Occupational health and safety and surge capacity

Introduction

Each year, Australia is threatened by bushfire.  Firefighters safeguard the nation from the ravages of bushfire. The prospect of more frequent and longer fires impacting people, properties and the bush, places an ever-increasing demand on the capacity of fire agencies to perform this vital protective role.  Preserving firefighter health and safety is a national priority.

This project comprises three distinct but inter-related research projects aimed at maximising the capacity of our fire agencies to respond to the bushfire threat whilst preserving the health and safety of their personnel.

In this short video Lead End User Robyn Pearce explains how the projects fit together:

Project Leader

Brad Aisbett's picture

Stakeholder Council / Project Leader

Lead End User

Projects in this group

At the rural/urban fringe, firefighters are exposed to smoke from not just vegetation, but from combinations of burning houses, cars and other materials. These firefighters are less likely than urban firefighters to be wearing breathing apparatus, and may be more vulnerable to health risks posed by burning organic...

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Exposure to smoke and high temperatures, coupled with little sleep, can impair firefighters’ performance on the...

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This research investigated whether shorter, more frequent shifts are a better alternative to regular day and night shift rosters that are currently used by fire and land management agencies in Australia. It was the first study of its kind to evaluate the use of these different shift work systems in a rigorous,...

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