Hobart is currently hosting around 470 fire and land management experts from across the globe with the eighth International Fire Behaviour and Fuels Conference being held in the city on Tuesday.
The event, held every three years, is one of the biggest on the global emergency services calendar and will be held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor from April 28 to May 1.
It features more than 100 speakers across four program streams, along with workshops, field trips and an exhibition showcasing the latest tools and technologies in fire management.
For the first time, the conference will be held in a single city, after previous editions were staged simultaneously across locations including Ireland and the United States.
International Association of Wildland Fire president Trevor Howard said Hobart was a natural fit.
“We chose Hobart because of its close and historical association with all the major issues that we are dealing with in bushfire management,” he said.
“Hobart and Tasmania more broadly has long been a leader in innovative land and parks management, forestry and water catchment management, as well as having a strong history in local bushfire brigades and community fire groups.”
Howard said the program was designed to bring together a broad cross section of the global fire community.
“This is a dynamic and inspirational program that is attracting frontline staff and volunteers, senior leaders from fire and land management agencies, researchers, Indigenous and non-government organisations, fire-related businesses and community members from bushfire prone regions,” he said.
Tasmania Fire Service director of community fire safety Chris Collins said the TFS had pushed to bring the conference to Hobart.
“Hobart is unique in an international context as to its bushfire risk,” he said.
“But bushfires are an increasing problem globally – just look at the Palisades fire in Los Angeles last year and the wildfires in Georgia last week.”
“The conference provides a great opportunity for us to leverage off these experts and improve our practices, to learn, to adapt and to forward plan,” he said.
“Of course, it also provides an opportunity for us to share the Tasmanian experience, our expertise and knowledge in the bushfire space.”
Business Events Tasmania CEO Marnie Craig said hosting a conference of this scale put the state’s expertise on the world stage.
“Strategic business events like this bring global leaders into our regions and connect them directly with local researchers, practitioners and organisations,” she said.
“They create opportunities for new partnerships, strengthen our research and land management capability and showcase Tasmania’s leadership in this critical area.”
