A ‘responsibility for place’ – firefighter deployment, local knowledge and risk
Tarnya M. Kruger A B and Ruth Beilin A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Resource Management and Geography, Melbourne School of Land and Environment, The University of Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia.
B Bushfire Co-operative Research Centre, Level 5, 340 Albert Street, East Melbourne, Vic. 3002, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: rbeilin@unimelb.edu.au
International Journal of Wildland Fire 23(4) 577-584 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF13108
Submitted: 4 July 2013 Accepted: 3 March 2014 Published: 15 May 2014
Abstract
This research considers ideas about local knowledge and place for firefighters during a bushfire. In 2012, we interviewed 68 Australian bushfire firefighters from selected agencies and volunteer brigades in diverse localities. The findings from the interviews indicate local knowledge can help firefighters to navigate tracks and understand fire behaviour in familiar landscapes. At the same time, they can experience a heightened awareness of the fire on local people and valued assets. This sets up a ‘responsibility for place’, which can both mediate actions during the fire and increase risk to the firefighters involved. A distant fire can present many unknowns and potential hazards for deployed firefighters because they do not have local knowledge. This disconnect can mean they are more cautious in negotiating unfamiliar surrounds and awaiting orders. We find that although local knowledge can assist firefighters, it highlights the complexity of decision-making during a fire that can make it more hazardous for local firefighters. This research contributes to firefighter training by exploring how local knowledge associated with landscape and community can dominate decision-making in practice.
Additional keywords: Australia, bushfire, decision-making, duty, hazards, place attachment, wildfire.
References
Abbasi A, Owen C, Hossain L, Hamra J (2013) Social connectedness and adaptive team coordination during fire events. Fire Safety Journal 59, 30–36.| Social connectedness and adaptive team coordination during fire events.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Adams J (1995) ‘Risk.’ (Routledge: London, UK)
Alder GS (1997) Managing environmental uncertainty with legitimate authority: a comparative analysis of the Mann Gulch and Storm King mountain fires. Journal of Applied Communication Research 25, 98–114.
| Managing environmental uncertainty with legitimate authority: a comparative analysis of the Mann Gulch and Storm King mountain fires.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Altman I, Low SM (1992) ‘Place Attachment.’ (Plenum Press: New York)
Auhagen AE (2001) Responsibility in everyday life. In ‘Responsibility: the Many Faces of a Social Phenomenon’. (Eds AE Auhagen, HW Bierhoff) pp. 61–77. (Routledge: New York)
Basso K (1996) Wisdom sits in places: notes on a western Apache landscape. In ‘Senses of Place’. (Eds S Feld, K Basso) pp. 53–90. (School of American Research Press: Santa Fe, NM)
Beckford C, Barker D (2007) The role and value of local knowledge in Jamaican agriculture: adaptation and change in small-scale farming. The Geographical Journal 173, 118–128.
| The role and value of local knowledge in Jamaican agriculture: adaptation and change in small-scale farming.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Berkes F, Colding J, Folke C (2000) Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological Applications 10, 1251–1262.
| Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bierhoff HW, Auhagen AE (2001) Responsibility as a fundamental human phenomenon. In ‘Responsibility: the Many Faces of a Social Phenomenon’. (Eds AE Auhagen, HW Bierhoff) pp. 1–7. (Routledge: New York)
Birnbacher D (2001) Philosophical foundations of responsibility. In ‘Responsibility: the Many Faces of a Social Phenomenon’. (Eds AE Auhagen, HW Bierhoff) pp. 9–22. (Routledge: New York)
Braun CC, Gage J, Booth C, Rowe AL (2001) Creating and evaluating alternatives to the 10 Standard Fire Orders and 18 Watch-Out Situations. International Journal of Cognitive Ergonomics 5, 23–35.
| Creating and evaluating alternatives to the 10 Standard Fire Orders and 18 Watch-Out Situations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Brenkert-Smith H (2006) The place of fire. Natural Hazards Review 7, 105–113.
| The place of fire.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Carley KM, Harrald JR (1993) Organization learning under fire: theory and practice. University of Colorado, Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Quick Response Grant Report. (Boulder, CO)
Casey ES (1996) How to get from space to place in a fairly short stretch of time: phenomenological prolegomena. In ‘Senses of Place’. (Eds S Feld, K Basso) pp. 13–52. (School of American Research Press: Santa Fe, NM)
CFA (2009) Report of the Investigation Team North Warrandyte Tanker 1, 7 February 2009 Kinglake Fire Complex. Country Fire Authority, report number CFA.001.027.0235. (Melbourne) Available at http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/getdoc/ec078854-9c60-4c80-9db5-a9f56bc70efe/CFA.001.027.0235 [Verified 21 March 2014]
Cheney P, Gould J, McCaw L (2001) The dead-man zone – a neglected area of firefighter safety. Australian Forestry 64, 45–50.
| The dead-man zone – a neglected area of firefighter safety.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Church AP (2007) Appearances, reality, and the rhetoric of fighting wildfires. Fire Management Today 67, 13–19.
Cohn R, Waisel L, Carley K, Wallace WA (1998) The Pothole Lake fire: an analysis of emotion in a successful emergency response. Safety Science 30, 183–207.
| The Pothole Lake fire: an analysis of emotion in a successful emergency response.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cosgrove DE (1984) ‘Social Formation and Symbolic Landscape.’ (Croom Helm: London)
Creswell JW (2009) ‘Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches’, 3rd edn. (SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA)
Czarniawska B (2011) Narrating organization studies. Narrative Inquiry 21, 337–344.
| Narrating organization studies.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Denzin NK, Lincoln YS (2008) ‘Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry’, 3rd edn. (SAGE Publications: Los Angeles, CA)
Desmond M (2011) Making firefighters deployable. Qualitative Sociology 34, 59–77.
| Making firefighters deployable.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Elliott A (2010) ‘The Routledge Companion to Social Theory.’ (Routledge: London)
Ellis S, Kanowski P, Whelan R (2004) National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management. (Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra)
Fox N (1998) Risks, hazards and life choices: reflections on health at work. Sociology 32, 665–687.
Frake CO (1996) Pleasant places, past times, and sheltered identity in rural East Anglia. In ‘Senses of Place’. (Eds S Feld, K Basso) pp. 229–57. (School of American Research Press: Santa Fe, NM)
Geertz C (1975) ‘The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays.’ (Hutchinson: London)
Geertz C (1983) ‘Local Knowledge: Further Essays in Interpretive Anthropology.’ (Basic Books: New York)
Gieryn T (2000) A space for place in sociology. Annual Review of Sociology 26, 463–496.
| A space for place in sociology.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gill AM (2005) Landscape fires as social disasters: an overview of ‘the bushfire problem’. Environmental Hazards 6, 65–80.
| Landscape fires as social disasters: an overview of ‘the bushfire problem’.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gregory R (2011) ‘Structured Decision Making: a Practical Guide to Environmental Management Choices.’ (Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester, UK)
Greider T, Garkovich L (1994) Landscapes: the social construction of nature and the environment. Rural Sociology 59, 1–24.
| Landscapes: the social construction of nature and the environment.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gupta A, Ferguson J (1997) ‘Culture, Power, Place: Explorations in Critical Anthropology.’ (Duke University Press: Durham, NC)
Haski-Leventhal D, McLeigh J (2010) Firefighters volunteering beyond their duty: an essential asset in rural communities. Journal of Rural and Community Development 4, 80–92.
Holstein JA, Gubrium JF (1995) ‘The Active Interview (Qualitative Research Methods).’ (SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA)
Hummon DM (1990) ‘Commonplaces : Community Ideology and Identity in American Culture.’ (State University of New York Press: Albany, NY)
Indian J (2007) The use of local knowledge in the Australian High Country during the 2003 bushfires. Australian Journal of Emergency Management 22, 27–33.
Ingold T (1993) The temporality of the landscape. World Archaeology 25, 152–174.
| The temporality of the landscape.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kaufman H (1960) ‘The Forest Ranger : a Study in Administrative Behavior.’ (Johns Hopkins Press: Baltimore)
Klein GA (2003) ‘Intuition at Work: why developing your Gut Instincts will make you better at what you do.’ (Doubleday: New York)
Krueger RA, Casey MA (2009) ‘Focus Groups: a Practical Guide for Applied Research’, 4th edn. (SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA)
Kunadharaju K, Smith TD, DeJoy DM (2011) Line-of-duty deaths among US firefighters: an analysis of fatality investigations. Accident; Analysis and Prevention 43, 1171–1180.
| Line-of-duty deaths among US firefighters: an analysis of fatality investigations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 21376916PubMed |
Lewis A, Hall TE, Black A (2011) Career stages in wildland firefighting: implications for voice in risky situations. International Journal of Wildland Fire 20, 115–124.
Low SM, Altman I (1992) Place attachment and conceptual inquiry. In ‘Place Attachment’, (Eds I Altman, SM Low) pp. 1–12. (Plenum Press: New York)
Lupton D (1999) ‘Risk, Key Ideas.’ (Routledge: London)
Lyng S (2008) Edgework, risk, and uncertainty. In ‘Social Theories of Risk and Uncertainty: an Introduction’. (Ed J Zinn) pp. 106–37. (Blackwell: Malden, MA)
Mattsson M, Kemmis S (2007) Praxis-related research: serving two masters? Pedagogy, Culture & Society 15, 185–214.
| Praxis-related research: serving two masters?Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Meinig DW, Jackson JB (Eds) (1979) ‘The Interpretation of Ordinary Landscapes: Geographical Essays.’ (Oxford University Press: New York)
Merleau-Ponty M (2010) ‘Phenomenology of Perception.’ (Routledge: London)
Milgram S (1984) Cities as social representations. In ‘Social Representations’. (Eds RM Farr, S Moscovici) pp. 289–309. (Cambridge University Press: London)
Misztal BA (2003) ‘Theories of Social Remembering.’ (Open University Press: Maidenhead, UK)
Moran C, Britton N, Correy B (1992) Characterising voluntary emergency responders: report of a pilot study. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters 10, 207–216.
Morehouse BJ, O’Brien S, Christopherson G, Johnson P (2010) Integrating values and risk perceptions into a decision support system. International Journal of Wildland Fire 19, 123–136.
| Integrating values and risk perceptions into a decision support system.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Morgan P (2010) Towards a developmental theory of place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology 30, 11–22.
| Towards a developmental theory of place attachment.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Patton MQ (2002) ‘Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods’, 3rd edn. (SAGE Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA)
Paulsen KE (2004) Making character concrete: empirical strategies for studying place distinction. City & Community 3, 243–262.
| Making character concrete: empirical strategies for studying place distinction.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Pyne SJ (2006) ‘The Still-Burning Bush.’ (Scribe: Melbourne)
Reid K, Beilin R (2012) Ecological and social ‘place’ mapping to assist bushfire management and research. In ‘Proceedings of 3rd Human Dimensions of Wildland Fire Conference’, 17–19 April 2012, Seattle, WA. (Ed. RL Fox) pp. 152–156. (International Association of Wildland Fire: Missoula, MT)
Relph EC (1976) ‘Place and Placelessness.’ (Pion: London)
Richards L (2009) ‘Handling Qualitative Data: a Practical Guide’, 2nd edn. (SAGE Publications: London)
Rodman MC (1992) Empowering place: multilocality and multivocality. American Anthropologist 94, 640–656.
| Empowering place: multilocality and multivocality.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rothery M (2010) Foreword: building disaster resilience. The Australian Journal of Emergency Management 25, 2
Scannell L, Gifford R (2010) The relations between natural and civic place attachment and pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology 30, 289–297.
| The relations between natural and civic place attachment and pro-environmental behavior.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Scannell L, Gifford R (2013) Personally relevant climate change: the role of place attachment and local versus global message framing in engagement. Environment and Behavior 45, 60–85.
| Personally relevant climate change: the role of place attachment and local versus global message framing in engagement.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schama S (1996) ‘Landscape and Memory’, 1st Vintage edn. (Vintage: New York)
Seal T, Greenlee J, Lewis K (1997) Commonality of warfighting and firefighting. Wildfire 1997, 6–16.
Sinclair FL, Walker DH (1999) A utilitarian approach to the incorporation of local knowledge in agroforestry research and extension. In ‘Agroforestry in Sustainable Agricultural Systems’. (Eds ECM Fernandes, L Buck, JP Lassoie) pp. 245–71. (CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL)
Stedman RC (2002) Toward a social psychology of place: predicting behavior from place-based cognitions, attitude, and identity. Environment and Behavior 34, 561–581.
| Toward a social psychology of place: predicting behavior from place-based cognitions, attitude, and identity.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stedman RC (2003) Is it really just a social construction? The contribution of the physical environment to sense of place. Society & Natural Resources 16, 671–685.
| Is it really just a social construction? The contribution of the physical environment to sense of place.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Thackaberry JA (2004) Discursive opening and closing in organisational self-study culture as trap and tool in wildland firefighting safety. Management Communication Quarterly 17, 319–359.
| Discursive opening and closing in organisational self-study culture as trap and tool in wildland firefighting safety.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tidemann S (2009) How Aboriginal stories of fire may have shaped contemporary burning practices. The International Journal of the Humanities 6, 17–31.
Tuan Y-f (1974) ‘Topophilia: a Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values.’ (Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ)
Van Maanen J (1988) ‘Tales of the Field: on Writing Ethnography.’ (University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL)
Van Manen M (1990) ‘Researching Lived Experience: Human Science for an Action Sensitive Pedagogy.’ (State University of New York Press: Albany, NY)
Vanclay FM, Higgins M, Blackshaw A (2008) ‘Making Sense of Place: Exploring Concepts and Expressions of Place through Different Senses and Lenses.’ (National Museum of Australia Press: Canberra, ACT)
Wallace M, Baxter-Tomkins T (2006) Emergency service volunteers: what do we really know about them? Australian Journal on Volunteering 11, 7–15.
Weick KE (2002) Human factors in fire behavior analysis: reconstructing the dude fire. Fire Management Today 62, 8–15.
Wengraf T (2001) ‘Qualitative Research Interviewing: Biographic Narrative and Semi-structured Methods.’ (SAGE Publications: London)
Zinn JO (2008) Heading into the unknown: everyday strategies for managing risk and uncertainty. Health Risk & Society 10, 439–450.
| Heading into the unknown: everyday strategies for managing risk and uncertainty.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
