Bushfires of Australia PART A: Bushfires are large-scaled wildfires that burn out of control spreading across the forests, shrubs and woodlands but to a lesser extent in grasslands. Bushfires have slow movement but high heat output which means they can be very destructive. Even though they smoulder for days, bushfires only pass through for two to five minutes. They take a big role in the Australian environment because the ecosystems have evolved with fire.
Also several of the native plants are fire-prone and very combustible while many other species depend on fire to regenerate.They are common in the vegetated areas of Australia, where the climates are moist enough for trees to grow but they also feature dry, hot periods where fallen branches, leaves and other debris can dry out leading to highly flammable and vulnerable material on the ground. It is very common for bushfires to occur on days of strong winds and during years of drought. The long, dramatic history of bushfires on the continent dated back around five million years ago when dry grassland began to form across the landscape.
Bushfires began to occur regularly around 40000 years ago. Today, bushfires are quite common in many areas and have wreaked havoc across the land cause much damage. Bushfires can be cause by many different ways. The causes of ignition may be either the fault of nature or humankind.
The most common way that starts bushfires is by lightning. The lightning ignites fire very easily and approximately 26% of bushfires are cause by it. Another natural cause could be due to the dry hot climate and strong winds. The rest is cause by the actions of people.
There can be many causes like a campfire can develop into a bushfire if it is left unattended, machinery can generate heat and sparks, the exhaust from vehicles may cause a fire and cigarettes that have been thrown away recklessly can light fires. Another reason could be agricultural burns which are done by farmers whom burn vegetation to rid of crop debris, weed and rubbish. However, not all bushfires are accidental. Arsonists intentionally light fires. Australia has several bushfires a year due to high temperatures, dry climate and strange weather.For most of Southern Australia, the danger period is summer and autumn.
The same goes to New South Wales and southern Queensland but in the Northern Territory they happen mostly during winter and spring. It can happen anywhere that has a dense growth of bushes. The impacts of bushfires on the environment are can be severe. They cause damage to forest trees and may kill them and it causes the decrease of plants and bushes.
It injects huge amounts of smoke into the air eliminating oxygen and damages the ozone layer. The pollution may also lead to acidic water and kill the ecosystem living off it.The bushfire can make the weather change which results to storms. The economic effects of the bushfires cause farmers a loss of income because their land and livestock have been affected. There could be a loss of tourism which leads to less money for the area and the fact that people will no longer live in a fire-ravaged area so they no longer contribute to the economy of the area.
The biggest impact is the amount of money paid to repair all damages. The social impact of the bushfire could cause disruption between family and social life. They would always have to stay alert and this could cause tension.The residents’ health could be at risk due to the pollution produced by the fires but it wasn’t just the physical health that was at risk, it was also the social and psychological health that was at a threat.
Children were usually sent away during the fires while the parents would try to protect their property and fight the fire. PART B On the 16th of February, 1983, Victoria experienced one of its worst bushfires in history. Prior to the bushfire, there was El Nino drought that lasted around 10months. The El Nino drought led to dry conditions throughout the south-eastern Australia.On the day now known as ‘Ash Wednesday’, the gale force was very strong with the temperature into the 40’s and the extremely low humidity let to spread of fires but it wasn’t just natures fault, there were accidental and deliberate fires were ignited that day. The other causes include sparks caused by clashing of electricity power lines, tree branches connecting with power lines and the arsonists whom deliberately lit fires were not identified.
The places where the fire occurred were spread across Victoria and partially South Australia.Wednesday 16th of 1983 was Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar. The first fire reported was at 11:30am at McLaren Flat, SA. By mid-afternoon there were already twelve deaths. In Victoria alone there were already 180 fires, eight of which became major fires. Around 3:30pm the Northerly wind suddenly changed and it was now 10 degrees cooler.
This flared across Victoria out of control, devastating thousands of hectares of forest and many homes. Seventy-five people lost their lives (47 in Victoria, 28 in South Australia) and nearly 2,500 houses were destroyed (2080 in Victoria, 380 in South Australia).The deaths included seventeen fire-fighters and the homes that were destroyed were mostly in populated areas. Many businesses, machinery, equipment, stock and other assets were lost. The total cost to the property damage was estimated to be over $200 million dollars! That wasn’t all though. The fires damaged valuable timber in State forests with losses of around $50 million.
Park and forest offices and fire-fighting equipment were lost. The vegetation that protected the soil was burnt and spoiled. This caused to further damage through soil erosion affecting the streams and water catchment.The actions of the Australian Government included them interacting with the state agencies in the emergency bushfire situations and act as a coordinating role.
They provided resources such as equipment, medical supplies and relief funds. The State Government had a role of promoting building designs in fire-prone areas. They also communicate with other organisations including the Local Government about risk communication and education. The Local Government coordinate community disaster response plans and facilitate evacuation centres.
They also restrict any development in high bushfire hazard and the share the responsibility of managing fuel loads with organisations. Community Fireguard is about local people taking responsibility for their own fire safety. These people work in small community groups to develop strategies to cope with the local fire threat, the strategies being based on a solid understanding of wildfire behaviour and related safety issues. Individuals volunteered to help work out the evacuation and lead people to the safest facility or shelter.
Volunteers would try to help the injured people by trying to mend their injuries.Several gave food and water out to others who were in need of it. The responsibilities of the Australian Government, community groups and individuals were all helpful. They Government provided food, medical supplies and relief funds which the individuals and community groups used to help the residents. The state did not do much. They only helped after the bushfires ended when they were most needed in the duration of the fires.
The Local Government led people to where they were most safe but the people who helped the most were the Community Fireguards along with the individuals.They took action when it counted and helped those who were in need. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Name of Website:| Date Accessed:| http://www. ga.
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