HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 14.2

# Teacher Lesson Plan — Bushfire Mitigation Strategies

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Contemporary hazard · ~75 min
Teacher copy — includes model answers
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this resource may contain names, images or references to people who have died.

## At a glance

### Companion resources

- Student study page
- Revision slides
- Activity handout (student, no answers)

### Big idea

Because we can't change weather or terrain, mitigation manages fuel and prepares people — via hazard reduction, cultural burning, ratings, defensible space and technology. All have limits in extreme conditions.

## Cultural-content protocol (read first)

Cultural burning is a major, positive strand of this chapter — present it as sophisticated, living Indigenous land management:

- Keep the advisory (above) on all student-facing materials.
- Use endorsed / Indigenous-authored sources — AIATSIS, NITV / SBS Learn, ABC Education — with attribution.
- Avoid generic/AI-generated depictions of people or ceremony; use land/Country imagery.
- For assessment, seek local AECG and community guidance.

## Syllabus mapping (NESA Geography 11–12, 2022)

Focus area: Human–Environment Interactions · Content: a contemporary hazard (bushfires) — management and mitigation strategies, and their effectiveness.

### Outcomes addressed

GE-11-03 challenges & perspectives GE-11-04 responses & management for sustainability GE-11-05 analyses sources GE-11-07 inquiry tools GE-11-09 communicates

Outcome codes: re-mapped/verified to current GE-11-x (Year 11 Preliminary).

### Key concepts

environment sustainability interconnection change

## Lesson sequence & timings

Time | Phase | Teacher / student activity
--- | --- | ---
0–8 | Frame | Deck title (controlled burn). Why target fuel? Activity 1.
8–26 | Hazard reduction | Slide 6 + Activity 2 (compare methods). Stress the extreme-fire limit.
26–40 | Cultural burning | Slide 8 + Activity 3 (endorsed-source inquiry). Protocol above.
40–52 | Ratings | Slide 10 + Activity 4. AFDRS levels & actions; Catastrophic = leave.
52–66 | Protecting homes | Slide 12 + Activity 5 (design defensible space).
66–75 | Consolidate | Warnings & GIS + Activity 6 essay plan. Exit ticket: one strength + one limit of hazard reduction.

## Activities — model answers

### Activity 1 · Why fuel

Model
Only fuel can be changed by people (weather and topography can't). So mitigation manages fuel load — reducing the mass, altering the structure/arrangement — plus preparing people and property.

### Activity 2 · Compare methods

Model
Prescribed burning: + cuts fuel across areas / – must be repeated, weather-dependent, smoke. Mechanical clearing: + firebreaks & crew access / – limited on steep terrain, habitat loss. Thinning/logging: + lower impact than clear-felling / – little effect on extreme fires. Chemical control: + suppresses regrowth / – health & environmental concerns. All are less effective in catastrophic conditions.

### Activity 3 · Cultural burning

Model
Cultural burning is cool, fine-grained, seasonal and patch-based — reading the land and protecting fire-sensitive species — rather than one broad burn. Benefit: keeps fuel loads low (reducing catastrophic-fire risk) while caring for Country and biodiversity. Accept answers sourced from AIATSIS/NITV/ABC Education with attribution.

### Activity 4 · Ratings

Model
Moderate = plan & prepare; High = be ready to act; Extreme = act now to protect life & property; Catastrophic = for survival, leave early. At Catastrophic, fire behaviour is so extreme that homes are not designed to withstand it — leaving early is the only safe option.

### Activity 5 · Defensible space

Model
Look for: cleared gutters/leaves, short grass, trimmed/spaced trees, non-electric sprinklers, independent water supply, cleared woodpiles, a written survival plan. All reduce fuel and radiant heat near the home.

### Activity 6 · Essay plan

Model plan
Intro: mitigation manages fuel + prepares people. Hazard reduction (methods + the extreme-fire limit). Cultural burning & warnings. Property & community (defensible space, ratings). Conclusion: strategies substantially reduce risk but cannot eliminate it — a layered, honest judgement.

## Differentiation & assessment

### Support

- Method-comparison table part-filled.
- Ratings matching as cut-out cards.

### EAL/D

- Pre-teach: hazard reduction, prescribed burn, defensible space, catastrophic.

### Extension

- Research how NSW is integrating cultural burning into fire policy.
- Evaluate whether more hazard reduction could have changed Black Summer (→ 14.3).

### Assessment / homework

- Activity 3 (endorsed-source inquiry) + Activity 6 essay.

## Useful resources & recent articles

- NSW Rural Fire Service — hazard reduction, ratings, survival plans
- AFAC — Australian Fire Danger Rating System
- AIATSIS & NITV — cultural burning (endorsed)

Accuracy reminder: the AFDRS was revised in 2022 (four levels) — confirm current ratings & advice with the RFS before teaching.
Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Teacher plan (14.2) · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · HSC 2026
Aligned to the NESA Geography Stage 6 Syllabus (2022); First Nations content handled per cultural protocols (AIATSIS/NITV, advisory, AECG); figures redrawn (no textbook images reproduced).