Volume 23, Issue Four, November 2008

Contents [PDF 80KB] 

FOREWORD [PDF 74KB]

Communiqué [PDF 82KB]

Advances in risk assessment for Australian emergency management [PDF 311KB]
Trevor Jones introduces the first of our two special all hazards risk assessment editions of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.

Assessing risk from meteorological phenomena using limited and biased databases [PDF 240KB]
Alan Sharp discusses a number of meteorological databases and briefly evaluates their usefulness in risk assessment.

Assessing the impacts of tropical cyclones [PDF 357KB]
Using Darwin as a test case, Craig Arthur, Anthony Schofield and Bob Cechet assess the benefits of Geoscience Australia’s Tropical Cyclone Risk Modelling tool in assessing the potential impact of a tropical cyclone.

Flood risk management in Australia [PDF 230KB]
The National Flood Risk Advisory Group introduces and discusses the National Flood Risk Management Guideline.

Australian Safer Community Awards [PDF 248KB]

Tsunami planning and preparation in Western Australia:  application of scientific modelling and community engagement [PDF 261KB]
Hall, Stevens and Sexton explain how a leading-edge tsunami impact assessments project combines science, technology and spatial data.

Policy implications of future increases in extreme weather events due to climate change [PDF 335KB]
Karl Sullivan of the Insurance Council of Australia outlines the shifts required to increase future communities’ resilience to more extreme weather events.

The cost of natural disasters in Australia: the case for disaster risk reduction [PDF 163KB]
Ryan Crompton and John McAneney examine the cost to Australia of natural disasters.

Phoenix: development and application of a bushfire risk management tool [PDF 471KB]
Tolhurst, Shields and Chong discuss the bushfire risk managementmodel being developed by the Bushfire CRC.

Newly Released:  Making Communities Safer in Times of Flood: the Story of the Floodplain Management Authorities of New South Wales [PDF 95KB]

Volume 23, Issue Three, August 2008

Contents

FOREWORD

Historical snapshot

The use of applied drama in crisis management: an empirical psychological study
Joanne Arciuli, John Carroll and David Cameron suggest applied drama methods can be used in training professionals in crisis management.

Crisis communication and multimodal decision making on the fireground
Valerie Ingham offers the new concept of ‘multimodal decision making’ to help understand decision making in crisis situations.

Communication with disaster survivors: towards best practice
Nicholls and Healy examine the World Trade Center and London bombing events to determine best practice in post-disaster communication.

Total flood warning systems
Mary Barry, CEO Victoria SES, reports on the findings of a recent review of the role of VICSES in flood warning in Victoria.

Emergency management of tsunami in New South Wales and the response to the Solomon Islands tsunami April 2nd 2007
Gissing, Webb and Hanslow provide an insight into the emergency management of tsunami in NSW including the current activities being undertaken to prepare for tsunami and provide an overview of the NSW response to the April 2007 Solomon Islands tsunami.

Public behaviour during a pandemic
Hagan, Macguire and Bopping outline a number of public response issues for effective pandemic planning.

Living with bushfire risk: social and environmental influences on preparedness
Paton, Bürgelt and Prior discuss the process of developing a model capable of informing the development of community outreach strategies to facilitate the sustained adoption of bushfire preparedness measures.

An economic assessment of the voluntary land search and rescue sector in New Zealand
Scott & Scott report on a research project that investigated and quantified the economic value of the land voluntary search and rescue services to New Zealand.

Gen Y and emergency management: How do we engage generation Y in the emergency management sector?
Wajs-Chaczko examines the values and expectations of the next generation of emergency managers.

The AFAC Knowledge Web

In Profile: Brian (Hori) Howard

Book Review

Interesting websites

Australian Disasters Conference 2009

Volume 23, Issue Two, May 2008

Contents

FOREWORD

Historical snapshot

Communique:
The first meeting of the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management since the election of the Rudd Government.

A new approach to community flood education
Neil Dufty argues that community flood education programs be broadened from ‘awareness’ and ‘preparedness’ to building community resilience.

Litigation for failure to warn of natural hazards and community resilience
Michael Eburn discusses liability in relation to hazard warnings in the Australian context and examines whether ‘blaming, naming and claiming’ poses a threat to community resilience.

Paramedics’ perceptions of risk and willingness to work during disasters
Smith, Morgans, Qureshi, Archer, and Burkle Jr., report on a study investigating the factors motivating paramedics’ willingness to work during disasters.

An interdisciplinary analytical study on the risk preparedness of Bam and its cultural landscape, a world heritage property in danger in Iran
Alireza Fallahi reports on a study investigating the extent to which opportunities presented by the Bam Earthquake in Iran 2003 contributed to the City’s current resilience.

Differentiated adjustment to the 1991 Mt Pinatubo resettlement program among lowland ethnic groups of the Philippines
Jean-Christophe Gaillard presents the results of a study on the adjustment of two ethnic groups to the post-disaster resettlement program after the 1991 Mt Pinatubo volcano eruption in the Philippines.

Role of building codes and construction standards in windstorm disaster mitigation
David Henderson and John Ginger from James Cook University, examine the role of Australia’s building code and construction standards in a number of windstorm disaster mitigation situations.

Legal risks of volunteer firefighters – how real are they?
Elsie Loh examines Australian legislation arguing that perception regarding firefighters’ protection from liability may not be reality.

Future challenges for volunteer based emergency services
Deb Parkin explores the challenges facing Australia’s emergency management volunteer sector and their implications for Emergency Service leaders.

Community based disaster preparedness: Need for a standardized training module
Ajinder Walia examines the issues and challenges in some international examples of community-based disaster management calling for a standardized global training module.

Book Review

Book Launch

Interesting websites

2008 Australian Safer Communities Awards

Australian Disasters Conference 2009

Volume 23, Issue One, February 2008

Contents

FOREWORD

Historical snapshot

In Profile: The Hon. Robert McClelland MP
Bringing a diverse range of experience to his new role as Federal Attorney-General

Managing tsunami risk in coastal communities: identifying predictors of preparedness
Douglas Paton, Bruce F. Houghton, Chris E. Gregg, Duane A. Gill, Liesel A. Ritchie,
David McIvor, Penny Larin, Steven Meinhold, J. Horan and David M. Johnston

How people responded to the April 2007 tsunami warning in Cairns and Townsville
David King, Centre for Disaster Studies, James Cook University reports on some
remarkable responses to warnings in Far North Queensland

Policy development and design for fire and emergency management
John Handmer, Centre for Risk and Community Safety, RMIT University & Stephen Dovers, Fenner School for Environment and Society, ANU

Glimpses of ‘community’ through the lens of a small fire event
Helen Goodman and John Gawen analyse a community’s reaction to the shire of Boldrewood fire

Fire, families and decisions
Using the Wangary fire in South Australia (10-11 January 2005) as a case study, Mae Proudley explores what factors influence decision making within families when they are threatened by bushfire

Are house fires changing?
Chris Lewis questions whether domestic house fires are becoming faster and more ferocious

Weighing up the risks – the decision to purchase housing on a flood plain
Vogt, Willis & Vince interviewed residents in Launceston to determine their flood preparedness.

REPORTS

Australasian libraries in the emergency sector – information catalysts
Troy Watson, Library Manager Emergency Management Australia

Identifying nationally recognised emergency management Skills Sets
Andy Smith

Book Review

Community Bushfire Safety
John Handmer & Katharine Haynes (Eds.)
February 2008
CSIRO PUBLISHING 9780643094260

Interesting website (inside back cover)

Australian Disasters Conference 2009