Volume 22 Issue 2, 2007

Increasing community resilience to bushfire — implications from a north Queensland community case study

Sally Bushnell, Alison Cottrell

Peer-reviewed Article

Sally Bushnell and Alison Cottrell report on research that defines bushfire issues within a community, with the aim of contributing to efforts to increase community resilience to bushfire


Archived Article


Abstract

Increasing community resilience to the bushfire hazard through raising awareness and increasing preparedness for bushfire is a crucial step towards reducing the impact of a bushfire event. The case study presented in this paper investigates the attitudes, expectations and needs of a community in north Queensland in regard to the bushfire risk in their area. Understanding these social aspects, and the community itself, can lead to better delivery of bushfire services, and thereby increase community resiliency. The findings from the case study present a number of implications for bushfire service delivery in the area.