57:28Z2020-01-06T04:57:28ZThere’s only one way to make bushfires less powerful: take out the stuff that burns<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308576/original/file-20200106-11900-1ipk9hy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C2%2C1991%2C1305&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hazard reduction burns reduce bushfire fuel loads, but the current approach is not working.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As monstrous blazes overwhelm Australia’s south-east, the need for a national bushfire policy has never been more urgent. Active land management such as hazard-reduction burning and forest thinning must lie at the core of any such policy. </p>
<p>Done well, controlled burning limits a bushfire’s spread and makes suppression easier, by reducing the amount of flammable material. Clearing or thinning vegetation on roadsides and other areas also helps maintain fuel breaks, allowing firefighters access to forests in an emergency. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-bushfire-and-holiday-seasons-converge-it-may-be-time-to-say-goodbye-to-the-typical-australian-summer-holiday-129337">As bushfire and holiday seasons converge, it may be time to say goodbye to the typical Australian summer holiday</a>
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<p>As former fire chiefs <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/full-list-of-fire-and-emergency-chiefs-recommendations-to-federal-government/">recently pointed out</a>, of all factors driving a fire’s severity – temperature, wind speed, topography, fuel moisture and fuel load – fuel load is the only one humans can influence. </p>
<p>The royal commission into Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires identified serious shortcomings in land and fuel management, primarily the domain of the states. Ten years ago I also called for a national approach to bushfires, including vegetation management. </p>
<p>Relatively little has changed since. It is as though Australia suffers collective and institutional amnesia when it comes to bushfire preparedness. But the threat will only escalate. Australia must have a sustained commitment to better land management.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308573/original/file-20200106-11896-20vzy2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Prime Minister Scott Morrison, meeting South Australian firefighters, says bushfire management is a state responsibility.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Kelly Barnes</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The three pillars of dealing with bushfires</h2>
<p>Bushfire management comprises three planks: preparation, response and recovery. </p>
<p>Preparation involves managing fuel loads and vegetation, maintaining access to tracks and fire breaks, planning fire response and ensuring sufficient human capacity and resources to respond to worst-case scenarios.</p>
<p>Response involves deploying aircraft, fire trucks and firefighting personnel, and recovery requires social, financial and institutional support.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disaster-recovery-from-australias-fires-will-be-a-marathon-not-a-sprint-129325">Disaster recovery from Australia's fires will be a marathon, not a sprint</a>
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<p>The federal government mostly focuses on bushfire response and recovery, which now falls under the Department of Home Affairs and the responsible Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management, David Littleproud.</p>
<p>After major fire events in the 2000s, the Commonwealth committed significant resources to response. This included contributing to the cost of more fire-fighting planes and helicopters, and <a href="https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/">research funding</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308572/original/file-20200106-11900-gh3b61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A helicopter tackling a bushfire in Victoria’s East Gippsland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Victorian government</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>But what about fire preparation?</h2>
<p>Prescribed burning is considered a key element of bushfire preparation. While there is some debate over its <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-surprising-answer-to-a-hot-question-controlled-burns-often-fail-to-slow-a-bushfire-127022">effect on a fire’s impact</a>, the Victorian bushfire royal commission concluded fuel modification at a sufficient scale can reduce the impact of even high-intensity fires.</p>
<p>Other management actions include thinning dense forest areas, reducing the shrub layer mechanically where burning is not possible and maintaining fire breaks. As the climate changes, we may consider changing the tree species mix. </p>
<p>The newly merged Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment is the federal agency with most interest in land management. However other agencies such as the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources share some responsibilities. </p>
<p>Federal funding for land management deals with single issues such as weeds, feral animals, threatened species or water quality. Funding is often piecemeal, doled out to government bodies or community groups with little coordination. As federal programs are implemented, states often withdraw funding.</p>
<p>Former NSW Fire and Rescue commissioner Greg Mullins and other experts <a href="https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/full-list-of-fire-and-emergency-chiefs-recommendations-to-federal-government//">have warned</a> fuel reduction burning is “constrained by a shortage of resources in some states and territories”, as well as by warmer, drier weather which reduces the number of days burning can be undertaken.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308579/original/file-20200106-11896-w5d44r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A hazard reduction operation by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in the Blue Mountains. Fire experts say such services are underfunded.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mick Tsikas/AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At state level, since the major fires of the 2000s, funding for fire management has increased and coordination between fire response and land management agencies has improved.</p>
<p>However, the focus of the two groups remains divided, which can thwart progress. Fire services prioritise protecting lives and property once fires are going, while forest and land management agencies focus on reducing fire risk, and must consider a wider range of natural and community values.</p>
<p>In a rapidly changing climate, land management requires a long-term adaptive strategy, underpinned by sound analysis and research, supporting laws and policies, with sufficient funding and human resources. Bipartisan political support and leadership continuity is needed to sustain it. </p>
<h2>A national approach</h2>
<p>State agencies cannot carry the full financial burden for fire preparedness. With fire events happening in almost all states and territories, it is clear we need a national approach.</p>
<p>The federal government collects most tax revenue and should contribute a greater share of the costs of prescribed burning, maintaining access, fire detection, and rapid firefighting response.</p>
<p>Federal spending on land management can be better integrated to engage and protect communities, conserve biodiversity, maintain water quality, manage forest carbon emissions and improve forest resilience to future fires. Recent federal investments in <a href="http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF/Choosing-a-project-type/Opportunities-for-the-land-sector/Savanna-burning-methods">savannah burning in northern Australia</a> are a good example of this.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308575/original/file-20200106-11900-52fbe0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Gospers Mountain Fire at Bilpin, NSW.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>A federal bureau of bushfire and land management could support national policy and coordinate investment, including monitoring and reporting on forest and land condition. State agencies, local authorities and private landowners could continue to provide management to meet national targets.</p>
<p>Commitment to public education is also critical. Many people do not understand the need for appropriate human interventions, such as prescribed burning or thinning, to protect the forests we all enjoy. We must also learn from traditional owners about how to live in our country and manage land with fire. </p>
<p>In December, the federal government initiated an inquiry into the <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/About_the_House_News/Media_Releases/Committee_to_examine_efficacy_of_vegetation_and_land_management_policy_on_bushfires">efficacy of vegetation and land management and bushfires</a>. This inquiry needs to be expanded, avoiding the simplified debates of the past, and bring together all parties to identify solutions.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/making-sense-of-australias-bushfire-crisis-means-asking-hard-questions-and-listening-to-the-answers-129302">Making sense of Australia's bushfire crisis means asking hard questions – and listening to the answers</a>
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<p>As one of the most urbanised countries on Earth, there are few votes to be gained in more spending on rural land management. Hazard reduction is a sometimes risky, labour-intensive measure, and tensions between reducing fuel loads and conserving the environment must be managed.</p>
<p>However after the grief, anger and recriminations from these fires have passed, it’s time for an urgent national rethink – and the Morrison government must lead the way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129323/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rod Keenan receives research funding from the Australian and Victorian Governments and the forest industry. He is a Member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia and the Ecological Society of Australia. </span></em></p>Relatively little has changed since the Black Saturday tragedy. It is as though Australia suffers amnesia when it comes to bushfire preparedness.Rod Keenan, Professor, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1016632018-08-17T02:16:05Z2018-08-17T02:16:05ZDrought, wind and heat: when fire seasons start earlier and last longer<p>The New South Wales Rural Fire Service declared the earliest <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/it-s-all-bad-earliest-total-fire-bans-on-record-an-ominous-sign-20180815-p4zxn8.html">total fire bans</a> in its history this week. The entire state was <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-08/nsw-government-says-entire-state-is-now-in-drought/10088628">declared to be in drought</a> on the same day. </p>
<p>The combination of winter drought and hot, dry weather has made dangerous fires increasingly likely. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-the-firestorm-the-health-implications-of-returning-to-a-bushfire-zone-93647">After the firestorm: the health implications of returning to a bushfire zone</a>
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<p>Already this week two fires on the south coast have escaped containment lines and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-16/houses-destroyed-bega-fire/10129172">destroyed houses</a>. The weather during these fires was 6°C warmer than the August average, dry and extremely windy. The wind speed peaked at 104 kilometres an hour in Bega and 85km/h in Nowra, two towns close to where fires broke out.</p>
<p>Under these conditions, bushfires will spread quickly, produce large numbers of embers and are hard to stop.</p>
<p>Our fire seasons now start earlier and last longer. This means we’re increasingly likely to see repeats of historically large fires threatening residential areas.</p>
<h2>Fire seasons are longer</h2>
<p>Current dry conditions are reflected in the maps of live fuel moisture produced by Dr Rachael Nolan of Western Sydney University.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=813&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1022&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1022&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232411/original/file-20180816-165961-10g0j70.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1022&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL068614">Nolan R.H., Boer M.M., de Dios V.R., Caccamo G., Bradstock R.A. (2016), Large-scale, dynamic transformations in fuel moisture drive wildfire activity across southeastern Australia. Geophysical Research Letters 43, 4229-4238.</a></span>
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<p>This method tracks the weekly moisture content of the forests in southern Australia, as observed by NASA’s <a href="https://terra.nasa.gov/about/terra-instruments/modis">MODIS</a> satellite. The latest map shows a patchy distribution of dry areas and a drying trend over recent weeks. </p>
<p>It looks like NSW’s fire season has already started, and it’s likely to be bad. Last year’s fire season also extended well into autumn, with serious bushfires burning in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017%E2%80%9318_Australian_bushfire_season">mid-April</a>.</p>
<p>Fire agencies usually enjoy a six-month break from bushfires between April and September, but this year they had only three months’ respite. </p>
<p>This reflects evidence of a trend toward more <a href="https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.3480">extreme fire weather</a> over the past 30 years, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26172867">lengthening fire seasons</a>.</p>
<p>This problem is being keenly felt in western United States, where fire agencies have warned that the fire season <a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-carr-fire-wildfires-climate-change-20180730-story.html">now lasts all year round</a>. Not only that, there is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28416662">clear evidence</a> climate change is increasing fire activity in the United States; the record for the largest fire in California history has been broken two years in a row. </p>
<h2>Alarming precedents</h2>
<p>The most damaging fire season for NSW in the past 30 years was in October 2013 when the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-17/remembering-the-blue-mountains-bushfires-one-year-on/5819100">Linksview fire</a> destroyed 200 houses in the Blue Mountains. </p>
<p>The build-up to that season was eerily similar to this year, with a winter drought and bushfires in September, but the moisture maps show that the forests are drier now than at the same time in 2013, and we have already seen serious bushfires in August.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/future-bushfires-will-be-worse-we-need-to-adapt-now-53041">Future bushfires will be worse: we need to adapt now</a>
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<p>As we move into September and October, the weather will warm, which means any remaining moisture in the ground and plants will evaporate even faster than at present, and fires will be more intense and spread faster. The only thing that will reduce the risk is soaking rain of at least 100mm. </p>
<p>Whether or not that will occur in the next two months is almost impossible to predict. At the moment it seems unlikely. The Bureau of Meteorology’s <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/overview/summary">latest seasonal forecast</a>, issued on August 16, considers it likely that dry conditions will persist for the next three months.</p>
<p>The heightened risk of bushfire this season should be a wake-up call for residents in bushfire-prone areas. Most people in really risky areas such as the Blue Mountains are well prepared, but many people who are a little more removed from the forests are not aware of the risk.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/where-to-take-refuge-in-your-home-during-a-bushfire-72370">Where to take refuge in your home during a bushfire</a>
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<p>For example, many residents of Wollongong probably don’t know this October is the 50th anniversary of the great 1968 fires that swept down the Illawarra Escarpment into the suburbs of Figtree, Bulli, Austinmer and others.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232412/original/file-20180817-165955-1f2bhyl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The footprint of the 1968 Illawarra fires, which burned through residential areas.</span>
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<p>If the same footprint of fire were to occur again, some 5,000 houses would be affected. The present indicators suggest a repeat of this event is more likely than at any time for decades.</p>
<p>Residents need to prepare a bushfire survival plan, which includes a decision on whether to stay and defend or to leave as soon as they learn about a nearby bushfire. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-deadly-bushfire-gamble-risk-your-life-or-bet-your-house-21968">Our deadly bushfire gamble: risk your life or bet your house</a>
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<p>Current research at University of Wollongong suggests that the biggest influence on the risk of house loss during a bushfire is the actions that the residents themselves take. This includes ensuring that natural and man-made fuels are kept to a minimum in the garden, especially close to the house, and also defending the house from spot-fires caused by embers. </p>
<p>The Rural Fire Service has a wealth of advice for preparing for bushfires on its <a href="https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare">website</a>.</p>
<p>We’re look at a torrid upcoming fire season, dependent on the vagaries of the Australian climate. Either way, now is the time for people to brace themselves and get prepared.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101663/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Owen Price receives funding from the Rural Fire Service, NSW, the Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning VIC and the Australian Research Council. He consults regularly with these organisations. He is affiliated with the Australian Greens. </span></em></p>The same day all of New South Wales was declared in drought, the state’s Rural Fire Service issued its earliest ever total fire bans.Owen Price, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.