The urban – bushland interface is a major problem for firefighters. People want the ideal lifestyle of beautiful houses comfortable nestled in the bush. And globally with the impact of climate change, particularly in Mediterranean climates such as Western Australia and California, this is becoming an ongoing and increasing problem for firefighters.
There is a strong narrative about the need to return to fire management culture informed by the wisdom of First Nations Peoples. However in our culture with is hyper individualism and emphasis on private property rights this is difficult and needs a whole rethinking about how we live with fire and the bush
With funding from the Western Australian Department of Fire and Emergency Services, Ferart Design is worked with the Wallcliffe Bush Fire Brigade to researching how to improve the community’s readiness and response to fire. Our approach was to give the community in the research area highly detailed information about their real fire risk and work with them to develop strategies to address this risk.