Media Release 31 January 2010
A survey designed to help better understand
residents’ actions in the 7 February 2009 Victorian bushfires
has been completed by the Bushfire CRC as part of more extensive
research project on the Black Saturday fires.
The Bushfire CRC Research Task Force was established in
the immediate aftermath of Black Saturday by the Bushfire CRC on
behalf of fire and land management agencies, as well as fire
researchers both in Australia and internationally.
The Task Force was funded by the Victorian Government and
attracted substantial in-kind resources from other states, and
researchers and small businesses to look at a range of issues
including fire behaviour, building and planning, and human
behaviour and community safety issues. In addition to more than 600
interviews with residents in fire affected areas, the Task Force
mailed a survey to more than 6000 households in October
2009.
The survey explored how the 7 February bushfires affected
people and their property - from how information and warnings were
received and understood, to the level of householder planning,
preparation and response to the bushfires, as well as general
information about each household.
Notable findings include:
-
Respondents most commonly became aware of the presence of
fire in their neighbourhood through sensory cues in the environment
such as smoke, embers or flames, etc, a warning from a family
member, friend or neighbour, or a radio announcement
- 72% of
respondents indicated that they expected to receive an official
warning (from authorities such as the CFA, police, other emergency
services, or ABC Radio) if there was a bushfire in their town or
suburb. However, 63% reported that they did not receive an official
warning. (Two thirds of respondents who did receive a warning
reported that it arrived in enough time respond safely.)
- Contrary
to anecdotal reports of insurance levels within fire affected
areas, the majority of survey respondents (84%) reported having
house and contents insurance. Only 4% said they had no insurance at
all.
- An
overwhelming 99% of respondents were aware that 7 February was a
day of Total Fire Ban. However, the earlier interviews with
residents found there was little connection between awareness and
appropriate action.
-
Respondents recognized temperature, wind and luck as some of
the most important factors influencing how their home/property was
affected by the fires.
- In the 12
months prior to the 7 February bushfires, the CFA ‘Living in
the Bush’ workbooks, ABC Radio, CFA Community Meetings, and
television emerged as the major sources of information about what
to do during a bushfire, and how to prepare households for
bushfire.
-
Respondents consistently indicated they would adopt a similar
course of action in a future bushfire attack. (77% of respondents
who left their homes before the fire arrived stated that they would
leave again if there was a similar fire, while 78% of those who
stayed to defend their properties declared they would stay and
protect their home from a similar fire in the future.)
“This research further informs communities and fire
and land management agencies about what happened, and why, on an
extraordinary and tragic day in this country’s
history,” said Professor John Handmer survey author and
Bushfire CRC Program Leader at RMIT University. “The
information gathered will help agencies better work with
communities for bushfire, ultimately saving property and
lives.”
Professor Handmer said the dataset from the survey needs
to be read in conjunction with the qualitative work conducted
immediately after Black Saturday. For instance, the majority of
respondents (69%) claimed to have had a firm plan about what to do
if a bushfire occurred on 7 February, but interviews with residents
found considerable variation in the quality of people’s
plans, and that a considerable amount of ‘last-minute’
planning and preparation occurred on the day itself.
“This is only part of the story,” said
Professor Handmer, “but this information from both the survey
and the face-to-face interviews provides us with a solid foundation
upon which future scientific analysis can be based on how
communities face the threat of a bushfire.
This research was funded by the Victorian Department of
Sustainability and Environment, the Country Fire Authority and the
Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner. The survey was
conducted independently by the Bushfire CRC.
