NSW Rural Fire Service Library
New books, reports, and articles in the library
Autumn 2026
Subjects
Tears from fire (Book)
By Jim Hughes, 2020
This book is the author’s first-hand account of his experiences and feelings from the time he lost his house to the aftermath of the bushfires on the NSW South Coast.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Edited by Margaret Park, 2021
This book is a rich collection of oral history interviews with Eurobodalla local residents who experienced the 2019-2020 bushfire season. These interviews were recorded between September 2020 and March 2021 for CABBI (Creative Arts Batemans Bay Inc.)
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Browse the stories and listen to the local residents and their experiences and reflections online here.
Victorian Bushfires 2026: Longwood Fire Post-Event Field Survey (Insight article)
The Longwood bushfire commenced on 7th January 2026 under these extreme conditions and was characterised by fast-moving, high-intensity fire behaviour. By 12th January 2026, hundreds of homes and other buildings had been destroyed, more than 136,000 hectares had reportedly burned and the fire had tragically claimed one life. Between 18th and 20th February 2026, a Risk Frontiers field team visited the Longwood area to document impacts, focusing on the locations reported to be most affected. The survey focused exclusively on buildings. Damage to fencing, livestock, and non-building infrastructure was not assessed but was observed. In total, the survey identified 291 bushfire affected properties, of which the majority were destroyed.
Use this Risk Frontiers link to read the article online
Climate Council, Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, Jan 2026
Use this Climate Council link to download the report.
Accelerating Technological Innovation Across the U.S. Wildfire Management System (US Report)
RAND, January 2026
Promising technologies, including fuel mapping, fire detection, and recovery tools, have the potential to reduce losses. However, they move too slowly from pilot to widespread use because the wildfire management system is fragmented, resources are limited and misaligned, and incentives favor suppression over mitigation and preparedness. Researchers combined a literature review with stakeholder interviews to assess how wildfire technology innovations move from idea to field use and to identify when and how innovation stalls. The team traced the system of federal, state, local, tribal, nonprofit, and private actors to locate choke points throughout the innovation pipeline. In parallel, the researchers studied models from four government-led innovation organizations — the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, the Defense Innovation Unit, and In-Q-Tel — to identify transferable practices to accelerate innovation. Keyfindings and recommendations are found in this report.
The RAND YouTube video "Facing the Flames" demonstrating how technolgoy can improve US wildfire managment and resilience can be viewed online here.
From wildfire risk to resilience: the investment case for action (Report)
World Economic Forum, Jan 2026
Wildfires are now outpacing existing suppression systems and have become one of the most destructive and costly climate-driven risks globally. Recent events, including the January 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires, which resulted in an estimated $40 billion in insured losses, underscore the growing economic and social toll. This white paper highlights that continuing to prioritise suppression and post-disaster response is no longer sufficient. While more than half of wildfire-related spending is directed towards response, only a fraction is invested in prevention and planning, despite strong evidence that upstream investment delivers substantial avoided losses. The paper presents a framework for shifting towards prevention-focused, long-term wildfire resilience by making risk reduction measurable, priceable and financeable.
Use this WEF link to download the report.
AI makes the call. Who answers for it? Accountability, authority, and the data infrastructure that makes ethical AI possible in wildland firefighting.
TracPlus, April 2026
This report examines how AI is already shaping aerial firefighting operations, often without formal governance frameworks to guide its use in life-safety environments. As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in wildfire response, questions of accountability and decision-making are increasingly urgent.
Use this TracPlus link to download the paper.
A Review of Airtanker Drop Characteristics, Effectiveness, and Future Research Directions (Journal article)
Aerial forest firefighting is a critical technology for wildfire suppression. Recent studies have examined suppression agent drop dynamics, deposition patterns, and optimisation strategies. This review synthesises advances from three perspectives: (i) in-flight suppression agent jet dynamics, (ii) ground deposition patterns, and (iii) suppression effectiveness, while outlining future research directions.
Use this MDPI Fire journal link to read the article online.
Flame spread along horizontal fuel particles in the wind (Journal article)
International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol 35 Feburary 2026
Horizontally continuous fuel types such as pine litter can sustain flame spread along individual fuel particles, but little is known about how wind affects flame behavior at this fine scale. The authors conducted experiments to examine flame spread rates along thin horizontal fuel particles (cardboard and pine needles) where wind speed and particle orientation relative to wind direction were varied.
Use this IJWF link to read the article online.
The effect of fuel structure and wind speed on ignition behaviour and fire spread of wildland fuels under firebrand exposure (Journal article)
Firebrands are recognized as a major source of wildland fuel ignition and a critical driver of fire spread in wildland–urban interface (WUI). This study experimentally examines the ignition behaviour of two widely present vegetative fuel beds in the WUI, pine needle and eucalyptus, when exposed to glowing firebrands under both no wind and wind conditions. Key ignition parameters, including fuel consumption rate, rate of spread, and flame development, were evaluated.
Contact the library to request a copy of this article.
Trailblazing : the history and stories of female firefighters in Fire and Rescue NSW (Book)
By Chrissy Strikland Stimson, 2025
Until 1981, the Fire Brigades Act stipulated that only men could be employed as firefighters in (the then) New South Wales Fire Brigades (NSWFB). In 2020, Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Steer set out to record the history of female firefighters in Fire and Rescue NSW. This book details not only how these women came to join the organisation, their challenges, contributions and stories, but also the experiences of many other women who were 'firsts' - whether that be by date of commencement, achievement, or cultural influence.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills (eBook)
The fifth edition of Fundamentals of Firefighter Skills is designed to train US Firefighter I and Firefighter II per the job performance requirements listed in the National Fire Protection Association's standard NFPA 1010. Understanding that today's fires release energy faster, reach flashover potential sooner, and may reach higher temperatures than building fires of the past is critically important for new and seasoned fire fighters. This foundational knowledge is covered extensively, in addition to recent data identifying the higher rate of physical and mental health issues in the fire service than the general population. Information relating to fire fighter health and safety has been revised and updated to include behavioural and physical health awareness topics and statistics
RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
Fire Investigator: Principles and Practice (Book and eBook)
This is a curriculum based on the 2022 Edition of NFPA 1033: Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigators. The Sixth Edition offers a comprehensive introduction to the knowledge and skills needed to be an effective fire investigator. The textbook opens with details on how to use available investigation resources and the basics of fire science and investigation methodology, then evolves to discuss processes and special considerations for investigating specific types of fires and explosions. This progression helps readers understand intricate subject matter as they advance from basic technical knowledge to high-level analysis and understanding of complex fire events.
Contact the library to borrow this book. RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
Suppressing underground peat fire and smoldering spread via water, ice, dry ice, and liquid nitrogen (Journal article)
Smouldering peat fires are a persistent and globally significant environmental hazard, releasing substantial greenhouse gases and driving long-term ecosystem degradation. Conventional suppression methods, particularly water application, often fail to fully extinguish smouldering fronts due to limited cooling persistence and uneven infiltration within porous peat layers. In this study, we experimentally evaluated the suppression performance of four extinguishing agents (dry ice, ice, liquid nitrogen, and water) under controlled laboratory conditions across a wide range of peat moisture contents (up to 100%). Suppression performance was assessed using three metrics: extinguishment probability, required quantity, and effective cooling duration.
Contact the library to request a copy of this article.
Prescribed Burning
Assessing the effectiveness of prescribed burning in limiting the spread of future wildfires (Journal article)
International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol 35 March 2026
Prescribed burning is a widely used fire management strategy for maintaining socioeconomic and ecological resilience by mitigating the impacts of wildfires. Monitoring the effectiveness of prescribed burns on future fire spread, however, is challenged by limited data availability and quality. The researchers sought to create a simple, replicable approach to assess the likelihood of an unplanned fire being limited or contained by a previous fire using only feature boundaries.
Use this IJWF link to read the article online.
Fire Management
Building a Smarter Wildfire Innovation Ecosystem (YouTube video and article)
RAND, Jan 2026
New approaches to wildfire management, driven by innovative technologies, could help make catastrophic fires a thing of the past. RAND researchers draw on acceleration lessons from four U.S. federal technological innovation agencies whose job is to move new ideas into use
Learn more about the RAND analysis using this RAND link.
Bridging the gap: integrating scientific research into fire management practices for enhanced organisational and environmental resilience (Journal article)
International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol 35 January2026
Incorporating scientific evidence into fire management is essential for enhancing resilience to increasing bushfire risk. The New South Wales (NSW) National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Australia, steward of ~10% of the state’s land, seeks to embed research into decision-making. This study identifies organisational barriers and facilitators that shape the uptake of bushfire research within the NPWS.
Use this IJWF link to read the article online.
Are green firebreaks a useful fire management tool under climate change in southeastern Australia? (Journal article)
Fire management under changing climatic conditions presents several challenges, including the need to manage fire regimes for multiple objectives, such as reducing risk to people while also protecting or maintaining the environment. One approach that could be added to existing management toolkits is green firebreaks. Green firebreaks are strategically placed low flammability plantings aimed at improving habitat and carbon storage while reducing fire risk. However, green firebreaks have not yet been explored in the context of shifting climates.
Use this ScienceDirect Publisher link to read the article online.
Who Does What? Shared Responsibility for Wildfire Management and the Imperative of Public Engagement: Evidence from Whistler, Western Canada (Journal article)
In Canada and elsewhere, there is an ascendancy of a whole-of-society approach that centres shared responsibility for wildfire management. This article engages the debates on the rise of shared responsibility for wildfire management to argue that this context demands a renewed research focus on understanding how the public allocates responsibility for wildfire management.
Use this MDPI Fire journal link to read the article online.
Wildfires in the USA and Australia have contrasting house loss–fatality ratios (Journal article)
Protection of human life and property is an accepted priority of wildfire management, yet there has been little consideration of how fire management strategies balance these two objectives. International comparisons present an important opportunity to explore differences in how human life or property are impacted by contrasting wildfire regimes and management responses. We analyse public data (1999–2020) on fatalities and property losses in Australia and the USA, two countries heavily affected by socially disastrous wildfires. The annual ratio between house losses and fatalities differs markedly between the two countries, with the USA experiencing a 2.5-fold higher rate of house loss per fatality than Australia. This difference potentially reflects contrasting wildfire adaptation strategies between these two countries: the USA approach relies on mass evacuations and fire suppression, whereas the Australian approach is centred on building design and reducing wildland fuel loads. Further international comparative research is required to understand how biophysical and management regimes influence the impacts of wildfire on human life and property.
Use this ScienceDirect Publisher link to read the article online.
Microsoft Power BI (Book)
By Jack Hyman, 2026
Microsoft PowerBI For Dummies gives you the foundation you need to use this powerful software platform to manage your data and gather insight for making better decisions. With PowerBI, you can visualise, model, and interpret large datasets, quickly revealing insights that once took weeks to dig out. This book takes you through the basics of getting your data ready, preparing your analysis, and creating reports.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
GIS for Dummies (eBook)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the fascinating technology field that's all about understanding and visualising our world. GIS For Dummies introduces you to the essential skills you'll need if you want to become a geospatial data guru. You'll learn to read, analyse, and interpret maps, and you'll discover how GIS professionals create digital models of landscapes, cities, weather patterns, and beyond. Understand how advances in technology, including AI, are turning GIS tools into powerful assets for solving real-world problems and protecting the planet. This beginner-friendly book makes it easy to grasp necessary GIS concepts so you can apply GIS in your organization, pursue a career in this dynamic field, or just impress others with your geographic knowledge.
RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
AI for business : a guide to AI adoption (Book and eBook)
By Jon Whittle, 2026
AI for Business is a practical guide for leaders who want to harness the power of artificial intelligence without getting lost in the hype. Drawing on decades of experience at the intersection of cutting-edge research, public policy and industry transformation, Jon Whittle shows how AI can create real, human-centred value in your organisation.
Contact the library to borrow this book. RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
Resilience and recovery in disaster and emergency management
Edited by Dr. Krzysztof Goniewicz and Dr. Amir Khorram-Manesh, 2026
This book not only explores the theoretical foundations of resilience and recovery but also delves into practical applications and real-world case studies. It aims to equip readers with the knowledge and tools necessary to manage and respond effectively to disasters of various scales. The scope of this work includes cutting-edge strategies for building resilient communities, innovative recovery practices, and effective disaster risk reduction methodologies. Notably, the book will cover emerging trends in technology and policy that influence disaster management, ensuring its relevance in today as rapidly changing global risk landscape. Resilience and Recovery in Disaster and Emergency Management serves as an essential resource for upper-level undergraduate students, researchers, and professionals in environmental science, urban planning, public policy, and emergency management.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Flash flood knowledge and uncertainty communication in warnings: an Australian study
Knowledge of the hazards, protective actions and the language used in warning messages is essential for safety and informed decision-making particularly during flash flooding and hazardous weather events. Equally important for effective risk communication is knowledge of what recipients already know and the inclusion of context and uncertainty information in forecasts and warnings. There is limited empirical research about how people interpret warnings based on their levels of knowledge and past experiences.
Use this AIDR link to read the article online.
Report on government services 2026: emergency management (part D) (Report)
Productivity Commission, Feb 2026
The report on government services (RoGS) provides information on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of government services in Australia. This report provides performance reporting for emergency services for fire and other events. It includes a summary of government expenditure in the sector. The report includes a case study on flood mitigation, prevention and preparedness efforts.
Use this Productivity Commission link to download the report.
Financial protection against catastrophic risks : Floods, fires and other major risks (Report)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, March 2026
Natural hazards, cyber attacks and infectious disease outbreaks can lead to devastating financial consequences that many individuals, households or businesses would struggle to absorb. Insurance can provide a critical source of funding to absorb losses and support recovery. However, evolving weather and environmental risks, fast-moving technological changes and other factors are testing the ability of private insurance markets to achieve broad financial protection against these risks. This report aims to help governments strengthen financial resilience against catastrophic risks. It provides a framework to assess the need for government-supported financial protection and the advantages and disadvantages of the main approaches to offering such support. It applies this framework to three types of large-scale risks, natural hazards, infectious disease outbreaks and cyber-attacks and incidents.
Use this OECD link to download the report.
2025 disasters in numbers: Earth, wind and fire (Report)
This publication of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters reports on the 2025 disaster events. In 2025, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 358 natural hazard-related disasters. These events resulted in 16,607 fatalities, affected 110.2 million people and caused US$169.68B in economic losses. Asia accounted for a disproportionately large share of disaster-related deaths, due largely to major earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan. The year was also marked by a record-breaking drought in Syria, which left 80% of the population in need of assistance; and by the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which ranked among the costliest wildfires ever recorded, both globally and in the United States of America.
Use this EMDAT link to open the report
Community Resilience & Engagement
Factors associated with increased preparedness for future bushfires after exposure to a severe bushfire in Australia (Journal article)
When recurrent hazards are exacerbated by climate change, the recovery process from one hazard is closely linked to the preparedness for subsequent events. This study investigated associations of long-term bushfire preparedness after previous bushfire exposure, focusing on the Protective Action Decision Model and considering mental health as an additional explanatory variable. Participants included a sample from the Beyond Bushfire study which was conducted 3–4 years after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
Use this ScienceDirect Publisher link to read the article online
Strengthening community disaster resilience in uncertain times: a multi-level analysis of an Australian bushfire (Journal article)
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, February 2026
This paper examines how community groups develop resilience over time through influencing and interacting with different societal levels throughout the phases of the disaster management cycle: prevention, preparation, response, and recovery. This provides an opportunity for a more insightful and holistic understanding of the factors involved in resilience. The macro/governmental level shapes governance of bushfire management and resources; the micro level reflects the actions of individual and households; while the meso level represents local community groups providing a bridge between the two through trust-based integration and collaboration.
Use this ScienceDirect Publisher link to read the article online
Driving behaviour during flood and bushfire emergency evacuations: Insights from observational and self-reported data (Journal article)
This study adopts a mixed-methods approach by integrating content analysis of self-recorded real-life driving videos with surveys and discrete choice experiments. It examines both strategic and operational dimensions of driver behaviour during flood and bushfire conditions. The video analysis captures driver actions, environmental cues, and emotional or verbal responses, while the choice experiment investigates how risk perception, environmental severity, social cues, and contextual factors shape the decision to proceed through hazardous routes. Findings suggest most participants prefer to avoid driving through flood or bushfire scenarios in hypothetical contexts. Environmental severity—such as floodwater depth or fire intensity—was the strongest deterrent. However, the perceived presence of other drivers emerged as a strong motivating factor. Observational data also show that driving mostly occurred when other vehicles were present. Younger and male participants reported greater willingness to drive in both hazards—a pattern also mirrored in the video observations. This dual-method approach offers new insights into emergency driving behaviour and holds practical value for shaping public messaging, emergency planning, and policy interventions during natural hazards.
Use this ScienceDirect link to read the article online.
Compliance with preparedness and early evacuation guidelines: An analysis of responsibility, disaster literacy, and situated agency in an Australian bushfire (Journal article)
This article examines community resilience through a case study of a community in Australia affected by bushfire in 2024. Drawing on 28 interviews with residents, we analyze preparedness practices and response decisions. In Victoria, Australia, where the community is situated, residents of fire-prone areas receive recommendations concerning preparedness and response from the Country Fire Authority (CFA). Resident interviews explore the extent to which individuals adhere to the guidance provided. The findings reveal both compliance with and divergence from official recommendations. Residents actively engaged in practical, strategic, and relational preparedness measures, yet did not follow guidance to evacuate early during the response phase.
Contact the library to request a copy of this article.
Evacuation decisions in the 2023 Tenerife fire: Insights from a comparison with the 2019 Kincade fire (Journal article)
Understanding why people evacuate or remain during wildfires is a key concern in fire safety. We surveyed 747 households affected by the 2023 Tenerife fire (Spain) using the same instrument as in the 2019 Kincade fire study (United States), enabling direct comparison. Results revealed agreement across both fires on the central role of pre-fire safety perceptions and threat assessment in shaping perceived risk, and of evacuation orders, homeownership, and fire cues in driving evacuation decisions, while the influence of demographic and household factors varied by context. This study demonstrates the value of standardised, cross-national analyses in identifying both consistent and context-specific determinants of evacuation, discusses the need for validated measures of constructs such as risk and threat perception, and provides insights for integrating regression-based predictive models into wildfire evacuation simulations.
Contact the library to request a copy of this article.
Beyond stay-or-go: a systematic review of factors influencing evacuation travel behaviour and the methodological approaches (Journal article)
Understanding evacuees’ travel decisions is crucial for effective planning, and this need becomes more prominent with the increasing risks and impacts of wildfires. This review moves beyond the frequently examined stay/go decisions and synthesises 124 studies to examine evacuation travel behaviour, including departure time, mode choice, route choice, intermediate trips, and destination choice, across wildfires and comparable hazards. Eight categories of influencing factors are identified: demographics and household characteristics, social networks, evacuation warnings, environmental cues, prior knowledge and experiences, perceptions of risk and safety, geographical context and evacuation logistics.
Use this ScienceDirect Publisher link to read the article online
Sense of community and adaptive capacity: Insights from the 2019/2020 Australian ‘Black Summer’ bushfires (Journal article)
The escalating threat of climate-related disasters is challenging vulnerable communities to adapt across the world. This study examined the relationship between people's sense of community (as assessed by perceived cohesion and identification) and their perceptions of adaptive capacity, along with the role that their willingness to include all stakeholders may play in moderating this relationship. Geo-targeted surveys were used to collect data from 363 participants affected by the 2019/2020 ‘Black Summer’ Bushfires in Australia. We found that increased community cohesion and identification were linked to greater perceived adaptive capacity, along with evidence that these relationships may depend upon attitudes towards accommodating diverse stakeholder interests, such that more positive attitudes strengthened some of these associations while less positive attitudes attenuated them.
Contact the library to request a copy of this article
Volunteer Blues - Understanding the Role of Training on Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention (Magazine article and report)
NFPA Journal, Feb 2026
The U.S. volunteer fire service has lost nearly a quarter of its members since 2008, while call volume over that period has exploded. On the heels of a major new study on the topic, two fire service vets discuss the trend and what needs to be done to help departments adjust to a new normal.
Read the article online using this NFPA link.
Ecology matters : conversations with Australian ecologists (Book)
By The Ecological Society of Australia and Grace Heathcote, 2025
In Ecology Matters, Australia's preeminent ecologists explain why nature truly matters across 30 enlightening essays. Learn about crayfish and climate change, seed banks and seagrass restoration, floods and fire ecology, ants and Antarctic mosses, whales, waterways and wallabies, and frogs, feral cats and fungi. Featuring interviews with students, Indigenous rangers, restoration ecologists and leaders in the field, this collection of conversations spans the breadth and diversity of Australian ecology. Accompanied by spectacular images from around Australia, many captured by ecologists in the course of their work, Ecology Matters showcases a unique perspective of Australian nature.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Finding Australian birds : a field guide to birding locations (eBook)
CSIRO Publishing, 2025
From the eastern rainforests to central deserts, Australia is home to some 900 species of birds. This book covers over 400 Australian bird watching sites conveniently grouped into the best birding areas, from one end of the country to the other. This includes areas such as Kakadu in the Top End and rocky gorges in the central deserts of the Northern Territory, the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, rainforests distributed along the eastern Australian seaboard, some of the world's tallest forests in Tasmania, the Flinders Ranges and deserts along the iconic Strzelecki and Birdsville Tracks in South Australia, and the Mallee temperate woodlands and spectacular coastlines in both Victoria and south west Western Australia.
RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
A beautifully burned forest : learning to celebrate severe forest fire (Book)
By Richard Hutto, 2025
In this book, avian ecologist and former PBS Birdwatch host Richard Hutto challenges conventional wisdom by revealing the hidden beauty and ecological importance of severely burned forests. Drawing on extensive field research and compelling storytelling, Hutto uncovers one of nature’s best-kept secrets: numerous species—including the black-backed woodpecker and the morel mushroom—thrive in conditions created only by intense wildfires. These and many other fire-dependent organisms have evolved to flourish in charred landscapes, a fact often overlooked by birdwatchers, land managers, and even fire researchers.
Contact the library to borrow this book
Weeds of the south-east : an identification guide for Australia (eBook)
A comprehensive identification guide to weeds found in the South-East Region of Australia. This fourth edition has been updated to include recent changes in nomenclature, bringing all species and genus names in line with the current Australian Plant Census. Beautifully illustrated, this guide is for anyone interested in the identification of pest plants and the preservation of our native flora. It is an essential tool for community land and bush care organisations, local and state government weed officers and advisers, rangers, agronomists, agriculturists, survey and identification botanists, horticulturists, landscapers and gardeners.
RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
We have the proof that logging makes Tasmania’s forests more flammable (Research news article)
In 1967, catastrophic bushfires in Tasmania killed dozens of people – and very nearly destroyed Hobart. A year later, W.D. Jackson, Professor of Botany at the University of Tasmania, published a short but very influential article on why the fires were so bad. He suggested that after Tasmania’s wet eucalypt forests were burned by severe bushfires, there would be a high-risk period during their regrowth when they are at risk of severely burning again. In our new research, we show Jackson was right. Regrowth does indeed burn more intensely than mature forests.
Read The Conversation article online here.
Safety and Health
Digitalized firefighter clothing: An overview of opportunities and challenges(Journal article)
The increasing risk and complexity of firefighting tasks need the development of specialized protective equipment that safeguards physical security while also improving situational awareness and operational performance. This paper looks at digitally connected smart firefighter clothing, emphasizing combining sensor technology, communication networks, and computational intelligence to track surroundings and physiological factors in real-time. Environmental sensors detect dangerous substances, severe temperatures, and smoking concentration, despite physiological sensors checking metrics including heartbeat, body temperature, and water intake, reducing the risk of overheating and fatigue. Additionally, the utilisation of wireless communications and statistical analysis enables efficient data transfer amongst firefighters and control centres, leading to enhanced decision-making throughout critical operations. This review looks at current advances and remaining challenges, including durability, energy supply, and pricing, and underlines the importance of employing sustainable materials and methods while creating smart firefighter equipment
Contact the library to request a copy of this article.
Ten virtues of a positive safety culture (Book)
by Sidney Dekker, 2024
If you feel a strong impulse to act and change things about how you are ‘doing safety,’ then this book is for you. Even if you don’t feel you can formulate a clear plan with measurable outcomes or deliverables, you probably have values and commitments inside of you that you want to get out—into your organisation, into the world, to start doing good there. In his distinctive philosophical storytelling style, Sidney Dekker weaves personal anecdotes and cultural touchstones to illuminate deeper truths. By pursuing the ten virtues—empathy, forbearance, kindness, humility, simplicity, trust, wisdom, accountability, honesty and bravery—you and your organisation can become ever better versions of yourselves.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Municipal Firefighter Fatalities in Brush, Grass, and Tree Fire Incidents: 1977–2024 (Magazine article and report)
NFPA Journal, Feb 2026
Growing attention to the wildland urban interface in recent years has raised the profile of the work that US municipal firefighters around the United States perform in combating brush, grass, or tree fires, which accounted for one-fifth of the reported fires in the United States in 2023.
Read the article online using this NFPA link
In over our heads : the mental demands of modern life (Book)
By Robert Kegan, 1998
If contemporary culture were a school, with all the tasks and expectations meted out by modern life as its curriculum, would anyone graduate? In the spirit of a sympathetic teacher, Robert Kegan guides us through this tricky curriculum, assessing the fit between its complex demands and our mental capacities, and showing what happens when we find ourselves, as we so often do, in over our heads. In this dazzling intellectual tour, he completely reintroduces us to the psychological landscape of our private and public lives.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Firefighters face repeat trauma. We learned how to reduce their risk of PTSD (Research news article)
In their day-to-day work, first responders – including police, firefighters, paramedics and lifesavers – often witness terrible things happening to other people, and may be in danger themselves. This can lead to PTSD. This research, which tested a mobile app focused on building resilience with firefighters, shows PTSD isn’t inevitable. We found depression, anxiety and PTSD symptoms were less likely when firefighters used a mental health program that was self-led, specifically addressed trauma and focused on teaching practical skills.
Read The Conversation article online here.
Gendered mental health and emotional labor in civilian volunteer search-and-rescue organizations (Journal article)
Gender dramatically shapes how individuals respond to, experience, and recover from disasters. Past gender and disaster research has examined gendered roles, volunteerism, and mental health; however, little research has focused on the intersection of these topics. Drawing on data from ethnographic research with eight distinct civilian volunteer search and rescue (SAR) organizations, this research examined the mental and emotional health experiences of volunteers and how they discussed those experiences. Findings revealed that experiences were dictated by a gendered division of labour that positioned men in roles as boaters and women as back-end volunteers taking on roles as dispatchers and social media administrators.
Use this ScienceDirect Publisher link to read the article online
How to navigate : the art of traditional map and compass navigation in an Australian context (Book)
By Caro Ryan, 2025
This expanded third edition is a modern approach to map reading and compass navigation, along with clear explanations of how to really navigate in the Aussie bush through deep awareness and observations of the world around. 87 pages of photographs, diagrams, stories and how-to's, told from the perspective of a passionate bushwalker, involved in search and rescue.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Real leadership : helping people and organizations face their toughest challenges (Book)
By Dean Williams, 2018
Too many organisations today play follow the leader- the commander articulates a "vision" and people uncritically go along with it. But this type of leadership-what Dean Williams calls "counterfeit leadership"-generates an unhealthy dependence on an authority figure and relies on dominance, control, and group seduction to get things done. The true task of a leader, Williams argues, is to get people to face the reality of any situation themselves and develop strategies to deal with problems or take advantage of opportunities. Real leaders don't dictate; they help people face their challenges and make adjustments in their values, habits, practices, and priorities to ensure the enterprise is given its best chance to succeed.
Contact the library to borrow this book. .
Leading in chaos (Book)
By Nicholas Janni & Amy Elizabeth Fox, 2026
The true task of a leader is to get people to face the reality of any situation themselves and develop strategies to deal with problems or take advantage of opportunities. Real leaders don't dictate; they help people face their challenges and make adjustments in their values, habits, practices, and priorities to ensure the enterprise is given its best chance to succeed. This book details how to apply this new approach to the challenges every organisation or community faces.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
The happy index : a people-first approach to leadership (Book)
By James Tippin, 2025
The Happy Index invites readers into a world where employee happiness isn't just a buzzword – it's a powerful catalyst for success that should be at the core of any successful organisation. Drawing on his decades of experience leading one of Britain’s best-loved high-street brands, Timpson shares the secrets behind his unique approach to ‘upside-down’ management. His infectious passion for people shines through every page and in the very real measures he has introduced – from days off for birthdays to free-to-use luxury holiday homes. And with a workforce comprised of at least 10 per cent ex-offenders at any one time, Timpson shows the value of an imaginative approach to hiring.
Reskilling + upskilling (Book)
Harvard Business Review, 2025
As the pace of technological change increases, the demand for new skills is accelerating. And as technologies like AI take on new tasks and jobs, smart organizations aren't simply waiting for their new workforce to appear. These companies are investing in reskilling their workers. They're adopting a skills-based approach to hiring and developing talent. And they're leveraging new digital learning technologies to upskill their employees dynamically and efficiently. What new approaches should your organization be taking to build the workforce you need-now and tomorrow? Reskilling and Upskilling: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review brings you today's most essential thinking on rebuilding and retraining your workforce, explains how to get the right skilling initiatives started at your company, and prepares your company to compete in the new skills economy
Contact the library to borrow this book.
The myths of creativity : the truth about how innovative companies and people generate great ideas (Book)
By David Burkus, 2014
How to get past the most common myths about creativity to design truly innovative strategies
We tend to think of creativity in terms reminiscent of the ancient muses: divinely-inspired, unpredictable, and bestowed upon a lucky few. But when our jobs challenge us to be creative on demand, we must develop novel, useful ideas that will keep our organisations competitive. The Myths of Creativity demystifies the processes that drive innovation.
Contact the library to borrow this book.
RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
From values to action : the four principles of values-based leadership (Book)
By Harry M. Jansen Kraemer Jr., 2025
In From Values to Action, Second Edition, Harry Kraemer, former chair and CEO of Baxter International and an award-winning Professor of Management and Strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, dives deep into the fundamentals of values-based leadership. Kraemer offers his four principles of values-based leadership gleaned from his own lengthy career and from his interactions with values-based leaders across a wide variety of organisations. The book guides you through the journey to becoming a values-based leader at any stage of your life and career. You’ll learn how to drive results while upholding what you stand for, your integrity, and ethics. It’s a roadmap for those who aspire to be the values-based leaders of tomorrow, capable of navigating an ever more complex, competitive, and volatile world.
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Radical candor : how to get what you want by saying what you mean (Book)
By Kim Scott, 2019
From the time we learn to speak, we're told that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. When you become a manager, it's your job to say it-and your obligation. Author Kim Scott was an executive at Google and then Apple, where she worked with a team to develop a class on how to be a good boss. What emerged was her vital new approach to effective management, Radical Candor. Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to Care Personally at the same time that you Challenge Directly.
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Best team ever : the surprising science of high-performing teams (Book)
By David Burkus, 2023
Talent doesn’t make the team—the team makes the talent. Why are some teams more motivated, innovative, and successful than others? Why do some groups of talented people fall short against lesser teams? And how do you go about building a high-performing team? Dr. David Burkus understands that to build the best team, you must first shape the habits and practices that bring out the best in each member. Best Team Ever reveals what some of the world’s most effective teams do and shows you how you can do the same.
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The right hand : conversations with the chiefs of staff to the world's most powerful people (Book)
By Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks, 2025
In The Right Hand, Missing Perspectives founder Phoebe Saintilan-Stocks sits down with the chiefs of staff to some of the most defining presidents and prime ministers of our time.
The stories they share are nothing short of extraordinary: Supporting Nelson Mandela as he emerged from prison and stepped into power, Being sent home from Balmoral by the Queen, Fielding offers of help from Vladimir Putin on the day of the September 11 attacks, and Being shown projected death tolls in the Covid briefing room. In this book, some of the world’s most powerful chiefs of staff open up about leadership, loyalty, power and pressure.
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The advice trap : be humble, stay curious & change the way you lead forever (Book)
By Michael Bungay Stanier, 2020
In The Advice Trap, bestselling author, speaker, and leadership coach Michael Bungay Stanier shares his invaluable insights into developing team members' professional performance, using tips that even the busiest managers can put into play. Learn how to confront and quell the three advice monsters that lurk inside us all, and how to resist the seven temptations that can ensnare even the most well-meaning manager. With his trademark wit and wisdom, Michael shows you exactly how to ask questions that drive impact and engagement, eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive.
Contact the library to borrow this book. This book is also available in the RFS Library audiobook collection.
The coaching habit : say less, ask more & change the way you lead forever (Book)
By Michael Bungay Stanier, 2016
Drawing on years of experience training more than 10,000 busy managers from around the globe in practical, everyday coaching skills, Bungay Stanier reveals how to unlock your peoples' potential. He unpacks seven essential coaching questions to demonstrate how - by saying less and asking more - you can develop a coaching method that produces great results.
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Women in the room, but not in the decision (Magazine article)
A survey of women in crisis management and resilience explored experiences of inclusion and participation in decision-making environments found that: “Both men and women reported that women are more likely to be interrupted or spoken over, with three-quarters of women (75 per cent) and 58 per cent of men observing this. Similarly, 66 per cent of women and 42 per cent of men said they had seen a woman’s idea initially overlooked, only to be accepted when repeated by someone else. Most respondents also agreed that an assertive woman is more likely to be labelled as aggressive or bossy.”
Use this library link to download the article.
Of generals, gurus & management myths (Magazine article)
Tony Jaques questions the relevance of military books to modern business and crisis management. He writes: “Are military leaders really the best role models, or simply the most visible? Crisis managers might gain equally meaningful, and possibly more relevant, insights from polar explorers, mountaineers, astronauts, or even sporting figures.”
Use this library link to download the article.
Meteorology and Climate Change
Fire and climate: the multiplicative impacts of climates changing (Journal article)
International Journal of Wildland Fire, Vol 35 March 2026
For readers of the International Journal of Wildland Fire (IJWF), the connections between climate change and wildland fire need almost no introduction. The effects of climate change have been a repeated topic of investigation over the 35 year history of the journal, with researchers and practitioners from around the globe grappling with its impacts on fire regimes, management practices and wildfire’s effects on society. Despite this rich foundation of empirical and theoretical work, however, it is clear that significant questions remain unanswered. While it is often tempting to think of climate change in terms of planetary averages, its impacts are unlikely to be homogeneous across the globe. As such, some of today and tomorrow’s research questions are found in localization: how might climate change affect particular fire regimes, ecosystems or human/fire relationships in different regions across the planet? Other questions emerge as we adopt a broader understanding of climate change, such as its impact on watersheds or catchments and water supplies, the impact of widespread smoke exposure, the social and human dimensions of fire, or even the ways that fire-mediated climate impacts can relate to mental health, climate grief, sociopolitical instability and varied forms of suffering.
Use this IJWF link to read the article online.
State of the global climate 2025 (Report)
World Meteorological Organization, March 2026
This annual report provides information on the state of the climate system by updating key observed climate indicators and presenting selected high-impact weather and climate events. For the first time, the report includes the Earth’s energy imbalance as a key climate indicator. It confirms that the past 11 years are the warmest on record.
Use this WMO link to read the report.
Substantial increases in the likelihood of extreme fire weather events for fire-prone ecosystems in Australia
npj Natural Hazards, 2026
This study assesses how climate change may influence fire weather conditions across Australia using the McArthur Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) and high-resolution climate simulations from dynamically downscaled CMIP6 climate models. The research evaluates how fire weather may evolve under different global warming levels and focuses particularly on the highly flammable eucalyptus forests of southeast Australia, which have historically experienced some of the country’s most destructive wildfires. The analysis also examines how bias-corrected climate datasets can improve the accuracy of fire weather projections.
Use this Nature link to read the article online.
Wildfires on a changing planet (Journal article)
The distribution of wildfires on Earth will change as climate, land-use, and vegetation change. We use global empirical models of burnt area, fire size and fire intensity to explore future wildfire trajectories under ~1.5 and 3-4 °C warming with middle of the road future socio-economic conditions. Even under ~1.5 °C warming we find a change in wildfire patterns by the end of the 21st century with reduced burning in tropical regions driven by changes in human activity but larger and more intense wildfires in extra-tropical regions driven by changes in climate and CO2. With low climate change mitigation, burnt areas increase greatly across all vegetation types, overwhelming the current global decline. These findings suggest that even with ambitious climate change mitigation, current fire-suppression policies will fail in much of the world and mitigation scenarios that rely on expanding forest areas will be unrealistic unless they are designed with wildfire risks in mind.
Use this Nature link to read the article online.
Work smarter : live better : practical ways to change your work habits and transform your life (Book)
By Cyril Peupion, 2014
Most people have never been taught how to work. We are committed to our job and want to be good at what we do. We are neither lazy nor unwilling. But we do not always work effectively we work hard but not always smart. To increase performance many people believe they need to do more. We spend less time with our loved ones, neglect our health and put our passions and hobbies on the back burner. And we end up frustrated, out of control and stressed. Work Smarter: Live Better will transform your life: learn simple and practical tools to be in control at work,learn how to gain an extra two hours per day, and learn how to make room for what is important to you!
Contact the library to borrow this book.
Gone bush : easy campfire recipes (eBook)
This cookbook features some of their best recipes, along with more than 30 new ones, all perfect for outdoor cooking but also easy to make at home. Try your hand at classic damper, or make a delicious brekky in a can. Have a go at smoking fish or cooking kangaroo tail, or keep it simple with some fancy snags. And finish it off with an apple crumble or lemon slice. Ever wanted to go bush and build your own oven? Ever wanted to know how to cook a cheap and easy feed with just pantry staples and one pot? Look no more: Gone Bush is your new bush-cooking bible.
RFS Members can contact the library to request access to our eBook collection.
Caring for Country (Book)
Bruce Pascoe & Bill Gammage, 2025
What do you need to know to prosper as a people for 65,000 years or more? Join writer and farmer Bruce Pascoe and historian Bill Gammage as they generously share their knowledge about the amazing way that First Nations people cared for Australia and how closely humans have been connected with nature for tens of thousands of years. From the careful use of fire to sustainable hunting and farming, there is so much we can learn about how to make sure we have a beautiful country today and for the future. This book is part of the First Knowledges series for younger readers.
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Australia : a history (Book)
By Tony Abbott, 2025
Australia is one of the world's great success stories: a land long hidden from outsiders, chosen as a convict dumping ground, where - since 1788 - people from many backgrounds have built one of the freest, fairest and most prosperous countries on earth. By the standards of a harsher time, the early governors tried to respect the original inhabitants and to encourage the convict outcasts of the British Isles to make a new start to a better life. This Indigenous heritage, British foundation and immigrant character have shaped the land of the 'fair go' especially for those willing to 'have a go'. This book is intended to give anyone interested - as every Australian should be - an account of our past that's positive, while not oblivious to our mistakes and imperfections as a nation.
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How great ideas happen : the hidden steps behind breakthrough success (Book)
By George Newman, 2026
We're used to imagining creativity as a lightbulb moment - sudden, mysterious, reserved for the gifted few. But what if ideas aren't conjured from thin air? What if they're discovered - more like precious artifacts that we unearth and refine?
In How Great Ideas Happen, cognitive scientist George Newman draws on cutting-edge research to show that creativity isn't magic, it's method. The most successful innovators don't wait to be struck by brilliance; their creative process is more like archaeology. With vivid examples from the arts, science, and business, Newman shows how creativity often comes from discovering what was already there.
Contact the library to borrow this book.