Toowoomba residents complacent over bushfire risk: expert
RESIDENTS living along or near the Toowoomba escarpment are acting complacently to the threat of bushfires, while many haven’t even developed escape plans.
Toowoomba
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RESIDENTS living along or near the Toowoomba escarpment are acting complacently to the threat of bushfires, while many haven’t even developed escape plans.
That’s the view of a leading Toowoomba expert into disaster and crisis behaviour at the University of Southern Queensland, who has called on local communities to work together to better prepare and recover from natural disasters.
The comments come as bushfires continue to rip through Australia’s southern states, with more than four million hectares of land burned across the country.
USQ Public Relations senior lecturer Dr Barbara Ryan, who specialises in human behaviour during times of crisis, said Toowoomba and the rest of Queensland had remained relatively relaxed about potential bushfires.
“Generally, Queenslanders are blasé with bushfires,” she said.
“Queensland being a semitropical state, we believe we have a wet season that starts in October, and our winter is never dry enough.
“We’ve also not lost lives or property to the extent that other states have, (so) Queenslanders believe they’ll be fine, and if it comes to it, they’ll just leave their property.”
Dr Ryan said this complacency was highlighted from recent research she completed with residents living on the escarpment, who she said seemed unaware of the danger.
“Most people didn’t have a plan for leaving, but just thought that they will leave if the fire comes,” she said.
“They never factor in all the other aspects, like medication or equipment or even an overnight bag.
“It was glaringly obvious from the research that people understood they would need to leave, but they weren’t prepared on how to or even thought to practice the plan.”
Dr Ryan said residents were hesitant about when to leave their homes, even when instructed by authorities.
“People underestimated the dangers of bushfires,” she said.
“Most people will think it’s a bit more serious than before, but still not that bad.
“It’s definitely a worry, and that’s why the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service wanted to find out what people on the escarpment are doing and thinking, hence why they asked me in 2017.
“People still can’t get their heads around leaving before there’s even a fire.”
The QFES has asked people to prepare a bushfire emergency plan, create emergency kits, make sure the house is ready and tune in to media services for more information.