Developing a Bushfire Disaster Response Plan: Scout Park Scenario

This report outlines a comprehensive bushfire response plan tailored for a scenario at Cataracts Scout Park, involving approximately 10,000 scouts. It details strategies for direct and indirect fire suppression, including the use of ground squads, remote firefighting teams, and aerial support. The plan emphasizes resource management, prioritizing the protection of vital assets, cultural heritage, and biodiversity. Key components include backburning techniques, wind condition assessment, and the establishment of communication infrastructure. Furthermore, the report addresses psychological stressors and proposes strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of the disaster management plan, recommending improvements in manpower, local resources, and emergency facilities. The conclusion highlights the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of bushfires, stressing the importance of controlled burning practices and ongoing monitoring to mitigate risks and ensure effective disaster response.

Running head: RESPONSES TO BUSHFIRES
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Responses to Bushfires
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Responses to Bushfires
Introduction
Those from the Cataracts Scout Park between Campbell town and around Wollongong
are perhaps used to bushfires, a huge fire that spreads very fast and is very hard to control.
Generally, this kind of bushfire spreads through the woodlands of Campbell town. One kind of
bushfire recognized as a forest fire, a hysterical fire, which burns through bushes that is common
in the country (Lindenmayer, Blanchard, & Gill, 2016). Similar to all bushfires, an inferno puts
natural surroundings and human being in danger. This paper discusses the response plans to fire
in a scenario at an annual Scout movement, which was being held at Cataracts Scout Park
between Campbell town and Wollongong.
Disaster event
The park is located in the interior of thick bush land. The event was being held in 2nd of
January when days are usually extremely hot. This is usually the summer season in the area.
During the 4th day of the meeting, the leaders were woken up by strong odor of smoke. At a
distance they could see a huge plumes of smoke rising into the air. As the chief of the Appin
rural fire services, I would have done several things to respond to this problem. Having about
10,000 scouts in the park, there would be several factors to put in place.
Relevant stakeholders with their roles within the disaster management plan
Direct and indirect attack to the inferno by the scouts, use of fire suppression substances,
use of earthmoving equipment among other methods would be used to suppress this bushfire.
More than one approach could be used to respond to this and control the bushfire (Whittaker,

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Eriksen & Haynes, 2016). There would be a ground squad, which could directly enclose and
conquer a fire front using water and hand apparatuses. This would be determined by the
magnitude and strength of the inferno and the landscape the fire was razing. Our firefighters who
are about 5 miles away would also be involved in this firefighting situation. They are skilled at
using dry firefighting techniques of fire destruction, which do not depend on water being
accessible (Bush, Correa-Metrio & Overpeck, 2016).
Appropriate Management of resources
The highly skilled remote region firefighter’s squads can make use of the airplanes to get
to the unreachable regions to speedily put out fires before it gets in other regions. As a measure
to stop the bushfire speedily, enthusiastic remote inflight response squads could be put on hold in
the high risky places throughout the fire period so that they could get to the fires swiftly. The
10,000 scouts would be distributed together with these experts to help in fighting this fire (Bush,
Zimmermann & Silman, 2015).
The team of the devoted flying unit and aircraft crew who are responsible for aerial
firefighting fire management, would be the first to go on the mission to put out the fire. The fleet
would comprise 5 planes and 2 fixed-wing airplane. They would first identify the prevailing
condition of the wind and predict the weather so that they would understand which technique to
use. It is very important to note the direction of the wind so that they could identify the behavior
of the fire. This also gives the firefighter protection against being razed in the bush by the
extreme fire (Smith, Taylor & Thompson, 2015). If they are important assets, they need to be
secured first by trying to put out fire in areas they are located. Other important factors to consider

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are the cultural heritage and biodiversity such as wildlife, natural physical features that could be
destroyed by the fires.
The firefighting unit together with the scouts should carry out exploration of fire behavior
and borders (by means of thermal cameras). A helicopter to be used in transporting fire crews
and scouts from different places of the park to the most significant places to fight the fires. As
the chief I would offer a stage for aerial broadcasting repeaters, which would be done through
walkie-talkie transmitter and receiver to retransmit two-way means of conversation signals over
a long distances (Bryant, Waters & Sinnott, 2014). I would offer an observational or a command
podium so that everybody in the firefighting region would communicate with one another.
The helicopters are would be used to carry and winch inferno squads against the fire
ground, that is the region where fire-fighting process would be taking place. I would deliver
operating support for squads on the fire ground and help in identifying hotspots by the use of
infrared devices. They were to carry out investigation and offer air-attack administration,
observational or command podiums. They also carried out aerial eruption and water bombarding
(Hradsky, Christie & Di Stefano, 2017).
Huge air tankers could be used in the affected area to spray water. The scouts and the
squad responsible for fire Service flight and experts would organize a lead aircraft to escort the
trucks with water. This airplane could be used to assess the fire ground, determine the best airlift
path for the trucks, and then lead them through the fire ground to demonstrate to them where to
drop their cargo (Walters, Mair & Ritchie, 2015). The flight unit similarly would contribute to
environmental and pest managing, as well as carrying of resources and training.

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Another method that would be very crucial would be the backburning which is a method
used to regulate and contain infernos. It comprises burning extra fire to consume fuel in the
pathway of the major fire. Backburning is an efficient fire suppression method that could be cost
efficient. It is similarly ecologically maintainable as the shrub could recuperate from this
practice. A backburn is generally ignited from a safe control mark and permitted to burn in the
direction of the major fire (Swan, Christie, Sitters, York & Stefano, 2015).
Factors that may affect the disaster response plan
Factors such as wind would cause spread of fires very fast and make it hard to put the
fire. A good way to control this would be the use of backburing by use of barricade. A control
mark is a barricade, which blocks spreading of the fire. It could be a prevailing aspect of the site
for example a watercourse, stream or path or a barricade made by firefighters. An artificial
control mark is a strip of ground, which has been excavated, burned out or else cleared of fuel
ahead of a fire's progress. A backburn is simply done only when both fuel and climate situations
are appropriate for the suppression of the burn. This might be during the nighttime when it is
calmer and moister, once the wind change or calm, or when a calm change. The causes for
bushfires would be brought about by heat waves during the summer period. . They are
particularly to cause risks of causing bush fires during the summer months.
Plans for managing psychological stressors plan
It is important that people stay up-to-date and linked to what is happening from one place
to another and listening carefully to the situations of the place from the officials broadcasters of a
nation. This is attributed to the point that the catastrophe administration section is should send

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disaster cautions and informs the public through different mass media stations. It is always
essential to keep an eye on the fellow resident during these times, mostly the elders, youths and
people with incapacities. Several ageing persons when left on their own might experience some
unnecessarily difficulties and psychological stress since they are isolated from their supporters
and families (Wilkinson, Eriksen & Penman, 2016). Elders and the rest who may be delicate to
bush fires ought to connect with families, fellow citizen, or kinsfolks at least twice a day during
such periods. Make sure that one safeguards his or her health and if possible, exclude themselves
of the areas with bush fires. This would be a way to avoid stress for the aged, women and
children.
Strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of the disaster management plan
The following are recommendations that should be put in place in responses to bushfires in
future for disaster management plan
 Manpower
 Local Resources
 Resources for Displaced Persons (evacuation and shelters)
 Transportation
 Medical Supplies and Resources
 Emergency Facilities (emergency operations center
 Electricity and Fuel
 Food and Water
 Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

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Conclusion
Bushfires could affect wildlife in the forests and also the vegetation of a place.
Destruction of forests could results to climate change and a resulted to effects on the environs,
which are noticeable over period. The climate change not simply affects human beings but
likewise wildlife and vegetation that are great attraction places for travellers across the world.
This can affect the social and economic in various ways due to either negative impact of a
country (Bush, Barry & Burgess, 2014).
Different human activities on the environment could lead to bushfires such as burning
substances that could spread very fast to huge fires. Due to large numbers of people around an
area, they may increase burning of substances that could trigger huge fires that explode in
massive areas. In addition, there is usually massive winds blowing across the regions that would
accelerate burning and spreading of bushfires. The most known and largest contributor of
bushfires is the burning of the materials in the environment without any control.

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