New books, reports and articles in the library

April 2022




Fire incidents - Australian

Emergency Management

Leadership and Management

Fire incidents - International

Aviation

Mental Health

Firefighting

Buildings and Bushfires

Fitness and Health

Fire Behaviour

History

Volunteer Management

Fire Management

Fire Mapping and Remote Sensing

General

Prescribed burning

Natural environment

Audiobooks - new additions

Cultural Burning

Meteorology and Climate Change

Learning and Development

Search and Rescue

Fire incidents - Australia


2019–20 Australian bushfires—frequently asked questions: a quick guide
 (Research paper)

Parliamentary Library, July 2021

This quick guide aims to answer some of the frequently asked questions relating to the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season that started in September 2019.

Use this APH link to read the short paper online. 

Yanchep bushfire analysis – Black Summer final report (Report)

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, April 2022

The Yanchep bushfire occurred in 11-15 December 2019 and was one of several noteworthy bushfires in Western Australia during the summer period. The Yanchep bushfire represents an excellent opportunity to develop fire knowledge for the Western Australia fire community and contribute to growing local fire science capacity. This project sought to classify fire severity using two complementary approaches.

Use this BNHCRC link to read the report online.

Fire incidents - International


Fury of the beast : the personal chronicles of a wildland firefighter (Book)

Dave Scott, 2021

In August of 1973, a young man from Missouri lands a job as a wildland firefighter in a small Montana town. In the pages of the Fury of the Beast, he passionately shares photos and vivid descriptions of his long career as a fire fighter.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

U.S. fires four times larger, three times more frequent since 2000 (ScienceDaily news article)

University of Colorado at Boulder, March 2022

Fires have gotten larger, more frequent and more widespread across the United States since 2000, according to a new article. The research shows that large fires have not only become more common, they are also spreading into new areas, impacting land that previously did not burn.

Use this ScienceDaily link to read the article online.

Wildfire - latest magazine issue - Quarter 1, March 2022 - is now online

Read about the six generation fires in the Patagonia Region, discussions to address culture change in the Canadian wildland fire community in response to issues around diversity, inclusion, and respect in the wildfire culture, the Australian Fire Behaviour Index, and the science of chemical retardants.

Use this IAWF link to read the latest issue online.

Letter from Grizzly Flats (Journal article)

NFPA Journal, Summer 2022

Eight years ago, Megan Fitzgerald-McGowan, manager of NFPA’s Firewise USA program, left wildland firefighting to help residents and communities prepare themselves to withstand wildfire. As she recounts here, her recent visit to a fire-ravaged California town illustrates the enormity of the challenge—and underscores why she wanted to work with communities in the first place.

Use this NFPA Journal link to read the article online.

Firefighting


Essentials of fire fighting - Seventh edition (Book)

IFSTA, 2018

This new edition is the complete source for US firefighter recruit and refresher training

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

No Matter What… Make It Sound Good On The Radio! (US Podcast)

BobbieOnFire, February 2022

Podcast series by a US wildland firefighter. This episode is about remaining calm whilst under stress over the radio.

Use this link to listen to the podcast.

Under Fire: Life for Responders in Ukraine (US Podcast and Journal article)

NFPA Journal, Summer 2022

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) has taken on an unrelenting burden since Russian forces invaded more than two months ago. Among other tasks, the SES’s 60,000 responders put out fires, search for survivors buried under rubble, clear landmines, and recover the dead—all while being shot at and shelled by the Russian military.

Use this link to listen to the podcast and read the article.

Fire Behaviour


Wildfire Rates of Spread in Grasslands under Critical Burning Conditions
 (Journal article)

Fire, April 2022

An analysis of a dataset (n = 58) of high-intensity wildfire observations in cured grasslands from southern Australia revealed a simple relationship suitable for quickly obtaining a first approximation of a fire’s spread rate under low dead fuel moisture contents and strong wind speeds. It was found that the forward rate of fire spread is approximately 20% of the average 10-m open wind speed.

Use this MDPI Fire link to read the article online.


Evidence for lack of a fuel effect on forest and shrubland fire rates of spread under elevated fire danger conditions: implications for modelling and management (Journal article)

International Journal of Wildland Fire, Published online early 20 April 2022

The effect of fuel complex characteristics on wildfire rates of spread appears to be non-existent in the upper end of the fire danger spectrum based on an examination of the pertinent literature. The implications of this conclusion on fire spread modelling and fuels management are discussed.

Use this IJWF link to read the article online.


The Vesta Mk 2 rate of fire spread model : a user's guide (Book)

Miguel G. Cruz, 2021

The Vesta Mk 2 fire spread model is intended for the operational prediction of wildfire propagation in eucalypt forests over a broad range of fireline intensities. A detailed user’s guide has been developed that provides details on the use and application of the model in an operational fire spread prediction setting. This user’s guide is for anyone interested in understanding and predicting the behaviour and spread of fires in eucalypt forests.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.


The Vesta Mk 2 eucalypt forest fire spread model (Science bulletin)

CSIRO PyroPage, Issue 31 March 2022

Reliable and accurate models of the speed of a wildfire front are essential for the timely prediction of its propagation across the landscape, identification of suitable suppression strategies and release of effective public warnings. Data from field experimental fires and wildfires are used to derive an empirical model, Vesta Mk 2, for the rate of forward spread of fires in eucalypt forests applicable to a broad range of wildfire behaviour.

Use this CSIRO link to read the Pyropage bulletin online.

The Future Of Forecasting Fire Danger-Developing The Australian Fire Behaviour Index (Magazine article)

By Jen Hollis and Stuart Matthews, Wildfire, March 2022

For the last six decades Australians have relied heavily on the pioneering work of Alan McArthur who developed the Forest Fire Danger Index and Grassland Fire Danger Index. In 2014, Australian governments agreed that the development of a new system was a national priority. Unlike the current McArthur system, which presents categories as pieces of a half-pie with fire danger increasing against McArthur’s Fire Danger Index, the Fire Behaviour Index is made up of step-ups or transitions.

Use this IAWF Wildfire link to read the article online.

Use this BFB link to read how to construct your own 1965 McArthur Grassland Fire Danger Meter in this Bush Fire Bulletin article from over 50 year ago.

Fire Management

Tasmania’s forests are burning more as climate change dries them out. Our old tools can’t fight these new fires (News article)

The Conversation, 25 March 2022

Western Tasmania in 2021-2022 has experienced extreme drought, with some areas receiving their lowest rainfall on record. The drying trend has seen a steady increase in bushfires ignited by lightning, imperilling the survival of Tasmania’s Gondwanan legacy, and raising profound fire management challenges.

Use this The Conversation link to read the article online.

Prescribed Burning

Learn to burn (US Podcast and Journal article)

Bay Nature, Spring 2022

Scientists estimate that California needs to burn one million acres a year to prevent catastrophic wildfires. That’ s more than a single agency can manage, but if you teach one million people to burn one acre each .

Contact the library to request a copy of this article 

Cultural Burning


Our Dangerous Friend : Bushfire Philosophy in South West Australia (Book)

David Ward, 2022

This book, through a series of essays, suggests that the indigenous Noongar people of south-west Australia deliberately used fire for a very long time to manage ecosystems for their safety and convenience, and, significantly, for the conservation of nature. Throughout, the essays suggest that any of non-Aboriginal descent should listen to the Elders.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

Natural Environment


Signs of resilience in resprouting Eucalyptus forests, but areas of concern: 1 year of post-fire recovery from Australia’s Black Summer of 2019–2020 (Journal article)

International Journal of Wildland Fire, Published online early 28 April 2022

Early and ongoing monitoring of post-fire recovery dynamics is critical for understanding the ecological resilience of forests. The unprecedented scale of Australia’s Black Summer of 2019–2020 poses a significant challenge for post-fire recovery monitoring. Remote sensing is the only practical way to undertake broad-scale analysis of post-fire recovery dynamics.

Contact the library to request a copy of the article


Australian deserts : ecology and landscapes (Book)

Steve Morton, 2022

Steve Morton brings his extensive first-hand knowledge and experience of arid Australia to this book, explaining how Australian deserts work ecologically. Richly illustrated with the photographs of Mike Gillam, this book will enhance your understanding of the nature of arid Australia.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

Emergency Management

2021 Disaster in numbers (Report)

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters United States Agency for International Development, April 2022

In 2021, the Emergency Event Database (EM-DAT) recorded 432 disastrous events related to natural hazards worldwide. Overall, these accounted for 10,492 deaths, affected 101.8 million people and caused approximately 252.1 billion US$ of economic losses.

Use this ReliefWeb link to read the report online.

Leadership and Management


Trust & inspire : how truly great leaders unleash greatness in others (Book)

By Stephen Covey, 2022

We have a leadership crisis today, where even though our world has changed drastically, our leadership style has not. Most organisations, teams, schools, and families today still operate from a model of “command and control,” focusing on hierarchies and compliance from people. But because of the changing nature of the world, the workforce, work itself, and the choices we have for where and how to work and live, this way of leading is drastically outdated.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.


Leading through crisis: the leadership experience of Major General Alan Stretton (Journal article)

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, April 2022

Catastrophes present leaders with complex and significant challenges that they have not previously experienced nor have had time to deeply analyse. To develop collaboration and agile skills, it is useful to reflect on the experiences of people who have faced catastrophe before. This article examines the leadership of Major General Alan Stretton AO, CBE in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

Use this AJEM link to read the article online.

5 Leadership development must-haves  (Magazine article)

TD : Talent Development, March 2022

As the world is getting used to a "new normal" informed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we and our team at the Leadership Research Institute (LRI) have been reflecting on the successes and failures of the leadership development programs we have seen during this most unusual of times.

Contact the library to request a copy of this article 


Volunteer Management


Framing volunteers identifying and integrating volunteers in crises response operations
 (Journal article)

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, May 2022

This study takes the perspective of civil society and aims to examine how different volunteers are framed both by others and themselves, and how terms such as ‘mixed blessing’ (used to describe volunteers as both a blessing and a curse) affect how volunteers are perceived during a crisis. Interviews were conducted with volunteers involved in the response to a large forest fire in Sweden in 2014. The results show four different types of volunteers, which we have classified as: the caring neighbourhood volunteers, pre-organised emergency volunteers, non-emergency professionals, and unneeded volunteers.

Use this ScienceDirect link to read the article online.

Health and Fitness


The fast 800 keto : eat well, burn fat, manage your weight long-term (Book)

Michael Mosley, 2022

A keto diet - where you flip your metabolic switch, going from burning sugar to burning fat for fuel - leads to significant weight loss and other potential health benefits. Based on the latest dietary science, this book presents a simple, practical, highly flexible three-step programme to ensure you lose weight rapidly and safely, while preserving your metabolic rate.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

Mental Health


Treating PTSD in first responders : a guide for serving those who serve  (Book and eBook)

By Richard A. Bryant, 2021

This book provides an overview of theoretical and empirical frameworks for understanding PTSD in first responders and outlines practical and evidence-based approaches to assess and treat PTSD in these populations. This comprehensive volume is essentially the outcome of the author's lessons learned about what is effective and what is not in helping police, firefighters, and paramedics deal with their stress-related conditions.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book 

Helping crews deal with a traumatic incident  (Magazine article)

Fire Engineering, April 2022

Facing a traumatic death in the emergency services is inevitable. How we as firefighters choose to deal with it is a something we have to ask ourselves.

Contact the library to request a copy of this article


Peer Work in Australia (Book)

Edited by Janet Meagher, 2018

The growth and maturity of peer work is at a point where its further development and policy structures are intersecting with broader disability sector reforms, leading to new understandings and acknowledgement of the value of quality peer worker. There is now good evidence that peer work is an effective and high-quality intervention, and that mental health services require new approaches, such as peer work, in order to deliver effective services.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.


Evidence insights : volunteering and mental health (Evidence review paper)

Volunteering Australia, October 2021

This paper reviews research on the effects of volunteering on mental health. It draws upon local and international studies including qualitative and quantitative research, while focusing on the effects of volunteering on the mental health of volunteers themselves.

Use this Volunteering Australian link to read the insight online.

Books in our Mental Health and You collection can be found listed here

Learning and Development

Fine Content, Bad Delivery. (Journal article)

TD: Talent Development, April 2022

Talent development professionals delivering face-to-face or virtual training while sitting in a chair and talking the whole time does not create high energy. The Learn-Say-Do-Reflect (LSDR) model is one way to make your training, webinars, video meetings, and conferences events that participants will want to - not just have to – attend.

Contact the library to request a copy of this article 

Enter the Learning Zone  (Journal article)

TD: Talent Development, April 2022

The challenge at the company Siemens was how to create a culture in which employees really embrace spending more time in the learning. The company's senior managers have a long-term incentive for annual business learning and technical training tied to a target number of annual learning hours per employee. zone.

Contact the library to request a copy of this article 

General


Apollo's arrow : the profound and enduring impact of coronavirus on the way we live (Book)

Nicholas Christakis, 2020

Bestselling author, physician, and sociologist Nicholas Christakis explores what it means to live in a time of plague and how it will change the way we live forever.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.


Don't be too polite, girls : a memoir (Book)

Wendy McCarthy, 2022

For more than 50 years, Wendy McCarthy has been on the leading edge of feminism and corporate and public life in Australia and her trail-blazing advocacy and leadership have made her a widely respected and revered figure. Now at 80 years of age, she shares her remarkable life and achievements, and the lessons she learned - and taught us all. From sheltered country schoolgirl to relentless campaigner for abortion and contraception, from passionate teacher to lifelong advocate for education, to smashing that glass ceiling again and again and showing the way to subsequent generations of women.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.


The first astronomers : how indigenous elders read the stars (Book)

Duane Hamacher, 2022

The First Astronomers is the first book to reveal the rich knowledge of the stars and the planets held by First Peoples around the world. Guided by six First Nations Elders, Duane Hamacher takes us on a journey across space and time to reveal the wisdom of the first astronomers.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

Use this ABC link to listen to the author, Dr Hamacher, discuss working with several Indigenous Elders over the years on this ABC Conversations Podcast.

Meteorology and Climate Change


Climate chaos : lessons on survival from our ancestors (Book)

Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani, 2021

The study of ancient climates has advanced tremendously in the past ten years, to the point where we can now reconstruct seasonal weather going back thousands of years, and see just how civilizations and nature interacted. The lesson is clear: the societies that survive are the ones that plan ahead.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.


Frontiers 2022: Noise, Blazes and Mismatches - Chapter 2 - Wildfires Under Climate Change: A Burning Issue (Report)

UN Environment Programme , February 2022

The UNEP report to identifies emerging issues of environmental concern. Included this year is a chapter discussing the role of climate change and human influence in the changing wildfire regimes around the world, the impacts of wildfires on the environment and human health, and the measures that can help to prevent, respond and build resilience to wildfires.

Use this UNEP link to read the Wildfires Chapter 2 online and this link to read to read the full report online.

Wildfires devastate the land they burn, and they are also warming the planet (ScienceDaily news article)

Cell Press, March 2022

Researchers detail how the brown carbon released by burning biomass in the northern hemisphere is accelerating warming in the Arctic and warn that this could lead to even more wildfires in the future.

Use this ScienceDaily link to read the article online.


A supercharged climate: rain bombs, flash flooding and destruction (Report)

Climate Council, March 2022

The record-breaking and relentless deluge that has flooded towns and cities in Queensland and New South Wales is one of the most extreme disasters in Australian history, and the devastation is wide-ranging. For many communities dealing with flood emergencies, this is the latest in a long line of climate change-driven extreme weather events they have faced in recent years, including unprecedented drought and Black Summer bushfires.

Use this Climate Council link to read the report online.

Buildings and Bushfires

How our bushfire-proof house design could help people flee rather than risk fighting the flames (News article)

The Conversation, 3 May 2022

In the past two years alone we’ve seen over 3,000 homes razed in the 2019-2020 megafires. The author is part of a research team that developed a novel, bushfire-resistant house design, which won an international award. They hope its ability to withstand fires on its own will encourage owners – who would otherwise stay to defend their home – to flee when bushfires encroach.

Use this The Conversation link to read the article online.

A Protection for LPG Domestic Cylinders at Wildland-Urban Interface Fire (Journal article)

Fire, June 2022

The presence of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders may cause severe events in WUI areas, as occurred in Portugal during the large wildfires of 2017, which could have been avoided if the cylinders were protected. Devices for protecting the parts of houses under WUI fire were previously presented, but a protective device for cylinders was not. In this work, a protective device for LPG cylinders made with a thin fabric with an aluminum coating on the external face was tested in laboratory and field conditions.

Use this MDPI Fire link to read the article online.


Field and full-scale laboratory testing of prototype wildland fire shelters(Journal article)

International Journal of Wildland Fire, Published online early 28 April 2022

This paper describes a series of tests conducted to evaluate prototype fire shelters designed to provide enhanced thermal protective insulation in wildland fire burn-over events. Full-scale laboratory and field tests are used to compare the thermal performance of the prototypes with a fire shelter construction in current use in the United States.

Use this IJWF link to read the article online.

A wildfire vulnerability index for buildings (Journal article)

Nature – Scientific Reports, April 2022

Recent wildfire events (e.g. Mediterranean region, USA, and Australia) showed that this hazard poses a serious threat for wildland–urban interface (WUI) areas around the globe. Building quality and design standards are important not only because building loss is costly but also because robust buildings may offer shelter when evacuation is not possible. However, studies aiming at the analysis of wildfire vulnerability for the built environment are limited.

Use this Nature link to read the article online.

History


The two worlds of Jimmie Barker : the life of an Australian Aboriginal, 1900-1972 (Book)

By Jimmie Barker, 1988

This is the autobiography of Jimmie Barker - life at Mundiwa, Milroy and Brewarrina Mission; the Muruwari myths, beliefs, hunting and fishing; and the working conditions and treatment by townspeople and managers.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.

Fire Mapping and Remote Sensing


Remote Sensing and Meteorological Data Fusion in Predicting Bushfire Severity: A Case Study from Victoria, Australia
 (Journal article)

Remote Sensing, April 2022

The extent and severity of bushfires in a landscape are largely governed by meteorological conditions. An accurate understanding of the interactions of meteorological variables and fire behaviour in the landscape is very complex, yet possible. In exploring such understanding, we used 2693 high-confidence active fire points recorded by a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor for nine different bushfires that occurred in Victoria between 1 January 2009 and 31 March 2009.

Use this MDPI Remote Sensing link to read the article online.

Mapping Fine-Scale Crown Scorch in 3D with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (Journal article)

Fire, June 2022

Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) are providing fresh perspectives for the remote sensing of fire. One opportunity is mapping tree crown scorch following fires, which can support science and management.

Use this MDPI Fire link to read the article online.

Remotely mapping fires (Journal article)

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, April 2022

There is a range of remote sensing technology that can be applied to the task of fire mapping. This paper reviews fire mapping and the potential solutions with the aim to identify ways to improve public safety and fire crew safety. It aims to explain the benefits that may be pursued in the coming years by demonstrating clear examples.

Use this AJEM link to read the article online.

Aviation


Air Attack- issue 20 is now online

Air Attack is the world leading publication covering the world of aerial fire fighting - fixed wing, rotary wing and UAS around the globe. This issue looks at Pays Air Service in Scone that transformed a crop spraying company to firefighting and the shock loading of helicopter hoists.

Use this KiaKaha Media link to read the latest issue online.

What’s in a name? National large air tanker is named (Journal news article)

Australian Journal of Emergency Management, April 2022

While Australia has used LATs over recent years, this aircraft is the first to be funded by the Australian Government and provides a truly national capability. A competition to name the LAT was jointly organised by EMA, the National Aerial Firefighting Centre and the AIDR. The competition was open to students from years 5 to 8 from rural and regional schools across Australia.

Use this AJEM link to read the article online.

Search and Rescue


Vehicle rescue and extrication : principles and practice (eBook)

National Fire Protection Association (US), 2022

This revised second edition textbook helps technical rescue professionals remain safe and capable by delivering the most current practical skills and information available on today's increasingly technical vehicles.

Contact the library to find out how members can access our eBook collection.

Fundamentals of search and rescue (Book and eBook)

The National Association for Search and Rescue (US), 2019

This second edition is a comprehensive resource for new and experienced search and rescue (SAR) personnel. Providing an overview of all aspects of search and rescue procedures and equipment, FUNSAR teaches the essential techniques employed by nearly all successful search and rescue personnel.

Contact the library to request a loan of the book.or find out how members can access our eBook collection.

Audiobooks - new additions

To download and listen to an audiobook, please use these simple instructions or contact your library


Hosted by Prosentient