the aftermath
Responsibilities and Responses
Before
Individuals:
Before a bushfire, individuals may choose to stay and defend their property,
in this case, many sprinkle their property with water and also build emergency
shelters to hide from the oncoming blaze.
Groups:
Charitable Groups also devise plans to help rescue those who are in need
during the event of a bushfire. Also, committees dedicate themselves
to help reducing the chances of bushfire in their areas.
Government:
In Victoria, the law requires each local government area
to have a Local Bushfire Management Committee. The committee’s
aim is to identify any assets which are at risk to bushfires,
These assets include homes, farms, water supplies
and roads. The committee then finds a solution to protect these assets
This includes prescribed burning (burning in advance of the main fire front to
reduce the availability of fuel) and keeping watch from fire towers.
Government authorities such as are also responsible for advising the
community of the current level of fi re danger (by the use of
roadside bushfi re warning signs) and fi re bans that are in force.
During
Individuals:
Individuals should, for example, abandon their houses when instructed by
authorities during the event of a fire. They are also required to ensure
the safety of the elderly and the incapacitated.
Groups:
Groups are extremely helpful during the event of a bushfire. Organisations
filled with volunteers help combat the fire. FireThere are 250 000 volunteer
firefighters who willingly answer the call for assistance. Leaving their jobs and families,
they travel great distances to fightfi res. They display remarkable courage
and resilience. Likewise, volunteers for the State Emergency Service
assist by staffi ng roadblocks, refuelling helicopters and assisting the
police in evacuation.
Government:
The government does not play a huge part in the event of a fire when compared
to the other two, however, government authorities such as the police or
representatives from the government ensure a clear indication as to where the
affected community should go for safety. The police play a part in this by directing the
escapees and forming roadblocks.
If a bushfi re becomes so widespread that local abilities to fi ght it
are exceeded, section 44 of the Rural Fire Act is declared. This
provides additional resources from elsewhere in the state to be
brought in to fight the fires. In New South Wales, there are four fi re
authorities: the Rural Fire Service, the National Parks and Wildlife
Service, State Forests and the NSW Fire Brigades.
After
Individuals:
After the blaze has swept through the community's town, many will still return
to their homes and rebuild what the fire has destroyed. The sense of community
is simply incredible, neighbours help each other clean up the debris, lending money
to those in need, etc. In a sense, the fire has brought a whiff of closeness to the community
Groups:
Charitable organisations, such as The Smith
Family, provide counselling, temporary accommodation, financial
relief and replacement clothing and other possessions. Injured
animals are tended to by groups such as the Wildlife and Information
Rescue Service (WIRES).
Government:
The government aids the community mostly by lending money to the
town or community, aiding their recovery to achieve their
former state. However, governments also aid the community
by sending doctors and nurses to tend to the injured victims.
Before
Individuals:
Before a bushfire, individuals may choose to stay and defend their property,
in this case, many sprinkle their property with water and also build emergency
shelters to hide from the oncoming blaze.
Groups:
Charitable Groups also devise plans to help rescue those who are in need
during the event of a bushfire. Also, committees dedicate themselves
to help reducing the chances of bushfire in their areas.
Government:
In Victoria, the law requires each local government area
to have a Local Bushfire Management Committee. The committee’s
aim is to identify any assets which are at risk to bushfires,
These assets include homes, farms, water supplies
and roads. The committee then finds a solution to protect these assets
This includes prescribed burning (burning in advance of the main fire front to
reduce the availability of fuel) and keeping watch from fire towers.
Government authorities such as are also responsible for advising the
community of the current level of fi re danger (by the use of
roadside bushfi re warning signs) and fi re bans that are in force.
During
Individuals:
Individuals should, for example, abandon their houses when instructed by
authorities during the event of a fire. They are also required to ensure
the safety of the elderly and the incapacitated.
Groups:
Groups are extremely helpful during the event of a bushfire. Organisations
filled with volunteers help combat the fire. FireThere are 250 000 volunteer
firefighters who willingly answer the call for assistance. Leaving their jobs and families,
they travel great distances to fightfi res. They display remarkable courage
and resilience. Likewise, volunteers for the State Emergency Service
assist by staffi ng roadblocks, refuelling helicopters and assisting the
police in evacuation.
Government:
The government does not play a huge part in the event of a fire when compared
to the other two, however, government authorities such as the police or
representatives from the government ensure a clear indication as to where the
affected community should go for safety. The police play a part in this by directing the
escapees and forming roadblocks.
If a bushfi re becomes so widespread that local abilities to fi ght it
are exceeded, section 44 of the Rural Fire Act is declared. This
provides additional resources from elsewhere in the state to be
brought in to fight the fires. In New South Wales, there are four fi re
authorities: the Rural Fire Service, the National Parks and Wildlife
Service, State Forests and the NSW Fire Brigades.
After
Individuals:
After the blaze has swept through the community's town, many will still return
to their homes and rebuild what the fire has destroyed. The sense of community
is simply incredible, neighbours help each other clean up the debris, lending money
to those in need, etc. In a sense, the fire has brought a whiff of closeness to the community
Groups:
Charitable organisations, such as The Smith
Family, provide counselling, temporary accommodation, financial
relief and replacement clothing and other possessions. Injured
animals are tended to by groups such as the Wildlife and Information
Rescue Service (WIRES).
Government:
The government aids the community mostly by lending money to the
town or community, aiding their recovery to achieve their
former state. However, governments also aid the community
by sending doctors and nurses to tend to the injured victims.