Battling Bush Fires Using Earth Observations from Space

Department of Land Administration

Government of Western Australia

Media Statement

PO Box 2222, Midland, Western Australia 6936

Tel: (08) 9273 7373 Fax: (08) 9273 7666

www.vgo.wa.gov.au

18 January 2002

BATTLING BUSH FIRES – USING EARTH OBSERVATIONS FROM SPACE

With the devastation of the Sydney bush fires still fresh, it’s comforting to know that “eyes in our skies” are providing emergency services and the community in Western Australia with an added edge in bush fire management.

The Department of Land Administration’s Satellite Remote Sensing Services is at the forefront of developing new ways of delivering fire information and fire management techniques.

Firewatch is one such innovative program. Developed by the Department of Land Administration (DOLA), in collaboration with the Departments of Conservation and Land Management, Fire and Emergency Services, Department of Agriculture, the Northern Territory Bush Fires Service and the Co-operative Research Centre for Tropical Savannas, Firewatch has been proving its worth since its inception in 1995.

Using the NOAA-AVHRR and Landsat-TM satellite sensors, Firewatch is able to provide the community with near-real time information on the potential of fire according to the land, and give the actual location of bush fires via fax or the internet. Similar sensors could also operate from an aircraft, broadcasting direct to the ground, and able to be displayed on computer to aid operational fire management.

Every year, the residents of Northern Australia battle bush fires many times the size of the recent Sydney Fires, with the total area being burnt well over one million hectares. DOLA is an active participant in such endeavours as the Kimberley Regional Fire Management Project, and together with programs like Firewatch, great progress is being made in fire management in such remote and vulnerable areas.

Richard Smith, Manager of DOLA’s Satellite Remote Sensing Services, believes many of the techniques already used by DOLA in the north west of Western Australia and the Northern Territory can aid communities in the south of WA and Eastern States.

“In addressing the concerns of the public, we are empowering communities with as much information as possible, in the most practical ways, to proactively battle bush fires. Whether this is by conducting prescribed burning, a method used by the indigenous people for the past 10,000 years, or tackling fires as they ignite, communities are now able to make informed decisions with the help of satellite technology. ”

DOLA is also keeping abreast of international trends and the future in satellite technology. For example, the German Bird satellite which was trialled during the Sydney bush fires, is a satellite sensor that can target areas of interest, and deliver this information within minutes of the satellite’s overpass.

For more information on Firewatch, access DOLA’s website at www.dola.wa.gov.au

Ends.

Media Contact: Richard Smith (Manager, Satellite Remote Sensing Services) 9340 9342

Images from the German Bird satellite are available

GOVERNMENT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA