Mitigation Plan Assignment

Mitigation Plan Assignment

Introduction

The paper provides a comprehensive mitigation plan that can be utilized in the control and management of the Australian Bushfires. The crisis of Australian Bushfires has left in its wake devastating effects, with thousands of residents being forced to relocate and a massive Australian land rendered unproductive or hostile for human and animal life. Over the years, Australia has experienced extensive and devastating wildfire outbursts. Such includes the “Black Saturday” that occurred in 2009 that is regarded as the worst following the death of 180 (Resnick, Irfan & Samuel, 2020). The 2019/20 Australian Bushfire that started from September 2019 is a result of the hottest heatwave experienced in the country. 2019 saw Australian temperatures rise to the highest in history (BBC News, 2020). Thus, amid the threat bushfires posit on the country, the report on the mitigation plan of the wildfire disaster is crucial to provide effective approaches to control the crisis.

Overview of the Disaster and Other Relevant Hazards

The Australian Bushfires began in September 2019 through to 2020 with devastating effects in the country and the environment. The regions most affected by the wildfire disaster comprise of the New South Wales(NSW) and Victoria states. The bushfires left over 27 million acres destroyed and unsuitable to support life (Forster & Benton, 2020). The hottest heatwave termed as the cause of the wildfire saw the fires spread in record time in the history of Australian wildfires. The climate change effects posit a profound threat to the sustainability of life in the country and the future of the affected parts and people. Australia has three out of four seasons potentially able to support the wildfires. Therefore, despite the occurrence of the wildfire and its curbing – the development of the mitigation plan is critical in the occurrence or re-occurrence of the crisis.

The rising temperatures and strong winds experienced in Australia marks the massive threat the country faces. The mitigation plan is fundamental to better prepare the country towards subsequent control and de-escalation of the occurrence of the wildfires. The 2019/20 Australian Bushfires as of January 2020, at least 29 deaths, were recorded as a result of the spread of the wildfires and more than 2,500 homes destroyed (Resnick et al., 2020). Further, an estimated 1.25 billion animals were found to have been lost in the bushfire disaster occurrence. The bushfires mark an epitomized destruction of the country’s land and biodiversity with long-term damage to the ecosystem. Thus, illustrating the magnitude of the damage and wreckage left following the occurrence of the bushfires in the country.

The occurrence of the Australian Bushfires caused havoc and fears across the country. The proactive measures provided in the mitigation plan are necessary better to prepare the highly demanding control and management approaches. The fire departments, military, among other agencies at the forefront of mitigating the spread of the wildfires, can be extensively boosted through advance and proactive measures. Therefore, the paper outlines four strategies critical to the mitigation of the disaster in the future.

Mitigation Plan

Strategy 1: Political Reactiveness and Increase of Budget Allocation

In the mitigation of any disaster, leadership plays a crucial role in the successful implementation of the measures outlined. The mitigation plan identifies political reactiveness as a fundamental strategy towards successively controlling the bushfires in the country. The political framework provides the required goodwill for leaders to mobilize the grassroots and influence social behavior in the affected regions. The capacity to minimize human costs and rapid mobilization of emergency response is critical to the spread of the wildfires (Tironi, Rodriguez-Giralt & Guggenheim, 2014). This indicates the willingness for the society to come together in mitigating the problem without political affiliation and differences. Leaders from all levels and stakeholders ought to subsequently provide proper guidance in response to the disaster (Rollins & Frame, 2006). Thus, give morale to the agencies at the frontlines of the disaster through capacity building and making resources available.

The Australian regions producing natural gas and coal in the affected regions call for concerted political efforts to stop the excavation. During the 2019/20 wildfires disaster, the mining plants saw political leaders led by the Prime Minister exhibit laxity to stop the activities in the plants (Resnick et al., 2020). The continued coal mining and liquefied natural gas activities were supported in the sites instead of prioritizing the loss of life and the danger of the burning bush. The bushfires require subsequent and rapid actions to mitigate the problem before escalating to unmanageable levels. Thus, the political reactiveness is necessary to effective and robust mitigation of the problem.

Also, an increase in budget allocation is crucial to the mitigation of the wildfires in Australia. As a country that has suffered from similar disasters, sufficient funding should be made available to the mitigation measures of the problem (Drolet, 2019). The provision of sufficient budget paves the way for proactive measures that can be effectively implemented without creating a hitch on the operations of different departments. As well, it makes advance training and equipping of different departments in readiness to counter the problem before spreading to a bigger magnitude (Petersen, 2014). The cost of losing thousands of land, displacement of people, and loss of billions of animals through the disruption of the ecosystem by the fires provide the feasibility to increased budgetary allocations (Kruger, 2015). Furthermore, the curtailment of activities such as tourism and human activities in the region prompts a need to allocate emergency funds in readiness to deal with the disaster whenever it may occur.

Strategy 2: Investment in Advancing Weather Satellites and Monitoring Stations

The investment in advancing of weather satellites and monitoring stations in Australia is vital to the mitigation of the wildfire problem. The satellite and monitoring stations provide the necessary data critical for mapping and zoning of danger points that require more resource allocation. As well, the data is vital to advance predictions and estimation of the potential danger posed by the increased temperatures in the country. The investment in agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) and Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA’s) Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) to provide Australia meteorological department with weather patterns data for advance analysis and pro-activeness (Willis, 2005). The operations of the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology are better enhanced with extensive investments in meteorological satellites. Thus, formulate policies that are data-informed for effective mitigation measures.

The investments are necessary to build the capacity of the existing Bureau of Meteorology and its partners. This impacts better predictions through vast data analysis of the weather patterns in the country (O’Neill &Handmer, 2012). The variations caused by climate change, such as the strong winds and rising temperatures, make it possible for the relevant agencies and stakeholders to take proactive measures essential to reduce the magnitude of losses. For example, the relocation of residents in the affected regions and preparing for controlled fires operations. Thus, ensure that the wildfires do not spread to other regions that can cause devastating effects.

Strategy 3: Setting Up of a Special Patrol Unit Running Drones

This provides one of the most effective approaches to mitigating wildfire disasters. The drones are a necessary tool where human beings are not suited to operate. The use of drones is essential to eliminate the cost of human life loss and risk posed by the wildfires (Rollins & Frame, 2006). The utilization of remote-controlled aircraft is necessary to provide alternative means and avenues to reach beyond human capacity. This is a major approach towards the mitigation of wildfires as drones can be equipped with more materials such as water deep inside the wildfires.

The special patrol units are necessary to provide real-time data of every corner of the forests where no human activity is close by and maybe the ignition point. The drones detect unusual activities that may be amiss to the human eye. The massive data collected by drones before or during the wildfire disaster is crucial to identify safe areas to set up operations, among other activities (Boulter, Palutikof, Karoly&Guitart, 2013). The use of drones provides 24-7-hour coverage of every region in the country where the fire can break out and send signal alarms. These are critical to thwarting what could potentially escalation into a serious magnitude that causes extensive damage. Hence, drones are necessary for rapid actions provided by the special units trained and equipped for such purposes.

Strategy 4: Increasing Budget Allocation for Relevant Research Institutions and Laboratory

The research institutions and laboratories such as the Bureau of Meteorology, the Curtin University of Technology, and Murdoch University are essential in advancing weather technology in the country. The institutions play an integral role in the research and trials of various measures that can be applied in the mitigation of the problem (Holt, 2015). The increase in budgetary allocation of the institutions is necessary to develop the necessary technology that can be applied in mitigating the wildfire disaster in the country. The investments are directed to developing precise control measures that assure the realization of the expected results. The benefits of capacity build and resource expansion is essential for the mitigation of wildfire disaster in the country.

The use of technology such as simulation programsis necessary for the training of individuals and testing of different tool’s significance in putting out the fire. Advance training and capacity building of the standby force is fundamental to effective control of the fires (Hand et al., 2014). The laboratories and research institutions provide the necessary knowledge on the application of different tactics that are crucial to mitigating the wildfire problem. This culminates in the enhanced capacity of the relevant organizations that can be deployed to resolving the problem. Hence, avoid spreading to other regions and reducing the losses in human, economic, and environmental losses.

Application of STAPLEE Method

Opportunities

The application of the STAPLEE method provides the core opportunities in which the management of the wildfires in Australia. The social aspect provides for the behavior change and cooperation of people in the affected regions. Also, all stakeholders and agencies deployed to the affected regions need concerted efforts in a collaborative manner. The technical and technology aspect outlines the need for trained and equipped standby force, which is primarily tasked with rapid deployment to thwart bushfires breakout. In terms of technology, the use of drones, weather satellites, and monitoring stations are crucial to providing sufficient data essential for prediction and preparedness to mitigate the occurrence of a wildfire disaster. The administrative and political aspects provide the necessary leadership and policies vital to the mitigation plans. The political and administrative approaches are critical to the establishment of a healthy environment whereby policies and concerted efforts can be generated among key stakeholders. A legal basis provides the necessary mechanism in which the adopted policies are implemented. For example, investing in drones must comply with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (ACASA), which establishes Part 101 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations of 1998 (Cth) (CASR). Further, the economic expedience is experienced in the funding of the mitigation measures. The funding aspect is critical for the sustainable implementation of the proposed mitigation. Finally, environmental protection measures follow the use of tactics that do not cause further erosion and damaging of the environment. Thus, control the extent to which the mitigation measures adopted can be applied.

Barriers

The key barriers to the implementation of the mitigation comprise of the economic and legal aspects. The economic aspect entails the funding of each measure enabling the responsible organizations and agencies to execute them effectively. As well, determines the capacity of the respective agencies to run the proposed measures successfully. The legal aspect functions as a barrier that limits the extent to which the mitigation measures can be run. The mitigation measures ought to comply with the laws of the land and emergency protocols.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Australian Bushfires pose a profound threat to the country, the residents of the region, animals, and the environment. The bushfires threaten the sustainability of the ecosystem in the country, causing a ripple effect beyond the environment, such as deterioration of tourism, among other economic activities. As well, displacement of people and the death of animals. Therefore, the report proposes four key mitigation strategies, including political reactiveness and increased budget allocation—also, investment in advancing weather satellites and monitoring stations for data collection and advance predictions. As well, setting up of special patrol units running drones and the standby force. Finally, the increase in budget allocation for relevant research institutions and laboratories for the development of the necessary technology and technical capacity.

 

 

References

BBC News. (Jan 31, 2020). Australia Fires: A Visual Guide to the Bushfire Crisis. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50951043

Boulter, S., Palutikof, J., Karoly, D. J., &Guitart, D. (Eds.). (2013). Natural disasters and adaptation to climate change. Cambridge University Press.

Drolet, J. L. (Ed.). (2019). Rebuilding lives post-disaster. Oxford University Press.

Forster, M., & Benton, T. (Jan 23, 2020). Will A Devastating Bushfire Season Change Australia’s Climate Stance? Chatham House. Retrieved from: https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/will-devastating-bushfire-season-change-australia-s-climate-stance?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Mb3BRCaARIsAPSNGpUr5KQa2TDlLwzbH1-aSAD4WFRjMkSSD2lDLEEnSYG_Mow2rzTJNoYaAvZeEALw_wcB

Hand, M. S., Gebert, K. M., Liang, J., Calkin, D. E., Thompson, M. P., & Zhou, M. (2014). Economics of wildfire management: the development and application of suppression expenditure models. Springer Science & Business Media.

Holt, C. (2015). Natural Disasters and Adaptation to Climate Change. Geography, 100, 60.

Kruger, F. (2015). Economics of Wildfire Management: The Development and Application of Suppression Expenditure Models. International Forestry Review, 17(1), 112-114. Kruger, F. (2015). Economics of Wildfire Management: The Development and Application of Suppression Expenditure Models. International Forestry Review, 17(1), 112-114.

O’Neill, S. J., &Handmer, J. (2012). Responding to bushfire risk: the need for transformative adaptation. Environmental Research Letters, 7(1), 014018.

Petersen, K. G. (2014). Mapping a Wildfire:: Mapping Practices, Authoritative Knowledge, and the Unpredictable Nature of Disaster (Doctoral dissertation, UC San Diego).

Resnick, B., Irfan, U., & Samuel, S. (Jan 22, 2020). 8 Things Everyone Should Know About Australia’s Wildfire Disaster. VOX. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/1/8/21055228/australia-fires-map-animals-koalas-wildlife-smoke-donate

Rollins, M. G., & Frame, C. K. (2006). The LANDFIRE Prototype Project: nationally consistent and locally relevant geospatial data for wildland fire management. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-175. Fort Collins: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 416 p., 175.

Tironi, M., Rodríguez-Giralt, I., & Guggenheim, M. (2014). Special Issue: Sociological Review Monograph Series: Disasters and Politics: Materials, Experiments, Preparedness. The Sociological Review, 260.

Willis, M. (2005). Bushfires—How can we avoid the unavoidable?. Global Environmental Change Part B: Environmental Hazards, 6(2), 93-99.