A major conference on bushfires has warned Melbourne residents: Beware and prepare.
The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council conference at Melbourne Convention Centre saw presentations from international, national and local bushfire and emergency response experts.
The Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre released its seasonal bushfire outlook on the opening day of the conference, predicting normal-to-above-average bushfires for the 2013-14 summer.
But it said Melbourne’s north-west and northern-fringe suburbs faced a higher-than-average risk.
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Whittlesea CFA captain Ken Williamson said there had been low rainfall before winter and average in the past two months, which meant the ground was dry and grassfires could spring up later in the season.
“The rain deficit is far from made up,” he said. “It’s a little early to say how bad [it will be] but it will be fairly normal to high [bushfire risk].”
Mr Williamson said there were only 12-14 weeks to the fire season and the main message to landholders was not to leave things until the last minute.
“If they’re burning tree stumps they need to think about doing it now.” he said. “They’re running out of time.”
Victoria State Emergency Service manager of community resilience Kate White said a community was best prepared to deal with the impact and aftermath of a disaster if it was informed and aware of the dangers it faced.
“The benefits in investing in the front end can be seen in the dividends following a disaster,” she said.
Ms White said a close-knit local community could improve emergency preparedness.
This point was reiterated by Lisa Gibbs, an associate director of the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing program at the University of Melbourne.
Ms Gibbs said her research project, Beyond Bushfires: Understanding the Ongoing Impacts of a Disaster Experience, showed local communities were a vital form of support before and after disasters.
