AUSTRALIA
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South Australia
Western Australia
& Northern Territory

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AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE SURVIVAL

Each fire season in regional and rural Australia a bushfire threat exists to property, flora and fauna. Lives are at risk in these fire fuelled environments. The winter months of June, July and August are dry in Northern Australia and the summer months particularly in February are hot and dry in southern Australia. Pre season fire mitigation management can only go so far. Many call for more work to be done by authorities. The debate is ongoing with how much clearing should be carried out. Argument's for and against.

Tourists and Australia Bushfires Fire Survival

Wildfire and forest fire are called bushfires in Australia. Our bushland Eucalyptus trees and their bark and oils making them highly flammable. Often referred to as 'gum trees' these trees are very common throughout Australia. Along with dry grasslands a significant fire hazard exists.

Visitor's to fire prone area's are safe as long as precautions such as listening for any media alerts and extreme weather alerts available via radio, mobile phones etc. are acted upon.

Risk of death is possible or even likely if road blocks are driven around and then entered into in an active fire zone. Not all are manned. Due to limited resources. This does not mean the risk is lower. Radiant heat is the major cause of bushfire death followed by smoke inhalation. Both are deadly. Radiant heat is life threatening at a range of five times the flames height.

A simplistic example:

Flame height is a crucial factor in assessing the severity and potential danger of a fire. In the context provided, a flame height of five metres multiplied by five results in an alarming twenty-five metres, which is equivalent to approximately eighty-two feet. To put this into perspective, the height of a typical house does not exceed five metres, highlighting the immense scale of such flames. In Australia, where the standard two-way road width is 7.4 metres or 24 feet, the potential threat becomes evident. Even with a cleared roadside verge of ten metres (two times five metres), the proximity of flames of this magnitude poses a clear and immediate risk to life, especially for individuals in vehicles.

It is important to note that the majority of bushfire flame heights far exceed five metres, making the situation even more hazardous. The intensity and speed at which a fire front can advance are also critical factors to consider. A fire front moving at speeds of up to twenty-five kilometers per hour or approximately fifteen miles per hour can rapidly engulf vast areas, leaving little time for evacuation or containment efforts. These statistics underscore the urgent need for robust fire prevention measures, early detection systems, and effective emergency response strategies to mitigate the devastating impact of wildfires on both lives and property.

Bushfire Aftermath

The small township of Pomonal of approximately 350 residents is about 240 km west of Melbourne, Victoria and borders the Grampians National Park.

On February 13, 2024 a dry lightning strike started a bushfire in the Grampians park burning down the mountain range and into the edge of Pomonal. Forty-five homes were lost to fire on a day of high wind and forty degree Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) temperature. No fire deaths and very little livestock reported lost.

The town general store, church, school, hotel, community hall and fire station were all spared. Fire impacted the town on all sides. All lost buildings were on the mountain range side. About 2,200 hectares burnt or 5,500 acres. The fire gained extensive national news coverage. Ten days later the public was granted access to the township's main through road.

In the area smoke haze could be seen hanging in the air and smelt from another current bushfire this time eighty km distant and nearer to Melbourne also with homes lost. Media warnings of more extreme hot weather in the coming days and for all people to remain vigilante in the vicinity of the Grampians National Park. The last major fire to impact the area was in 2006 with two deaths in a car found on the main Pomonal through road. A few Pomonal residents are known to:

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