Bushfire Emergency Response in Australia - Case Study Example

BUSHFIRE EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN AUSTRALIA By Name Course Instructor Institution City/State Date Bushfire Emergency Response in Australia Introduction Bushfires in Australia are recurrent incidents that occur during the hotter months, because of Australia's mostly dry, hot climate (Whittaker et al., 2012). Yearly, these fires affect wide areas; on one hand, they lead to loss of human life .as well as property damage, while on the other hand, some native Australian vegetation have evolved to depend on bushfires as a way to reproduce. Additionally, fire incidents are an interwoven as well as an important ecological part of the continent. For centuries, aboriginal Australians have utilised fire to do their hunting as well as to clear pathways through thick bush (Wyrwoll, 2012). A number of the most extreme, wide-ranging and fatal bushfires usually take place during heat waves as well as droughts, such as the Black Saturday bushfires that occurred in 2009 leading to 173 deaths (Leonard & Howitt, 2010, p.372). Bushfires are caused either intentionally or accidentally, so the persuasive essay provides a critical insight about bushfires in Australia, also examines the results of bushfires as well as the need for emergency response. Discussion First argument is based on the causes of bushfires. Australian bushfire events can be caused in scores of distinct ways. In This case, the ignition causes can be divided into 'human’ and ‘natural’ influence (Cary et al., 2003, p.163). Naturally, bushfires are started by lightning strikes, and on average, there are more bushfires instigated because of lightning strikes as compared to any other cause, making up around 26% of all bushfires. However, Most of bushfires are caused by the influences or actions or of humans. Occasionally, a campfire can lead to bushfire; that is if the campfire is not correctly extinguished or left unattended. A number of farmers’ destroy vegetation by fire on their lands so as to free the land from crop waste, get rid of rubbish and control weeds. Such fires are acknowledged as agricultural, may result in bushfires if not carefully administered. In Australia, agricultural burns are liable for almost 15% of the total bushfires (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004). Besides that, equipment or machinery that produces sparks or heat can likely serve as bushfires catalyst. Machines renowned for causing bushfires in Australia include slashers, grinders and chainsaws. Furthermore, vehicles exhausts together with cigarettes discarded recklessly can result in bushfires, even though just 7% of all fires start this way. Regrettably, not every bushfire is accidental, since a number of them are intentionally lit by arsonists (individuals who deliberately start bushfires). Such fires can wipe out a big portion of land, and astonishingly, intentionally-lit fires come second as the most common cause of bushfires, at 25 percent (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004). Second argument details the economic effects of bushfires. Without doubt, bushfires have an effect on Australian economy, the people as well as the environment in diverse ways. Hardly any are of assistance, but the majority are disturbing. Australian economy has heavily been impacted by bushfires, as they are regularly associated with destruction of business as well as property. Infrastructure such as shopping centres, offices, homes, as well as crops and livestock can all be destroyed completely by a bushfire (Thomas White International, 2009). As a result, many of families are affected without a house, income source and/or business to reconstruct. Without doubt this is an extremely expensive feat, particularly if such families are uninsured. For instance, 2009 Victoria’s Black Saturday bushfires economic impacts were obvious: first, more than 2030 houses together with over 1400 other structures were destroyed by the fires. What is more, the Bushfires Royal Commission approximated that the fires costs would sum US $3.75 billion ($4.4 billion AUD) (Gray, 2010). Besides, $1.2 billion AUD of insurance claims had been made as of August 2010, reports Insurance Council of Australia (ICA). According to ICA, 84 percent of these insurance claims were for property, while the remaining 16% percent being for automobiles (Gray, 2010). The total cost could have been higher considering that the losses accounted in agricultural sector were not included in the total cost, with estimated grazing pasture of 62 000 hectares, 11000 head of livestock, as well as 32 000 tonnes of silage and hay were destroyed by the Black Saturday bushfires. The third argument enlightens the environmental and social effects of bushfires together with existing prevention measures. Basically, bushfires affects the environment, on one hand; bushfires are of assistance since a number of plants make use of the conditions offered by the fire to grow. Additionally other floras that are destroyed by fire have familiarized themselves to survive, akin to the animals that utilize them as a home. Bushfires, on the other hand, can have calamitous environmental impact, which includes climate change like rise in CO2 levels in the atmosphere, loss of flora and fauna, the generation of enormous smoke as well as ash volumes and localised weather change (The Wilderness Society, 2013). Still making use of the 2009 Black Saturday fires, environmental impacts experience were severe; for instance, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals approximated that more than one million animals were lost because of the bushfires, and scores of those that survived were severely burned. Scores of kangaroos’ feet were burned attributable to their natural instinct to go back to their home ranges that had been burned.  Marysville an area that houses Leadbeater’s Possum as well as species in danger of extinction was also affected by the bushfires; thus putting the animals under more danger of extinction. Besides that, some of catchment vital for water supply was impacted by the bushfires, with fire products such as ash polluting the water (The Wilderness Society, 2013). The aforementioned examples prove that the impact of bushfires to the environment is severe; thus, creating the needed for mitigation policies that can help alleviate this situation. Bushfires always impact people within the region, and can be vast and totally devastating. A number of the more noticeable impacts of bushfires include long-term health problems, deaths, injury, as well as loss of source of revenue, which includes business, revenue and property. Apart from directly impacting people, bushfires can as well have an effect on citizens indirectly; for example, power loss which as a result leads in communication loss. Given that scores of people are not knowledgeable concerning the dangers as well as risks of bushfires, most of them are distressed in case one happens. Still using Black Saturday fires, social impacts were apparent and they included: loss of life, life threatening injuries, as well as loss of homes (Cameron et al., 2009). The effects of bushfires are devastating and several prevention measures have been introduced by both federal and state governments. For instance, NSW government has introduced new programs, as well as initiatives to contain new fire danger rating; such as introduction of emergency alert telephone warning system; in addition to improved accessibility (Urbanalyst, 2010). The communities on the other hand, have a responsibility to create a bushfires survival plan as well as to reduce the loss of lives and property in bushfires. In spite of these measures, there is the need for bushfire emergency response, which can counter the challenges presented by these bushfires. Conclusion In conclusion, it has been argued that because of its mostly dry, hot climate, Australian bushfires often happen during the hotter months. As a result, large land portions are destroyed annually by bushfires which leads to damage of property as well as loss of life. Basically, bushfires are a naturally a part of the Australian environment and take place frequently, but scores of Australians do not prepare for them, and this lack of preparedness has heavily impacted the country economically, socially, and environmentally. Whereas there are bushfire elements that cannot be controlled such as the climate, preparedness and advance planning for the bushfires can considerably boost the possibilities of people and their homes surviving. References Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2004. Bushfires. [Online] Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/ccb3f2e90ba779d3ca256dea00053977?OpenDocument [Accessed 6 September 2014]. Cameron, P.A. et al., 2009. Black Saturday: the immediate impact of the February 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Australia. [Online] Available at: https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2009/191/1/black-saturday-immediate-impact-february-2009-bushfires-victoria-australia [Accessed 6 September 2014]. Cary, G., Lindenmayer, D. & Dovers, S., 2003. Australia Burning: Fire Ecology, Policy and Management Issues. Collingwood, Victoria: Csiro Publishing. Gray, D., 2010. Black Saturday cost $4.4 billion. [Online] Available at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/black-saturday-cost-44-billion-20100801-11116.html [Accessed 6 Spetember 2014]. Leonard, H.B. & Howitt, A.M., 2010. Organising Response to Extreme Emergencies: The Victorian Bushfires of 2009. Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 69, no. 4, pp.372 - 386. The Wilderness Society, 2013. Preliminary Report: Impact of the 2009 Victorian bushfires on nature and wildlife. [Online] Available at: https://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/preliminary-report-impact-2009-victorian-bushfires-nature-and-wildlife [Accessed 6 September 2014]. Thomas White International, 2009. Australia: Fires Burn Economy. [Online] Available at: http://www.thomaswhite.com/world-markets/australia-fires-burn-economy/ [Accessed 6 September 2014]. Urbanalyst, 2010. NSW Government releases response to 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. [Online] Available at: http://www.urbanalyst.com/in-the-news/new-south-wales/327-nsw-government-releases-response-to-2009-victorian-bushfires-royal-commission.html [Accessed 6 September 2014]. Whittaker, J., Handmer, J. & Mercer, D., 2012. Vulnerability to bushfires in rural Australia: A case study from East Gippsland, Victoria. Journal of Rural Studies, vol. 28, no. 2, pp.161–73. Wyrwoll, K.-H., 2012. How Aboriginal burning changed Australia’s climate. [Online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/how-aboriginal-burning-changed-australias-climate-4454 [Accessed 6 September 2014]. Read More