HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions

# 14.2 Bushfire Mitigation Strategies

Chapter 14 · Contemporary Hazard · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · Revision deck
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this resource may contain names, images or references to people who have died.
By the end you can…

## Learning goals

- Explain why mitigation targets fuel load.
- Compare hazard-reduction methods (strengths & limits).
- Explain cultural burning respectfully.
- Read the fire danger ratings.
- Describe defensible space & warnings.

Section 1

# Why mitigate?

## Target the fuel

We can't change weather or terrain — so mitigation manages the one control we can: fuel load (its mass, structure & arrangement) — plus preparing people & property.

Mitigation reduces risk & severity — it doesn't remove the hazard.

Section 2

# Hazard-reduction toolkit

## Four methods, all with trade-offs

Prescribed burning

+ cuts fuel
– must repeat; smoke; weather-limited

Mechanical clearing

+ firebreaks & access
– steep terrain; habitat

Thinning / logging

+ lower impact
– little effect on extreme fire

Chemical control

+ suppresses regrowth
– health/environment

All work best on low-intensity fires — not in catastrophic conditions.

Section 3

# Cultural burning

## First Nations land management

Cool, fine-grained, seasonal burning to care for Country

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultural burning reads the land, protects fire-sensitive species and keeps fuel low — increasingly recognised alongside contemporary methods. Living knowledge, held by communities. Learn from AIATSIS · NITV.

Section 4

# Fire danger ratings

## Australian Fire Danger Rating System

Moderate
Plan & prepare
High
Be ready to act
Extreme
Act now to protect
Catastrophic
For survival, leave early

At Catastrophic, homes are not designed to survive — leaving early is the only safe option.

Section 5

# Protecting homes

## Defensible space

Clear fuel

Gutters, leaves, short grass, trimmed trees.

Prepare

Non-electric sprinklers, water supply.

Plan

A written bushfire survival plan.

Improves the odds — but not a guarantee in catastrophic conditions.

Section 6

# Warnings & technology

## Data into action

- GIS / satellites: map fuel & model fire spread.
- Warning systems: emergency alerts & apps.
- Community: briefings, fire plans, the daily rating.

Spatial technology + clear warnings = faster, safer responses.

Recap

# 14.2 in one screen

## Pull it together

- Mitigation targets fuel (the changeable control).
- Hazard reduction: burning, clearing, thinning, chemical — all limited in extreme fire.
- Cultural burning: sophisticated, living land management.
- Fire danger ratings → escalating actions (Catastrophic = leave).
- Defensible space + warnings + GIS.

Next: 14.3 — The Black Summer fires of 2019–20.

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