Partners Collaborate to Show Conference Delegates Successful Practices
BY THE CANBERRA FIELD-TRIP TEAM
The dew on the grass was slowly evaporating with the warmth of the sun and a soft breeze whispered up the valley, between the hills and through the trees.
The smell of burning eucalyptus hung in the air as gentle flames crackled, snapped, danced and swayed against the wind, moving slowly through the grass and leaf litter.
Around the edges a team of burn practitioners shepherded the flames; a jet of water around the base of a tree, or an extra dot of ignition to straighten the line.
This was the scene that greeted delegates on the prescribed burn field trip on the last day of the Canberra node of the IAWF’s tri-continental 7th International Fire Behaviour and Fuels Conference in April.
Adam Leavesley, former IAWF director and manager of prescribed burning at the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Parks and Conservation Service, said local agencies took pride in their prescribed burning programs and were keen to show visitors what it was all about.

“We were really excited when we were offered the opportunity to host the IAWF Fire and Fuels conference in Canberra, but the timing was the pits,” said Leavesley.
“It was right slap bang in the middle of our autumn burning season, in one of the critical weeks.
“So we thought we better make the best of it, seize the day and put on a conference burn.
“Then one thing led to another and our very good research partners at Australian National University (ANU) got in touch and our colleagues in ACT Rural Forest Service got involved, so we all joined forces.”
Leavesley said there were three things conference organisers wanted to do for the delegates.
“We wanted to show them how carefully and skillfully experienced fire practitioners apply fire to the land.
“We wanted to show people the new technology that was being developed in Canberra, and we wanted to demonstrate how we were using a tenure-blind fire management strategy to protect a new Canberra suburb that will sit under a forested hillside in the path of an historic fire run.
“So there was plenty to see and talk about,” said Leavesley.
ACT Parks and researchers at the ANU have been working together to tackle the global climate-driven bushfire problem for more than a decade.
Director of the ANU Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence (BRCoE), professor Marta Yebra, said the mission of her research group was to identify cutting edge technologies that can be combined to find fires and put them out before the fires exceed firefighters’ capacity to control them.
“BRCoE at ANU is at the forefront of a transformative shift in bushfire management that will equip Australia to navigate the threat of fire in a world altered by climate change,” said Yebra.
“The team is developing and validating a range of novel technologies to demonstrate proof-of-concept and support operationalisation.

“We used the burn to demonstrate our early fire detection methods including a drone, camera detection systems and a network of IoT ground sensors.
“These sophisticated devices showcased real-time demonstrations of ignition detection and proactive wildfire mitigation.
“The times to detection differed from a minute or two by the drone to three to six minutes for the other technologies, giving the team the opportunity to explain to field trip participants the reasons for the different detection times and why an integrated detection approach is probably best.”
The team at BRCoE also demonstrated a hyperspectral camera system being used for the calibration of Ozfuel, an instrument the researchers are developing for deployment in space.
“Ozfuel is designed as a payload for a low Earth orbit satellite and will collect data to identify areas that are most flammable and vulnerable to ignition,” said Yebra.
“The information it provides is strategic, empowering practitioners to allocate fire detection technologies more effectively.”
ACT RFS Operations Manager Ken Hall said that traditionally, fire detection in rural and remote areas has involved human observers staffing strategically located fire towers.
“But this method has several associated risks to the operators – during travel to and from remote towers across rugged trails and from working at heights in isolated locations – particularly at times of elevated fire danger when towers are most likely to be stood up,” Hall said.
The mission of the Australian National University Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence (BRCoE) research group is to identify technology that can be combined to find fires and put them out before the fires exceed firefighters’ capacity to control them.
“The ACT RFS has placed two high-definition cameras at each of its four fire towers – one camera is on constant patrol, scanning the full compass every 90 seconds, while the other camera can be used to focus in on an incident when a smoke column is detected.
“The video feed from the camera network is passed through a smoke detection artificial intelligence (AI) system to detect potential fires and alert operations staff.
“The system allows for live streaming of video to computer or mobile devices, the ability to zoom and tilt cameras to get greater detail and situational awareness of fires ideally within 20 kilometres and often out to 70 to 80 kilometres.
“The AI now allows us to continue to monitor fires outside of the traditional elevated fire weather days and provide situational awareness with hazard reductions and landholder burns.
“The future of this technology will be to expand the network of cameras with agencies from within and outside the ACT as well assisting in the improvements of AI detection, improved situational awareness for fires and other weather events as well as a community facing platform that allows people to have a top of the hill view of what is happening around them,” said Hall.
Yebra said that her involvement with the field trip had highlighted the complexity of the bushfire problem and underscored the need for continuous innovation and collaboration.
“As we reflect on the field trip, it is evident that our journey towards enhancing wildfire detection and management is marked by both progress and challenges.


“The discussions and exchange of perspectives [among] practitioners, researchers and delegates highlighted the multifaceted nature of our endeavors.
Leavesley was relieved that the prescribed burn was completed without any major issues.

“We are really proud of the burning program here in Canberra, and having the opportunity to showcase this for the wildland fire community in Australia was something we couldn’t pass up.
“It was sensational to do that with our research partners at ANU our colleagues at ACT RFS and the whole global community at IAWF.
“But at the end of the day like any other burn, the most important thing by far was that we kept it in the box and nobody was hurt.”
To learn more about the research and studies the Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence (BRCoE) at ANU visit https://brcoe.org/projects/.