Community Forestry
in the South

Urban Forestry South

Author:	Boura, J.
Date:	1998
Periodical:	Australian Journal of Emergency Management
Abstract:	By promoting the development of wildfire survival strategies by communities at greatest risk, Community Fireguard promises to significantly reduce the vulnerability of the residents. Enabling residents to accept responsibility for their own safety, means that CFA is not only reducing wildfire threat, but also transferring risk to those best able to manage it�the residents.<br><br>The principles of empowerment on which Community Fireguard is based are described, and the efficiency of the program in reducing losses in recent wildfires is discussed. The findings reinforce that reliance solely on suppression to ensure the safety of communities threatened by wildfire is an ineffective strategy. The greatest potential for increasing safety is for fire agencies to enhance community self reliance, through long term public education supported by fire protection works that assist residents defend themselves.