Rethinking crisis communications

I was fortunate enough to be a coauthor of an article, Rethinking Crisis Information for position magazine originally published in issue 105 of Position magazine. It is authored by Maritin Tomko, Lew Short, Sisi Zlatanova and Maurits van der Vlugt. The communication of the...
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RFS concerned about ‘what the risk could be’ for next fire season, says incoming commissioner

Blackash continues to work with our community of clients to reduce the impact of bushfire through sound Bushfire Management Planning, landuse planning and mitigation/ risk management. While the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, we will be faced with a range of natural...
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Resilience & adaptation to the “new normal”

Natural disasters are a part of life. While we can’t predict when they will occur or the consequences that will manifest in our communities, we know they will happen. And when they happen, the affected communities will transform. It is unrealistic and narrow minded to think...
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Bushfires & living in the bush

Bushfire has been part of the natural environment of the Australian continent for thousands of years. The forest and grassland environments have adapted to accommodate this as have the original inhabitants. The frequency and intensity of bushfires varies throughout the landscape...
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Wayfinding – Learning from the Past

We are surrounded by clues to our past. As we design communities, planners give a nod to people, places or significant events that shape or give rise to that form. Examples might be “The Broadway” for a wide boulevard, “Scribbly Gum Crescent” for an area...
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Great Ocean Road Post Bushfire Resilience Guideline

Guideline for Building in Bushfire Prone Areas Wye River & Separation Creek The 2015 Christmas Day Bushfires resulted in the loss of 116 houses in Wye River and Separation Creek on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. The government and community have worked together to not only...
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CFA BAL

Living in the Bushfire Flame Zone

I heard an interesting comment recently, that it is “Not a good idea to live in the flame zone.” For many people living on the bush interface, this is not an option. The highest level of bushfire attack level (BAL) is known as BAL Flame Zone. Australian Standard (AS 395...
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Reducing the Bushfire Risk

Bushfires of low or moderate intensity often pose little threat to life, property and community assets. However, bushfires that burn in heavy fuels, steep terrain or on hot, dry and windy days often spread rapidly, crown in forests, produce powerful convection columns and create...
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