In Australia, the situation is no different. Since the days when the first Aborigines migrated to this continent and brought with them the technology of fire, the land has been transformed by fire from a once wet continent of 100,000 years ago to one of the driest continents in the world today. We are forever indebted to those very early settlers for making this country for what it is today.

Although fire has brought benefits to humans and eventually to the environment from clearing the lands for agriculture, gathering enough animals for food, cooking, and forcing a wide variety of Australian native plants to adapt and even depend on fire for its survival and propagation, fires can also have a negative impact on many people, in particular the Australian rural communities.

Because Australia has now become one of the most susceptible places on Earth to experience severe fires, it is important to take precautions and to develop effective strategies to minimise the negative impact fires can have on the lives of people and the properties they hold.

This free information section will hopefully provide you with the essentials in managing and controlling fires wherever you may live. We have included basic information about the factors controlling a fire and what you can do to protect the environment, yourself and others against the threat of a fire.

If you would like to see other information included in this section, then please do not hesitate to . Your name and other details will be posted online for posterity should we decide to publish your work.

 
Contents 

1. ABOUT FIRE
   What is fire and how to control it?
2. UNDERSTANDING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
   How does your environment affect fires?
3. PROTECTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
   A check list for protecting the outside of your house
4. PROTECTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT
   A check list for protecting the inside of your house
5. PROTECTING PEOPLE
   A check list for protecting yourself and others
6. CONCLUSION
   Dealing with people and the environment for effective fire management
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY