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NSW Rural Fire Service

December 2023

Donna Purcell, with her guide dog Ava, previously relied heavily on the Hazards Near Me app to provide early fire warnings.

‘Very, very anxious’: Bushfire app stops working for the blind

Donna Purcell relied heavily on the Hazards Near Me app to provide early bushfire warnings. It abruptly stopped working.

  • Tess Bennett

July 2023

NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis said “the wages cap is dead”.

‘The wage cap is dead’: NSW public servants accept 4pc pay rise

More than 80,000 public servants have accepted the Minns government’s 4 per cent wage offer, paving the way for deals with teachers, nurses and health workers.

  • David Marin-Guzman

August 2022

Thousands of houses were damaged in the Lismore in floods earlier this year.

Perrottet announces buyback scheme for victims of $3b flood

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced a buyback and land swap scheme for areas affected by the deadly flooding in February and March.

  • Samantha Hutchinson

March 2022

Members of the ADF help locals to clear their flood damaged homes in Broadwater.

Australia too dependent on ADF to deal with natural disasters

Australia should not become dependent on the ADF to pick up the pieces after natural disasters, former security leaders warn.

  • Tess Bennett

September 2021

Bronwyn Adcock

‘Fire is to our south, west and north, the sea’s the only clear front’

In 2019, Australia was burning. In this extract from Bronwyn Adcock’s new book, she describes how she dealt with the physical and mental stresses.

  • Bronwyn Adcock
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From left, former president Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, President Joe Biden, Jill Biden and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg attend the 9/11 commemoration ceremony.

New York marks 9/11 in a celebration of resilience

Bagpipes echoed across Manhattan as dozens of ceremonies took place to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in a celebration of America’s “resilience and unity”.

  • Updated
  • Matthew Cranston

November 2020

Bathers take refuge from the heat at Maroubra Beach in Sydney where temperatures topped 41 degrees.

East coast heatwave challenges power grid

Temperatures hit 41 degrees in Sydney on Sunday, with the heatwave expected to peak in Queensland on Wednesday.

  • Mark Ludlow
State firefighting agencies will partner with Facebook to alert users in their news feeds about nearby fires.

Facebook rolls out local alerts as news boycott looms

Facebook is promising to crack down on disinformation as it rolls out a new emergency alert system ahead of this summer's bushfire season.

  • Finbar O'Mallon and Natasha Gillezeau

October 2020

The summer's devastating bushfires have been seen by some as a tipping point for businesses and their boards.

Telcos urged to share data to prepare for fire risk

Resilience NSW head Shane Fitzsimmons has called on telecommunications firms to share more data to help prepare for natural disasters.

  • James Fernyhough

August 2020

The 2019-20 bushfire season killed 26 people in NSW and destroyed nearly 2500 homes.

Bushfire inquiry warns NSW to expect worse

The state government has accepted all 76 recommendations from a report into the 2019-20 horror bushfire season.

  • Finbar O'Mallon

April 2020

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements was called after the summer's catastrophic bushfires, but its remit extends to all natural disasters.

Pump money into disaster resilience, says big finance

Big insurers and institutional investors urge governments to fund projects that will limit the damage caused by climate-related catastrophes.

  • James Fernyhough
Adrian Turner survived fires that ravaged Kangaroo Valley to lead wok on strengthening Australia's disaster resilience.

Australia's $500m 'moon shot' to fireproof the nation

After escaping January's bushfires, former CSIRO Data61 boss Adrian Turner is set to lead an effort to fireproof Australia, taking inspiration from the space race to strengthen Australia's ability to respond to national disasters.

  • Brad Thompson

February 2020

"Brigades are being approached by potential new members including many people who, like me, hadn't realised that you don’t need to be in a physically demanding day job to be a useful member of the fire brigade," says Gadens partner Kathy Merrick.

Meet the legal hotshots on the fire front

Law firm partner Kathy Merrick has juggled fire fighting with office work this summer.

  • Hannah Wootton
Leaders understand the importance of inspiring others, yet tend to overestimate their ability to do it.

Think you're an inspiring leader? Not so fast

There are many reasons leaders fail to inspire others. Here are three, and what to do about them.

  • Mehul Joshi
Zoey McDermott refuses to shake Scott Morrison's hand during his visit to the bushfire ravaged town of Cobargo.

What all leaders can learn from the bushfires

The bushfires have highlighted what Australians expect from their leaders in a crisis – be present and authentic. Some excelled, others were found lacking.

  • James Thomson
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RFS firefighters getting ready to defend properties in Bumbalong, NSW, on Saturday.

Warning of worse weather as bushfires destroy more homes

Tally of homes lost in Bega now over 400, while a further five homes thought destroyed in the ACT.

January 2020

The Orroral fire has been burning near Canberra this week and threatens to cross into NSW on Friday.

No relief until Monday: heat, thunderstorms to raise fire danger

Heat and thunderstorms on the east coast will ensure that bushfire risk, which prompted the ACT to declare its first state of emergency since 2003, remains high.

  • Bo Seo
The federal and NSW governments agreed to split the cost of the clean-up effort

Insurers expected to pass on savings from bushfire funding

A government funded clean-up means there is no reduction in the amount customers have available to rebuild their home, according to an IAG spokesman.

  • Bo Seo
PwC's Russel Howcroft.

PM's office called in Russel from marketing

The Morrison government sought advice from one of Australia's foremost marketing experts on how to better sell its policies, including those on climate change.

  • Phillip Coorey
Firefighters are bracing for deteriorating conditions later this week, after using milder conditions to consolidate containment lines.

Heatwaves to raise fire danger in test for recovery

Emergency services warn that fire danger persists and will increase later in the week, as heatwaves travel across the country.

  • Bo Seo

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/nsw-rural-fire-service-1mno