Bushfires By Marli Dale

Contents What is a bushfire? 1 The impact on communities 2 Bushfire History 3 How has science helped ? 4 Response & Recovery 5 Ash Wednesday Factsheet ( By :CFA) 6

What is a bushfire? A bushfire is a wildfire that burns out of control spreading across parts of bushland. In order for a bushfire to be catastrophic, the right weather must be present. Most bushfires happen in times when the temperature is high. Weather must be dry. Bushfires often start when dry winds blow in from the middle of Australia. While the winds bring dry weather. Trees such as eucalypts are especially dangerous to fire because their leaves have a highly-flammable oil. Dry leaves and bark are especially flammable. Bushfire’s are usually in subtropical areas of Australia but in summer they can be anywhere.

The impact on communities The impact on communities can be extreme. House’s are burnt down people lose family, pets,precious items, money, photo’s etc. It takes a lot to re-build/ buy another house and start their whole life again. Animals can lose their natural habitat and maybe even lose their life.

How has science helped ? What is a Meteorologist? A meteorologist is a with an education of science and weather who explains, understands and observes weather. And the explain how weather can help or harm our earth and wild life. Fire Extinguishers Multi- Purpose extinguisher A fire extinguisher is filled with carbon dioxide, Non flammable gas (under pressure). Which helps put out fires that are taking away the oxygen element of the fire. Some other types of extinguishers: Extinguisher SortFire TypeIngredients Ordinary Combustibles Paper, Wood,Plastic Water Flammable LiquidsOil’s, Gas, Paints & other flammable liquids Carbon Dioxide Electrical Equipment Wiring, Fuse boxes etc. Dry Chemical

Bushfire History Over 50,000 bushfires occur each year and over the past few years a lot of tragedies have taken place and ruined a lot of lives all over the country. BLACK SATURDAY Victoria, 2009, in which 173 lives were lost. This is now called Black Saturday. The Black Saturday Bushfires is the name given to the bushfires which started on the 7th of February 2009 in Victoria, Australia. The weather conditions on the day were some of the worst bushfire weather conditions ever recorded. The temperatures reached 46 degrees Celsius with winds were about 100km per hour. Leading up to the some of the worst conditions and was 2 months of extremely low rainfall and hot dry weather. BLACK FRIDAY ( BLACK DAY) Victoria, 1939, now called Black day, when 71 lives were lost. Bushfires in Australia happen either as a grass fire or forest fire. The bushfires of 13 January 1939, known as the Black Friday fires, followed a long drought and a dangerous, hot, dry summer and extremely strong winds, these fires swept really fast across large parts of Victoria. In Victoria an area of almost two million hectares was burned, with 71 people losing their lives. The whole of some towns were destroyed, burned to the ground and thousands of sheep, cattle and horses were killed by the heat and flames. Black Friday was a long, dry and hot summer that followed a drought that had lasted several years. Many creeks and rivers had dried up and people living in Melbourne were on water restrictions. Dry heat and hot winds. BLACK TUESDAY Hobart and Tasmania, 1967, where 62 people were killed. On 7 February 1967, now known as Black Tuesday, more than 100 fires were burning across southern Tasmania. A combination of the strong northerly winds of up to 110 km per hour and really hot air had created conditions for bushfires which flew across the south east coast of Tasmania and burnt through 264,270 hectares in the state's south in five hours. The fires came within 2 km of the middle of Hobart. Sixty two people lost their lives, and 1400 home’s and buildings were destroyed. The fires killed thousands of chickens and sheep and other animals.

Response and recovery process A fire truck is usually used as a fire response system and is called To put out or manage a house fire, bushfire, grass fire etc. Fire is very unlikely today Fire is likely today Beware fair chance of fire’s today Fire’s will be really dangerous today Get ready for close dangerous fires today. Evacuate from your town immediately

THANKYOU ! 8