Adelaide Conference
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Almost 1100 delegates attended our
conference.
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Our biggest event of the year, the International Bushfire Research
Conference, incorporating the 15
th Annual AFAC
Conference, attracted almost 1100 delegates to Adelaide at the
start of this month. Our pre-conference workshop – Bushfire
Incident Response - also attracted 75 people with a working
interest in managing all the complexities of a bushfire incident.
This included five CEO/Chief Officer level participants. In
addition, we had 60 research posters from across our Programs on
display and added to the delegates memory stick.
The conference, the workshop and the posters are prime vehicles
for the research of the Bushfire CRC to be transferred into our
agency partners so it was pleasing to see so many people across our
industry taking the opportunity to be informed of the latest
developments in their field.
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The bustling Bushfire CRC and AFAC expo
booth.
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For the first time, the Bushfire CRC and AFAC had a combined booth
in the Expo area. And what a booth it was! It was double the
size of previous years and in the centre of the Expo floor. The
extra effort to create such a booth was rewarded by the number of
delegates – many new and many familiar faces – who
visited or used it as their “home base” for the week.
The booth was a real gathering place for many of us; a place for
informal meetings and friendly greetings, that nicely complemented
the formal program.
All the posters are now on the Bushfire CRC website. Photographs
and other reports from the conference are being progressively added
over the coming weeks.
Also check out the excellent ABC site dedicated to our
conference. This was the first time the ABC has dedicated such a
large amount of resources to support a conference anywhere in
Australia. In its role as the emergency services broadcaster, our
conference was an ideal opportunity for the ABC to enhance its
reputation in the area. Go to www.abc.net.au/bushfireconference
Diary note – Next year the conference
is at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, 22-25
September 2009
Jim Gould
Bushfire CRC Program Leader Jim Gould (Program A: Safe
Prevention, Preparation and Suppression) has accepted an offer of
an opportunity to work in Canada for 12 months as part of an
exchange agreement between CSIRO and the Canadian Forest
Service.
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Jim Gould, left, receiving a Certificate of
Appreciation from Gary Morgan at the Adelaide conference.
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Jim, who is based at CSRIO Forest Biosciences in Canberra, finished
as Program Leader last week and departs for Canada next week.
In Canada, Jim will perform the duties of Senior Forest Fire
Science Advisor for the Canadian Forest Service based at the
Northern Forest Research Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.
Jim has played a fundamental role in the formation and
development of the Bushfire CRC in recent years. His contribution
as both a Program Leader and as a researcher has been immense. On
behalf of the Bushfire CRC I wish him all the best with his
move.
New Program Leader
Jim’s departure created the need for a new appointment as
Program A Research Leader. In Adelaide, at the Bushfire CRC Board
meeting two weeks ago, consideration was given to a suitable person
to conduct this role. The Bushfire CRC Board was very pleased that
Professor Rod Keenan, Head of Department of Forest and Ecosystem
Science for the University of Melbourne will become Program A
Research Leader. While Rod is currently very busy with other
commitments he will gradually increase his Bushfire CRC activities
over the coming months. May I encourage you to make Rod feel
welcome at the Bushfire CRC.
Fifth year review
The Board has initiated an
independent expert review of the Bushfire CRC’s achievements
to date with a view to further improving the benefits to the fire
industry and to the community. An expert panel has been formed,
consisting of three independent well regarded people.
The purpose of the 5th Year Review
is to assess:
- the scientific quality,
- the research performance against
agreed milestones,
- the benefits derived from the
Bushfire CRC research, and
- the likely success of the
knowledge transfer process to provide anticipated industry
uptake.
In addition, the 5th Year Review
Panel will be asked to provide comment on the proposed research
program for the CRC for Fire; Environment and Society, in relation
to the program’s likelihood of success in producing bushfire
knowledge for Australia and New Zealand.
The Review will be conducted from
13-17 October 2008 at the Bushfire CRC offices in East
Melbourne.
A presentation will be provided to
the panel involving some members of the Bushfire CRC Governing
Board, Bushfire CRC administration staff, Research Program Leaders
and End User Leaders. The remaining days have been allocated to the
Panel to seek clarification and to write a report that will be
submitted to the Board.
Stakeholder Council
Our Stakeholder Council Annual General Meeting will be held at
the Bushfire CRC offices in East Melbourne on 29 October. This
meeting will contain several important agenda items involving the
adoption of key research outcomes and discussion on the long term
future of bushfire research in Australasia. More information will
be sent to Stakeholder representatives shortly.
Bushfire book
On the evening before the Stakeholder AGM we will be holding a
launch of the book Wildfire in the High Country for
invited guests. This book is a wonderful text and photographic
record of the fires of early 2007 in the southern high country of
Victoria put together by the Mansfield Writers Group. The Bushfire
CRC supported the publication along with the Country Fire
Authority, and the Victorian departments of Sustainability and
Environment and Human Services. The book launch is at 6pm on 28
October in Melbourne. More details soon.
