Wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles, which is a stark reminder of how vulnerable Australia can be when it comes to the unpredictable nature of bushfires.

Rural Fire Services Acting Chief Officer Ben Millington from QFES told Shane Doherty on 4BC Summer Drive, “Historically, fire predictions and fire spread were performed manually by trained staff and that was a lot of time-consuming work and something that took some time for us to do.”

“With the introduction of technology over recent years, we’ve seen numerous software programs that have been developed that allow us to simulate fires by inputting conditions, fuel types, weather, etc.”

“That’s able to give us a forecast of where that fire will move, how fast it will spread, and the potential impacts,” Acting Chief Officer Millington continued.

Hear more highlights from 4BC Summer Drive below: 

Image: iStock

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