Seasonal bushfire outlook conference held at Adelaide Convention Centre
25 August 2022
Published by: https://www.naracoorteherald.com.au
AUSTRALIA – Australia’s national seasonal fire potential for the upcoming warmer months has been discussed and explained by experts in the field.
On Wednesday, August 24, 2022 the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook Spring 2022 Press Conference was held at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
The event was to give a seasonal outlook on fire risks from a national perspective, with fire agency chiefs and commissioners from each state and territories presenting their outlook for their jurisdiction
With much of Australia having experienced above average winter rainfall, these conditions are set to continue throughout Spring, but the regions seeing above average rainfall can lead to increased grass vegetation growth.
This can subsequently see an increase in grassfire risk during short periods of warmer and drier conditions within the season.
Chief Officer for SA Country Fire Service, Mark Jones said the cooler weather we’re experiencing is no excuse not to be prepared for the warmer seasons ahead.
“The indication is that South Australia will have a normal fire season,” Mr Jones said.
“A normal fire season in South Australia could see large fires and put people at risk.
“Rainfall this week could make us complacent and in a cool, wet Spring season could see us easily forget a hot and dry Summer will follow.
“Upstate in particular, dry buffel grass can create large fires. There is a message to South Australia. If you live in a bush fire prone area, tidy up around your property, take this cool, wet late start to Spring as an opportunity to create a plan.
“If you need any assistance, please go to the Country Fire Service website. A cool, wet Spring is no excuse for complacency.”
The fire danger rating scale has also had a revamp with only four levels which will be the same all around the country.
The new nationally consistent rating scale will see: Green for moderate, yellow for high, orange for extreme and red for catastrophic.
The CFS Foundation also launched its new Comfort Koalas to support children during emergency incidents.
The new Comfort Koalas aptly named Smokey were launched and CFS Foundation CEO, Gloria Berni said the importance of small gestures, such as the gifting of a Comfort Koala, during traumatic incidents should not be under-estimated.
“A Comfort Koala can be a way of providing ease for a distressed child and can shift the attention away from the incident and towards something soft, gentle and soothing,” Ms Berni said.
Chief Officer, Mark Jones said they can be a very helpful tool in distracting a child that’s going through a very traumatic experience.
“The koalas are a wonderful thing and kids are often distressed at the emergencies we attend,” Mr Jones said.
“It’s shown that it can help accelerate a child’s recovery time by having something positive to hold onto. We’re encouraging the use and distribution of these comfort koalas.”
