Fire Research
The NSW Rural Fire Service works closely with Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (Bushfire CRC) to research and develop systems to reduce risk as bush fires cause significant loss, disruption and trauma in Australasia. A recent report indicates that bush fires account for the greatest number of deaths and injuries of any natural disaster in Australia. Despite this, economic losses are still of the order of $77 million annually. Aside from the obvious economic costs associated with bush fires there are social values on which it is difficult to put a dollar value.
Fire services, land management agencies and local communities are now recognising the importance of bush fire prevention and preparedness. But for prevention and preparedness to take hold, theory and practice need to become embedded within community behaviour. This needs to happen at local, state and national levels.
Looking at all aspects of bush fires, research covers a huge range from fire behaviour and smoke plume prediction to community understanding and bush fire arson. Research programs undertaken by Bushfire CRC involving the NSW Rural Fire Service and other fire agencies include:
- Safe Prevention, Preparation and Suppression
- Management of Fire in the Landscape
- Community Self-Sufficiency for Fire Safety
- Protection of People and Property
- Education, Training and Communication
The framework for these research programs was developed by the research user organisations working with researchers and their institutions. As with all CRCs, the Bushfire CRC relies on cooperation and collaboration among relevant research and educational organisations — in this case state-based fire and emergency authorities, land management agencies, universities, CSIRO, and the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology.
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