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Thursday 25 October 2007

RAPID ROUNDUP: Californian Fires: Don’t evacuate say experts

With fires raging out of control in California, Australian fire experts comment on the way the fire is being handled, the similarities between California and Australia and the implications for Australia as it heads into bushfire season.

Feel free to use these comments in your stories. If you would like to speak to an expert, don’t hesitate to contact us on 08 8207 7415 or by email. More comments will be posted here as they come to hand.

The views expressed below are the personal opinions of the experts named here. They do not represent the views of the AusSMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.

Professor Mark Adams from the University of New South Wales and the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre says California’s experience has many implications for Australia

“Australia and California share a lot of similarities. Both have strong Mediterranean climates with very hot and very dry spells, and in fact both have recently been through a succession of hot dry years. The vegetation has structural similarites to ours in that it is highly flammable.

Although there is a lot of eucalypt there, there ‘s no suggestion that that is burning but much of the country that is burning is high country with pine trees and also chapparal which is low heathy country equivalent to our low scrub.

Also both California and Australia have seen a lot of human development happening in tree-covered and bushland areas”.

Damien Killalea, Head of Community Safety at the Tasmanian Fire Service

'”In the light of recent research conducted in Australia and widely available in the international wildfire management community, the loss of significant numbers of homes in southern California is disheartening. Despite having significant fire-fighting resources available to tackle the current blazes, little effective control is being exercised and losses are mounting.

There appears to be a strong correlation between the large-scale evacuation of people in southern California and the continued loss of large numbers of homes there. Surely authorities should accept that old paradigms need to be challenged.

The experience of Australian fire authorities, backed by research from the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, is that residents should be encouraged to prepare their house for bushfire, then stay and defend them. Only in instances where houses have not been prepared, or where people are not confident enough to remain due to some disability of infirmity, should they be encouraged to relocate to a safe place nearby. The mass evacuations being carried out in California leave homes largely undefended against ember attack, and will put massive strains on welfare services until housing is re-constructed".

Professor John Handmer and Tom Lowe are from RMIT’s Centre for Risk and Community Safety

“Evacuating 500,000 people might seem like the least risk option, but the question of whether this is a sustainable long-term strategy remains. Fire crews are spending valuable time and resources helping people move to safety. This exposes people to danger from the fires. Research in Australia has shown that a common cause of civilian death and injury is the last-minute evacuation of buildings as the fire front arrives. As people flee their homes, many are overcome by the heat and smoke. Those who try to escape by car run the risk of crashing, getting stuck or driving into even greater danger.

Having such large numbers of people fleeing their homes also creates the need to find food and shelter for them and has the potential to create a humanitarian crisis.

The Australian research supports moves towards more self-sufficient communities during bushfires. A heavy reliance on the emergency services stops them from doing their job and makes the public more vulnerable to hazards. By empowering communities to at least take an interest in their safety and survival, properties will be saved and fewer people will be required to seek temporary shelter elsewhere.

As the frequency and scale of wildland fires continues to increase, we would like to see the public playing more of an integral part in fire management”.