Four new projects have commenced at Natural Hazards Research Australia, enhancing research progress in volunteering, aerial firefighting, bushfire modelling and bushfire resilient homes.
Reimagining emergency management volunteering: more than just words is creating a paradigm shift by creating practical, tangible actions to tackle the challenges in emergency management volunteering, guided by a National Volunteer Sustainability Blueprint. The project is being undertaken in two phases, first to design and the second to action the blueprint with AFAC, the Australian Red Cross, NSW Rural Fire Service and Victoria University.
The research team comprises:
- Prof Roger Jones, Victoria University (research leader)
- Celeste Young, Victoria University (research leader)
- Dr Daniel Ooi, Victoria University
- Dr Kara Dadswell, Victoria University
- Steve Cameron, Victoria University
Why fly? How do we know aerial firefighting operations are effective and efficient? is working to understand how to better use aircraft for firefighting in Australia under a range of conditions through data collection and case studies. The research will make recommendations for improving data collection and provide a better understanding of resource use and effectiveness that will help improve suppression responses. The project has been developed with the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) in collaboration with CSIRO, the University of Wollongong and fire agencies.
The research team comprises:
- A/Prof Owen Price, University of Wollongong (research leader)
- Dr Matt Plucinski, CSIRO (research leader)
- Michael Bedward, University of Wollongong
- Dr Michael Storey, University of Wollongong
Capturing uncertainty in bushfire spread prediction is developing a much-needed probabilistic prediction aspect to the existing predictive services in fire agencies. This will help with tools and approaches to generate and communicate probabilistic predictions in operations, as well as develop a comprehensive rate of spread database that is easily searchable and shareable.
The research team comprises:
- Dr Michael Storey, University of Wollongong (research leader)
- A/Prof Owen Price, University of Wollongong
- Michael Bedward, University of Wollongong
Integrated solutions for bushfire-adaptive homes is developing a better understanding of how effective and practical combinations of physical and social strategies to protect homes from the impacts of bushfires are. The multi-disciplinary research empowers people to make informed decisions when designing, building or retrofitting a home to be bushfire adaptive.
The research team comprises:
- Dr Raphaele Blanchi, CSIRO (research leader)
- Laura Kostanski, CSIRO (research leader)
- Dr Mittul Vahanvati, RMIT (research leader)
- A/Prof Brian Cook, The University of Melbourne (research leader)
- Dr Ken Strahan, Strahan Research
- Justin Leonard, CSIRO
- Garth Warren, CSIRO
- Alessio Arena, CSIRO
- Dr Dulani Halvitigala, RMIT
- Febe De Geest, RMIT
- Peter Kamstra, The University of Melbourne
Is your organisation looking to expand their research capabilities? Project concepts are formally considered for funding twice a year, as part of the Centre’s ongoing research plan. The next submission round of submissions opens August/September. Visit here for more information.