Books strengthen bushfire safety

Highlighting the breadth and depth of Australia’s national bushfire research program, two books were launched by the Bushfire CRC on 23 October in Melbourne.

Hosted by Bushfire CRC Chairman Len Foster and launched by AFAC CEO and Bushfire CRC board director Stuart Ellis to the fire, land management and emergency service industry, the two books display the extensive reach of Bushfire CRC research, and are very different in both content and style. They are:

• Handbook of Disaster Policies and Institutions – Improving Emergency Management and Climate Change Adaption by Bushfire CRC research leaders Professor John Handmer from RMIT University and Professor Stephen Dovers from the Australian National University.
• Making a bushfire survival plan? Involve your kids! ebook by Dr Briony Towers from RMIT University.

“Both products demonstrate that the Bushfire CRC research program has breadth, depth and a multitude of potential audiences,” Mr Ellis said.

Aimed at policy makers and operational personnel, the updated and revised second edition of the Handbook of Disaster Policies and Institutions – Improving Emergency Management and Climate Change Adaption includes new coverage of climate change adaptation, which has rapidly become central to disaster and emergency planning and management. The book is an essential handbook for practitioners across the world seeking to improve the quality, robustness and capacity of their disaster management mechanisms.

The ebook is based on the PhD research of Dr Towers. Funded by the Bushfire CRC, Dr Towers completed her PhD in 2011, investigating children’s understanding of causality and prevention as applied to the bushfire context. Dr Towers also examined the role of parents, friends, and teachers in the development children’s bushfire understanding.

Designed for parents to help discuss bushfire preparation and safety with their children, the ebook is interactive and engaging, outlining how the whole family can help prepare for bushfire. The ebook is only available from the Bushfire CRC website, www.bushfirecrc.com, by searching for ‘ebook’, or can be downloaded here. It is a free download, and viewable on any tablet device or PC.