Discussing ancillary ways to consider community awareness contexts

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BushfireTopic: 
Community Safety
TitleDiscussing ancillary ways to consider community awareness contexts
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference2012
AuthorsDickinson, S
Conference NameIAWF 3rd Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference, Seattle, WA, 17-19 April 2012
Pagination116-126
AbstractOne element of Shared Responsibility models for wildfire management is community awareness. Though programs to enhance this element are applied in different, authentic, strategic forms, the general intent of the approaches are relatively similar – to create informed individuals who are thoughtful and knowledgeable about risk, and aware of their shared role in understanding, maintaining, and responding within landscapes. In light of my recent field research experience in two fire-risk regions of Victoria (AU), this paper will discuss three concerns that have emerged in relation to the process of building community awareness. The first concern involves identifying the fundamental distinction between neighborhoods and communities, thus presenting the need to focus on approaching communities in different ways. The second concern suggests a need to move away from local neighborhood-defined approaches, by recognizing that people are mobile and therefore live in ephemeral “communities”. The third topic focuses on the global standard of competing interests, where people must select interests perceived as most relevant, from within highly over-stimulating environments. The impact these issues have on people’s ability to share, absorb and reflect on risk information, let alone focus on recognizing when available information may be relevant, is critically linked to the promotion of Shared Responsibility in community awareness contexts.
URLhttp://www.iawfonline.org/pdf/3rd%20Human%20Dimensions%20Conference%20Proceedings%20-%20FINAL.pdf
Refereed DesignationRefereed