News

Current stories

DC-10 tanker not returning

Tue, 05/10/2010

The DC-10 firefighting tanker jet trialled in Victoria last fire season will not return this coming season, after a comprehensive Bushfire CRC evaluation of its performance found the aircraft unsuited to Victorian conditions.

Fire Australia examines Royal Commission

Tue, 05/10/2010

In the Spring issue of Fire Australia – out now - we discuss the key findings of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission and what they mean across the fire and emergency services sector.

Workshop: PROTECTING FIRE FIGHTERS

Thu, 23/09/2010

This workshop gave participants a chance to be part of discussion to improve how we adopt quality research into agency practice and across the industry. It was an opportunity to gain greater knowledge of the quality work of three Bushfire CRC research projects, combined with facilitated discussion to further the implementation enabling improved safety of fire fighters and increased capacity of specific agencies and the industry as a whole.

Dry slots fan the flames - research links high altitude air with bushfires on the ground

Tue, 07/09/2010

Columns of super-dry air that reach the earth’s surface from high altitudes could be responsible for extreme fire behaviour in some of the worst bushfires in Australia’s history.

A guide to the skies

Mon, 11/01/2010

A new tool developed by a Bushfire CRC researcher from CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems sets aside the operational support roles of planes and helicopters, and focusses squarely on the attacking role of bombing aircraft, and how they might best be used to deliver fire suppressants including water, foam, gel and retardant.

Lessons Learnt - Experiences from Two Continents

Thu, 31/12/2009

Wildfire management experts from North America, Australia and New Zealand have recognized for decades that they share many commonalities. This recognition provided the motive for numerous informal visits and formal study tours on both sides of the Pacific over the years.

Seminar: FIRE, FUEL AND WEATHER

Wed, 23/09/2009

Characteristics of fuels and weather drive fire behaviour. These two back-to-back seminars provided an opportunity to hear from the researchers from across Australia involved in issues such as fire behaviour in shrublands, grassland curing and links to the Grassland Fire Danger Index, and evidence for the importance of fire in maintaining forest health.

100 years of 'stay or go'

Wed, 01/07/2009

Before the tragic February 2009 bushfires in Victoria Bushfire CRC researchers had looked at Australian bushfire fatalities over the past 100 years. Lead researcher Dr Katharine Haynes is a Bushfire CRC researcher at RMIT University and Macquarie University’s Risk Frontiers, was summoned to provide detailed evidence on the study to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission in May.

Sun, 17/06/2012

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

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

Communications Officer

Bushfire CRC

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...

LATEST NEWS

French connections

Wed, 07/11/2012

Bilateral bushfire research and development has been strengthened with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bushfire CRC and Pôle Risques, a French risk management organisation.

Summit on fire safety

Wed, 07/11/2012

Fire safety was the main point of discussion at the 12th International Wildland Fire Safety Summit held in Sydney at the end of October. Sponsored by the Bushfire CRC, the summit attracted more than 100 delegates from around Australia, New Zealand, North America and Europe.

Firebrand behaviour and the probability of fuel bed ignition

Mon, 22/10/2012

Fire Note 99 documents the first stage of the Firebrand potential and spot fire initiation project. The results of this project will enable fire managers to better understand the process of spotting, assist in identifying when spotting will be a hazard and provide a basis for predicting its occurrence and maximum distance.

Fire Australia Spring edition is out

Thu, 18/10/2012

The Spring 2012 edition of Fire Australia is out, featuring stories on the Bushfire CRC seasonal bushfire outlook, a look at the extreme fire behaviour research project and an extract by Jerry Williams from the annual Bushfire CRC and AFAC conference on the growing threat of fire.

Growing Wildfire Threats

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.

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