Productivity and effectiveness of suppression resources and tactics on large fires

Heather's PhD  will provide empirical measures and modelling of resources that are used for suppression of campaign fires. Research will commence with an examination of historical data by evaluating recent campaign fires in Australia. Operational data will be used to generate models of current suppression resourcing and tactics. These models will be used to evaluate various resource scenarios in simulation studies. For a given set of fire weather, fuel and topographical conditions, the research questions are:

• What is the appropriate level of resources required for successful containment of campaign fires in Australia?
• Should suppression resources be engaged in offensive or defensive strategies?
• What offensive strategies should suppression resources use?
• What should be expected for a containment timeframe?
• Is there a sufficient level of resources to hold a fire to a specific threshold of fire size?