- Title:
-
Effectiveness of Firefighting First Attack Operations by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment from 1991/92 - 1994/95
- Date:
- January 1998
- Organisations
- DSE
- Authors:
- G.J. McCarthy and K.G.Tolhurst
- Location:
- Victoria, VIC, Australia
Overview
This study looks at the first attack success of the DSE over the four fire seasons from 1991/92 to 1994/95, during which time they achieve a first attack success rate of 99 percent.
The report focuses attention on the significance of fuels as a key threat to the success of first attack. The key message is that fuel structure is far more important to fire behaviour than fuel load, and that DSE need to look more closely at the hazards posed by bark and shrub fuel in allowing fires to develop quickly and defeat even very determined first attack efforts.
