Building resilience against bushfires*

Dr Chris Dicus, US based Senior Fire Ecologist will speak about lessons learned from the California disaster.

A meeting of building industry experts to be held in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales (NSW) this September will raise the bar on bushfire safety.

The 4th annual Australian Bushfire Building Conference and Community Forum will see a hive mind of building industry leaders discussing building safety in bushfire emergencies.    

Chief Executive Officer of conference organiser Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise (BMEE), Bernard Fehon, says the event gives building industry professionals around Australia the chance to play a part in keeping our communities safe.

“Everyone from builders to the Rural Fire Service, architects and planners will be there to discuss current issues, innovations and future trends in bushfire building safety, and this dialogue informs future regulations.”

With a focus on national bushfire safety, the award-winning conference welcomes guests from all over Australia.

Attendees will hear from local and international experts about bushfire building practices, research and regulations.

Keynote speakers from the event’s major partner NSW Rural Fire Service, Western Sydney University, the CSIRO and United States-based Senior Fire Ecologist, Dr Christopher Dicus, will examine the recent California fires that destroyed around 10,000 structures.

Included this year is a tour of bushfire-affected areas in the Blue Mountains, where 200 homes were lost in the October 2013 bushfires.

‘Being prepared’ went a long way to helping the Rural Fire Service and residents defend homes in the bushfires that raged through the NSW coastal town of Tathra from March 18 this year. While 65 houses were destroyed in the fires, 800 went unscathed, including houses built after building codes were amended following the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.

If you would like to be a part of the ideas and information exchange that could save homes in your community, register now at bmee.org.au/bushfire-building-conference

*Copy supplied by Blue Mountains Economic Enterprise