The pressing need to ‘fire-proof’ Hobart
With the unprecedented challenges that 2020 has brought – social, economic and political – bushfire season has been pushed to the back of many people’s minds.
But crews in California and Oregon are battling devastating fires. Homes have been destroyed, lives have been lost, and the health effects of severe air pollution are still being tallied. It’s a stark reminder that there’s no room for complacency.
As Tasmania moves into spring, now is the time to prepare for our own fire season. There may still be snow on kunanyi, but we know that Hobart can move from single digit temperatures into the high twenties and low thirties in a matter of weeks.
We also know that of all Australia’s capital cities, we are one of the most vulnerable to this particular impact of climate change.
Unique challenges
Hobart’s geography is one of the reasons we love living here so much. Where else in the world enjoys a backdrop as beautiful as kunanyi/Mount Wellington and affords such easy access to bushland and reserves?
Unfortunately, the features that make us unique are also the ones that leave us exposed.
We are deeply grateful for the efforts of Tasmanian Fire Service and our volunteer firefighters during bushfire season, but we know that in catastrophic weather conditions their ability to respond will be severely limited.
This year in particular, there are additional challenges to be considered. The need for social distancing due to the COVID19 pandemic has made firefighting efforts in places like California even more difficult than usual.
As we approach the 2020/21 bushfire season, it is more important than ever for our communities to be bushfire ready. Careful preparation is our best chance of avoiding economic, environmental, and emotional pain.
Increasingly unpredictable times
On both sides of the Pacific, we are witnessing a trend of larger and more destructive fires. A combination of human-induced climate change and increased urban sprawl has placed communities at higher risk.
It’s impossible to reliably predict a coming fire season, but climate change is making fire season start earlier, last longer and increase the risk of uncontrollable bushfires. At every level of government and in the community there is significant work required to improve our resilience to this growing threat.
The current Australian Government Bushfire Royal Commission is shining a spotlight on the challenges ahead in adapting to more frequent dangerous fire weather. One critical element already recognised by that inquiry is the importance of empowering local communities to manage bushfire hazards. This involves close engagement of state and local governments with individuals and community groups.
Here in Hobart City, where we have an annual budget for fire prevention of almost $2 million, some of that work has already begun. We have created 50 hectares of green fire breaks between every property that neighbours our bushland; we have upgraded more than 100km of fire trails; we have identified bushfire prone regions in our planning laws; and we have 35 trained firefighters on staff.
An ember attack strategy for Hobart
One key area where we know that community action can have a huge impact is in preparing for ember attack.
Embers are burning pieces of leaves, twigs and bark that are carried by the wind ahead of the main fire, igniting new spot fires. On days with extreme and catastrophic fire weather ratings, embers can travel 10 to 20 kms ahead of a fire front.
A review that was conducted after Canberra’s fires in 2003, when 500 houses were lost, revealed that most of those homes were lost as the result of ember attack rather than direct flames. Timber decks, gutters, exposed beams, timber windows and door frames all provided entry points for ember ignition.
Earlier this year, Hobart City Council agreed to explore the development of an ember attack strategy for Hobart. Council will seek advice to understand the potential reach of embers into Hobart under different modelled conditions that take into account wind, temperature, and fire front location.
By addressing a number of key questions – how many homes and other buildings could be at risk from ember attack, do our evacuation centres have adequate capacity, what support can we offer residents to ember proof their homes – Council will elevate Hobart to a better position and hopefully avoid extreme damage in future fire seasons.
Start preparing now
Recent research by UTAS suggests that even in the most bushfire prone suburbs of Hobart, many people don’t have a bushfire plan, and ember proofing had only been done by approximately 1 in 5 households.
The single most important thing you can do in advance of the upcoming bushfire season is maintain and prepare your property.
Detailed advice about how to ember proof your home can be found on the TFS website. They include: removing flammable materials such as wood piles and rubbish heaps from around your house, so there is less fuel for sparks and embers when they do land; replacing highly flammable plants; keeping roofs and gutters free of debris; installing water tanks and sprinklers; sealing up gaps in doors, window frames, eaves, cladding and roofing; and adding non-flammable screens to under-deck areas.
To really ensure that Hobart is fire-proof, we need a genuinely collective effort to ember proof not just homes but also commercial and government buildings across the city. We will need an investment not just of money, but of time and effort to ensure that our communities have the necessary skills, knowledge and support to stay safe this summer.
Years of dedicated work and significant private and government resources will be required, but the journey needs to start as soon as possible because the changing climate will not wait for us to be ready.
