Thread by @jagungal1

With the #bushfires still ongoing, it is clear that we are in the middle of a historic event, that will change the way we manage fire in the environment.
A few people have asked me for an explainer - so here is a thread from a bushfire protection planning perspective:

2. As a scientist I am mostly focused on the practical problems that we have encountered, and how we can solve these and then anticipate the next set.
I have worked in the aftermath of two major fire events, and will be working in the aftermath of this one.

The Canberra #bushfires saw a major investment in infrastructure focused on early attack - upgrades to 70km of fire trails, ridge-top water supply tanks and supply ponds for aerial units.
These worked quite well in allowing more aggressive early control.
aurecongroup.com/projects/gover…

Following the Victorian Black Saturday fires I was part of a multi-disciplinary team that designed bushfire shelters for all Victorian public schools.
This is something that NSW needs to look at for isolated towns and schools on the urban fringe.
aurecongroup.com/thinking/think…

5. One of the big changes on the #bushfire planing was big advances in our ability to model and predict fire. This is a snapshot of a Project Vesta ember model that we used to plan fire protection for a new suburb - the fire model was very close match to historic records

6. In the past few years these fire prediction models have moved out of the office and into the field.
We now use fire models in real time to assist engineering design teams
This is the view of a fire model for a water treatment plant.

7. Live spatial data lets us check fire trails and Asset Protection Zones and update conditions in real time.
We then generate very specific & targeted work orders.
We can see exactly where we are in the landscape in relation to assets and bushland.

8. Our growing respect for indigenous culture has also seen us making increased use of traditional knowledge in fire management.
We have had several clients embed this in their management system.
Everyone should read Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe!

9. The really big advantage of traditional burning is that it can be implemented safely close to assets with minimal equipment, and creates an open, park-like vegetation structure.

10. The other big change is going to be another upgrade to building standards, particularly for QLD.
The Fire Danger Index we use to scale the fire models was 50 for QLD. They are seeing conditions in the 80-100 range regularly now.

11. We have some really big unknowns as well - particularly telecommunications & data. Some great insights in @BiancaNogrady's tweets.
We fight fires with data as much as water these days, and I do some of the protection planning for the towers. Unsure how these have fared.

12. The houses and lives lost hit us hard as fire planners, it is more than just a job for most of us.
We are going to honour those people by learning as much as we can from this disaster, and continuing to adapt.
Stay safe. Leave early. Support each other.