AFAC bushfire news
The Australia’s Fire Danger Rating System
The Australia’s Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) has been live from September 2022, and updated since, to include the parameterisation of the Mallee Heath model, and the updates to the fuel mapping system. The Mallee Heath Model revised the fuel moisture equation to take into account peak fire condition days as well as changes in the parametrisation of relative humidity. The updates to the fuel mapping system integrate Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania updated mapping and fuel look up table parameters reflecting their current state of fuels. The AFDRS is being reviewed for continual improvement and future planning.
Seasonal Bushfire Outlook Winter 2023
AFAC, the National Council for fire and emergency services, has released the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Winter 2023. The seasonal Outlook reflects the priorities in each state and territory for the coming months given the expected climate conditions.
Most of Australia is likely to experience below median rainfall for the winter period and maximum temperatures are likely or very likely to be above median for most of the country. The combination of reduced rainfall and above average temperatures and evaporation results in outlooks for drier than average root zone soil moisture by late winter for much of the country.
Much of Central Australia is showing above normal fire potential for this outlook due to reduced rainfall, higher temperatures, and higher fuel loads, including of the invasive Buffel Grass. Parts of NSW also have above normal fire potential driven by the risk of frost curing of high grass fuel loads.
Burning Ambition: Women in fire and emergency
Discover the strength and insights of a exceptional woman in fire and emergency: Jaimee Morgenbesser. She started her career in Law, and then she learned about the Australian Red Cross Humanitarian role, which sparked a passion to become a Disaster Recovery practitioner. She talks about the people who helped her find her path, among the Australian Red Cross, the Brookfield Rural Fire Brigade, the Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, and the Australasian Women in Emergencies Network. She also shares her insights about how to work professionally while being herself, how to balance personal and professional lives, how to help impacted communities while listening to their voices and letting them lead the right recovery for their own needs.
https://www.afac.com.au/auxiliary/publications/newsletter/article/burning-ambition-women-in-fire-and-emergency-jaimee-morgenbesser
2023 National Memorial Service
AFAC has held a memorial service, on Friday 12 May, 2023, to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who have died in the line of duty. An AFAC Memorial Medallion was presented to families and the service also acknowledged names added to the Memorial Wall, which lists all who have died in the line of duty since records began.
https://memorial.afac.com.au/