Hearings into Australia’s ‘Black Saturday’ brushfire in Victoria discussed the lack of awareness regarding the work that was being done by mapping experts to chart the intensity and direction of the fire. The County Fire Authority’s chief officer said he was unaware that this activity was taking place, although the mappers were working in the state’s emergency control center where he was located.
The hearings, which are ongoing, aim to thoroughly understand the issues that lead to the loss of 173 lives on Feb. 7. Although the fire index was ‘off the scale’ prior to the fire, this information and warning sirens, were not used to alert local residents.
Although mapping has become integral to many firefighting efforts, particularly in California, this testimony raises the issue of visibility and its effectiveness as a decision making tool within the hierarchy at an emergency operations center. Perhaps new mandates will result.
Read more about the testimony here in The Australian.
