@article {bnh-3345, title = {On the concept of denial of natural hazard risk and its use in relation to householder wildfire safety in Australia}, journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction}, volume = {21}, year = {2017}, month = {03/2017}, pages = {176-186}, chapter = {176}, abstract = {

Denial has often been used to explain why some residents at risk from natural hazards do not take appropriate threat mitigation actions. However, there has been little critical discussion of the concept of denial in relation to natural hazards. We examined the origins and development of the concept and noted that denial, as an explanation for inaction, is an inferred construct, not an observable phenomenon. We reviewed accounts that proposed denial as an explanation for residents failing to mitigate their natural hazard risk. We concluded that the concept has been used so inconsistently as to be meaningless without an explanation of the intended sense of the term. We discuss findings from reports of post-event interviews with residents threatened by severe Australian wildfires, and from a survey of agency community safety senior managers. The reports indicated that small percentages of residents in high-risk communities could be described as perhaps being in denial. The survey found that none of the wildfire agencies employed the concept formally. We suggest that it may be more useful to view most householders{\textquoteright} failures to mitigate their wildfire risk as resulting from potential threats being entwined with more immediate higher priority competing demands of everyday life.

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.12.006}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420916306720}, author = {Jim McLennan and Danielle Every and Christopher Bearman and Wright, Lyndsey} } @article {bnh-1744, title = {At-risk householders{\textquoteright} responses to potential and actual bushfire threat: An analysis of findings from seven Australian post-bushfire interview studies 2009{\textendash}2014}, journal = {International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction}, volume = {12}, year = {2015}, month = {19/02/2015}, pages = {319-327}, chapter = {319}, abstract = {

Many populated areas of Australia are at high risk of bushfire. All state and territory rural fire services have community bushfire safety education programs providing information and advice to residents about bushfire danger, household risk assessment, and planning and preparing to leave safely or to defend a property assessed as being defensible. Following disastrous bushfires in Victoria in February 2009 resulting in the deaths of 172 civilians and destruction of more than 2000 homes, a programme of interviews with affected residents was conducted. This first study revealed generally low levels of both pre-bushfire perceptions of risk, and planning and preparation by householders. Between 2011 and 2014, six further post-bushfire householder interview studies were conducted. Despite fire agencies{\textquoteright} community education endeavours subsequent to the 2009 fires: (a) appreciable percentages of residents interviewed in these six post-2010 studies did not believe that they were at-risk prior to the fire and had no plan for what to do if threatened; (b) of those with a plan, a minority were well-prepared to implement their plan {\textendash} especially if that plan was to leave; (c) very few householders self-evacuated before the fire on the basis of fire danger weather warnings. The findings and implications are discussed.

}, keywords = {Wildfire; Community safety; Risk perception; Mitigation; Decision making}, doi = {doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.02.007}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420915000205}, author = {Jim McLennan and Paton, Douglas and Wright, Lyndsey} } @article {bnh-1663, title = {Capturing community experiences: South Australian bushfires January 2014}, number = {052}, year = {2015}, month = {03/2015}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

Lightning strikes in January 2014 caused a number of significant bushfire events in South Australia that continued into February. Fires in and around Eden Valley, Bangor and Rockleigh provided an opportunity to conduct research into the bushfire risk perceptions, decision-making processes and behaviour of residents across three very different fire events involving a rapid-onset fire (Eden Valley), a long-campaign fire (Bangor), and repeat fire incidents (Rockleigh).

During April and May 2014, 171 residents in affected communities were interviewed and 606 South Australians participated in a complementary online (statewide) survey. Approximately one in two (49\%) survey respondents considered their residential area to have been impacted by fire, and almost one in five (17\%) indicated that they were directly impacted by the fires, and one in five (20\%) experienced fire threat without property damage. The aim of the research was to inform SA Country Fire Service about community members{\textquoteright} experiences of bushfires in South Australia, with particular attention to a range of research questions grouped under the three themes discussed below. The nature of the study has allowed us to provide observations and insights on each one of these themes. However, it should be noted that cause and effect relationships between the factors should not be inferred.

}, isbn = {978-0-9941696-2-4}, issn = {052}, author = {Trigg, Josh and Rainbird, Sophia and Kirrilly Thompson and Christopher Bearman and Wright, Lyndsey and Jim McLennan} } @article {bnh-1612, title = {Capturing community members{\textquoteright} bushfire experiences following the 12 January 2014 Parkerville (WA) fire: supplementary online survey}, year = {2015}, month = {02/2015}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, abstract = {

This is the companion volume for the report entitled Capturing community members{\textquoteright} bushfire experiences: Interviews with residents following the 12 January 2014 Parkerville (WA) Fire prepared by Professor Jim McLennan. The current document presents findings from the online survey developed to complement the community interviews undertaken and detailed by Professor McLennan in that report.

Both pieces of work were undertaken as part of the study conducted by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) of Western Australia following the bushfire in the Parkerville area on 12 January 2014.

The purpose of that study was to assist DFES to learn as much as possible about residents{\textquoteright} prior understandings of bushfire safety and risk, and their experiences during the fires, thus contributing to improved community bushfire safety in the future. The reader is referred to the aforementioned report for an overview of the circumstances of that fire and background to the study.

The online survey was included in the broader study to enable those who were not at home at the time the interview teams were in the field and unable to avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in the study though a telephone interview to have their experiences recorded and considered. The online survey was open to all residents in the Shire of Mundaring from May to early July 2014.

Despite wide promotion of the survey, the number of respondents who ultimately completed the questionnaire (58) was small. This means that the results should be used carefully and should be seen as a glimpse of the views of a self-selected group of Shire of Mundaring residents who are particularly interested in bushfire-related matters.

}, isbn = {978-0-9941696-1-7}, author = {Wright, Lyndsey and Jim McLennan} } @article {bnh-2533, title = {Secondary Traumatic Stress in Postdisaster Field Research Interviewers}, journal = {Journal of Traumatic Stress}, year = {2015}, month = {01/2016}, abstract = {

Numerous studies show that those involved in disaster response may develop posttraumatic stress disorder or experience secondary traumatic stress (STS). There are few reports about the experiences of postdisaster field research interviewers. We report findings from a follow-up study of researchers who conducted postwildfire field research interviews with residents affected by 5 severe wildfire events in Australia over the period 2009{\textendash}2014. There were 33 postwildfire research interviewers who reported their experiences, and 18 of them (54.5\%) described distressing interviews involving deaths, surviving severe threats to life, and destruction of houses. There were 27 (81.6\%) who reported having experienced 1 or more STS symptoms on a 20-item measure. Those who conducted interviews following a multifatality wildfire event reported higher levels of STS symptoms compared with researchers whose interviews followed nonfatal wildfires. There were 21 (63.6\%) researchers who reported that their interviewing experiences had positive effects on their lives. This indicates that the researcher role of gathering information so that future wildfire risk could be mitigated may have served a protective function.

}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.22072/abstract;jsessionid=03E06FC8DFD29B9B128449799C0A6E51.f01t01?userIsAuthenticated=false\&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=}, author = {Jim McLennan and Lynette Evans and Sean Cowlishaw and Lindsay Pamment and Wright, Lyndsey} } @article {bnh-2607, title = {Bushfire survival preparations by householders in at-risk areas of south-eastern Australia}, journal = {Australian Journal of Emergency Management}, volume = {29}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

While Australian state and territory governments devote considerable resources to combating bushfires, landowners and householders are increasingly expected to take responsibility for protecting their property and for their personal safety. All Australian states and territories have community bushfire safety programs in place which provide information and advice to householders about bushfire survival. This paper describes findings from a 2012 survey of 584 residents in at-risk areas of south-eastern Australia and describes generally low levels of planning and preparation for bushfires. Householder lack of planning and preparation for safe evacuation if threatened was especially concerning1.\ 

}, url = {https://ajem.infoservices.com.au/items/AJEM-29-02-05}, author = {Jim McLennan and Elliott, Glenn and Wright, Lyndsey} } @article {bnh-1741, title = {Community Understanding and Awareness of Bushfire Safety: October 2013 Bushfires - Overview}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

This overview provides a consolidation of the findings from the interviews and online surveys conducted by the\ Bushfire CRC researcher into the community understanding of bushfire safety and responses in the context of the\ October 2013 Bushfires in NSW. This work was commissioned by NSW Rural Fire Service.\ This research had two separate {\textendash} but interconnected {\textendash} components, (i) a series of interviews with residents in\ a number of fire impacted communities, and (ii) an online survey (also targeted to those communities but open\ more broadly to fire impacted areas in NSW ) each of these has been analysed and reported upon in detail in the\ reports submitted. Both components focused on common themes and the following summarises the combined\ responses.\ 

The executive summaries from the two individual reports are provided at the end of the consolidated findings.

}, isbn = {978-0-9925027-3-7}, author = {Wright, Lyndsey and Jim McLennan and Birch, Adrian and Bronwyn Horsey and Trent Penman} } @article {bnh-1742, title = {Community Understanding and Awareness of Bushfire Safety: October 2013 Bushfires - Part 1}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

The calendar year 2013 was one of the worst on record for destructive bushfires in NSW. In January,\ fires swept across numerous areas, destroying more than 50 homes. Then in October, bushfires\ again threatened many communities, with more than 200 homes lost. Following both of these\ bushfire events, NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) asked the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre\ (CRC) to: (a) coordinate a program of interviews with residents in three seriously affected areas; and\ (b) commission an online survey of residents in the same affected areas. The purpose was to assist\ the organisation to learn as much as possible about residents{\textquoteright} prior understandings of bushfire risk\ and their experiences during the fires, thus contributing to improved community safety for the\ future.

For this study NSW RFS identified three areas that had been impacted by significant bushfire events\ during October 2013: (i) greater Blue Mountains (including locations at Bell, Clarence, Dargan,\ Lithgow, Mount Irvine; Mount Victoria; Faulconbridge, Springwood, Winmalee, Yellow Rock){\textemdash}\ significant fire activity 16 October{\textendash}13 November; (ii) Port Stephens (including locations at Medowie,\ Raymond Terrace, Tomago, Williamtown; Salt Ash){\textemdash}significant fire activity 13{\textendash}23 October; and\ (iii) Wingecarribee Shire (including locations at Balmoral Village, Colo Vale, Yanderra, Yerrinbool){\textemdash}\ significant fire activity 17{\textendash}24 October.

}, isbn = {978-0-9925027-3-7}, author = {Jim McLennan and Wright, Lyndsey and Birch, Adrian} } @inbook {BF-1227, title = {Preparing for Bushfires: The public education challenges facing fire agencies}, booktitle = {Community bushfire safety}, year = {2008}, publisher = {CSIRO Publishing}, organization = {CSIRO Publishing}, chapter = {117-126}, author = {Paton, Douglas and Wright, Lyndsey}, editor = {John Handmer and Katharine Haynes} }