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Current stories

Growing Wildfire Threats

Bushfires are becoming more complex and expensive to manage.
Wed, 17/10/2012
Context is everything in today’s wildland fire debate. This paper focuses much attention on the dry forest types in the Western United States—which means Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and associated species. These forests are where many of our worst wildfires occur. I want to use these short-interval fire-adapted ecosystems to make some points about the relationship between their dynamics, our management of them, and the wildfire outcomes that we should expect.

Fire development in focus

The pyrotron allows fires to be studied safely.
Wed, 17/10/2012
Large bushfires can be destructive, but how do they progress to this state? A team of Bushfire CRC researchers is investigating how bushfires develop.

Grass will again pose the biggest fire risk this summer

Wed, 17/10/2012
Determining the expected bushfire potential across the country is a scientific process. The Bushfire CRC recently brought together fire and weather experts from around Australia to discuss the upcoming bushfire season.

Shared responsibility concepts documented

The stakeholder workshop attracted more than 80 participants.
Thu, 11/10/2012
Shared responsibly and what this means was discussed at a stakeholder workshop conducted by the Bushfire CRC, RMIT University and the Emergency Management network of the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility earlier this year.

Conference learnings available

Many resources from the annual conference, including media clips, are available
Thu, 11/10/2012
Resources from the Bushfire CRC and AFAC annual conference are now available for ongoing learning and training in the emergency services and for the broader research community.

Shaping the way forward

Thu, 11/10/2012
The first in a series of Bushfire CRC Public Benefit Conversations will take place on 29 October, aiming to generate new ideas and new thinking about communities and emergency management.

Community bushfire safety issues: interviews with residents

(cover image)
Fri, 05/10/2012
Fire Note 98 is a summary of the final report from the project: Decision making under stress: understanding community members survival-related decision making in bushfire.

Bushfire CRC researchers to present at international summit

The 12th IWF Safety Summit takes place in Sydney on 25-26 October
Thu, 20/09/2012
Bushfire CRC researchers will be presenting at the 12th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit in Sydney on 25-26 October.

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In the media...

Scorched earth

Asa Wahlquist, The Australian
Tue, 10/02/2009

Arsonist fires devastate parched Australia

Lindsey Arkley, Contributor
Tue, 10/02/2009

Rethink on 'stay and fight' strategy

Debra Jopson and David Rood
Tue, 10/02/2009

Australians 'unprepared' for bushfires

Science Online's Dani Cooper
Tue, 10/02/2009

Australia Fires Point to Risks of Shifting Population

Patrick Barta and Rachel Pannett
Tue, 10/02/2009

Could The Inferno Have Been Prevented?

Ben Eltham
Mon, 09/02/2009

Australia will take a hard look at 'Leave Early or Stay and Defend' fire policy

Julie Cart
Mon, 09/02/2009

It will only get worse as climate changes

Jonathan Pearlman
Mon, 09/02/2009

Tambourine Mountain Case Study

A question of balance
Thu, 29/01/2009

Fires to cut Murray-Darling flows

The Age
Thu, 29/01/2009

Alison Cottrell introduces the Understanding Communities Project

A question of balance
Thu, 29/01/2009

Bushfire volunteer force 'shrinking'

The Australian
Tue, 02/09/2008

Big Burn

Los Angeles Times
Fri, 01/08/2008

Coming to grips with price of flames

The Australian
Wed, 20/02/2008

Modern care and bushfires

Courier Mail
Wed, 09/01/2008

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An incredible journey

Posted: 10 years 6 months ago

After 11 years, we are about to enter the last month of your Bushfire CRC. It has been an incredible journey since 2003.

For me, what has stood out the most, notwithstanding the ground breaking research, is the culture change the industry has undertaken throughout this period. At the heart of this has been the close partnership between the Bushfire CRC and AFAC. The...

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Gary Morgan's picture
Gary Morgan
CEO
Bushfire CRC

Tools available into the future

Posted: 10 years 6 months ago

There is only a month left of the Bushfire CRC, but there is plenty of activity going on. The Research to Drive Change series has been launched, with two successful online forums held. Keep your eyes peeled to the...

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Nathan Maddock's picture
Nathan Maddock
Communications Officer
Bushfire CRC

Media Releases

Using two toolboxes to manage Kakadu’s wetlands

Fri, 17/06/2005
“You look after country, and the country will look after you,” says Violet Lawson, a traditional owner from Kakadu National Park. Violet and her family are combining traditional ecological knowledge with western science to manage Boggy Plain, a Ramsar-listed wetland on the South Alligator River floodplain in Kakadu. This project is the first of its kind in Australia.

Trundle first in NSW to be surveyed

Thu, 24/02/2005
The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has announced that Trundle will be the first town in NSW to receive the Western Region Community Survey that is being completed by the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre at La Trobe University.

Predicting the moods of a raging monster

Tue, 08/02/2005
Bushfires are notoriously unpredictable - but Australian scientists are starting to come up with reliable tools for predicting fire behaviour which may save lives and help to limit damage.

From tragedy - fire insights for other communities

Mon, 17/01/2005
Some of Australia’s leading bushfire scientists have arrived on the Eyre Peninsula to study last week’s tragic blaze. Their main focus is on fire behaviour, property damage and the contentious ‘stay or go’ issue. They will also produce a post-fire report which may be used in the ongoing investigation into the cause and ferocity of the fire.

New report details shocking impact of bushfire arson

Sun, 12/12/2004
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has released the most comprehensive review ever undertaken into bushfire arson, as Australia faces its peak risk period for bushfires, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison said today.

$4M new funding for bushfire research

Wed, 10/11/2004
New Federal funding of $4.05M will flow to the Bushfire CRC over the next three years as part of the Federal Government’s initial response to national bushfire inquiries. The funds are being provided for the CRC to undertake research on fire effects in alpine areas and to increase communication with communities in areas affected by the fires of recent years.

Recent FireNotes

Model Pinpoints Factors Driving Extreme Bushfire Behaviour

Fire Note 137: In the 2003 Canberra bushfires, a number of unusual fires were observed in which bushfire spread sideways in a diagonal or crosswise direction to...

Assessing Smoke Exposure from Bushfires and Prescribed Burns

Fire Note 136: This Fire Note reports in more detail on the smoke dispersion modelling work undertaken as part of the Fire Impact and Risk Evaluation...

New Modelling Methods to Estimate Smoke Exposure

Fire Note 135: This Fire Note details research that estimates toxic emissions commonly encountered by firefighters extinguishing fires in semi-rural communities...

Anxiety and Worry Linked with Lower Bushfire Preparedness: Study

Fire Note 134: This Fire Note outlines research undertaken within the bushfire-prone communities of Roleystone and Kelmscott in the Perth Hills, about 45 minutes...

National study profiles bushfire preparedness

Fire Note 133: The national research featured in this Fire Note investigated the community and householder characteristics that contribute to bushfire preparedness in...

Prepared for action: new tools and insights

Fire Note 132: Offers a new way of thinking about bushfire preparedness and its measurement.  The study defines preparedness in terms of three householder goals:  stay and defend...

Study captures insights on bushfire risk and response

Fire Note 131: In October 2013, bushfires swept across parts of New South Wales, leaving a trail of destruction and loss. The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) commissioned the...

Fire In the landscape, assessing the impact

Fire Note 130: Features the findings of four research projects on the impact of fire on water quantity and quality, as well as changing carbon stores (above and below the ground...

[ See all FireNotes ]