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Aaron AJ Macumber likens prescribed burns to house insurance.
It’s a protective measure that can save heartache and loss.
He’s the regional fire manager for National Parks on Eyre Peninsula on South Australia’s West Coast and his job is to plan and manage deliberate burns in vegetation to protect the towns and communities and flora and fauna of the region.
A typical burn takes two years of planning.
The most time-consuming work is the environmental assessment - what habitats will be lost and what will be impact be? What are the breeding cycles of the animals in the area?
It’s about calculations and risk management.
The burn is at the mercy of the weather - they need enough wind to allow the fire to ignite and burn thoroughly and a constant direction to reduce risks.
AJ calculates the speed of the fire with the wind speed and conditions on the day to manage the risks and keep the fire contained.
For this fire on the outskirts of Port Lincoln, it’s an overcast day but the winds behave and with the help of a helicopter to ignite the dense scrub, the burn is a success, adding to a mosaic of burnt scrub patches around the city - offering a type of insurance in the fire danger season.
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