The Fireant Podcast

Alison May (CFS) & Kirstin Ross (Flinders) Discuss The New Science of Bushfire Survival

• Fireant • Season 1 • Episode 13

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If you're a first responder, frontline worker, or volunteer organisation looking for robust, scalable, and secure digital solutions, visit https://www.fireant.com.au/.

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In this episode, we have Alison May, Assistant Chief Officer and Director of Community Risk & Resilience at the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), and Kirsten Ross, a Professor of Environmental Health at Flinders University.

They talk about why bushfire preparedness isn’t just an individual effort but a community-driven process, how older Australians are reshaping disaster planning with their lived experience, and why social trust plays a bigger role in emergency response than official warnings.

They also discuss the differences in bushfire preparedness across regions, the biggest challenges in getting people to plan for worst-case scenarios, and why innovation in disaster response isn’t just about technology but also about rethinking community engagement.

If you want to learn new, research-backed ways to strengthen community resilience and rethink how emergency preparedness is done, then make sure to listen to this episode!

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SHOW NOTES LINKS

https://au.linkedin.com/in/alison-may-985b961aa
https://www.cfs.sa.gov.au/
https://www.facebook.com/countryfireservice/
https://x.com/cfsalerts
https://www.instagram.com/sa_countryfireservice/

https://www.flinders.edu.au/
https://www.facebook.com/FlindersUniversity/
https://www.instagram.com/flindersuniversity/
https://au.linkedin.com/school/flinders-university/ 

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3VAshQD
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3VCLscS
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/4bQIabq
Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/3ViNRb5 

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FIND US HERE

Website: https://www.fireant.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireant-pty-ltd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559184241111
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FireantDigital 

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CONTACT US

hello@fireant.com.au

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TIME STAMPS:

00:00 - Intro
01:32 - How Alison and Kirsten Met and Started the Project
02:23 - Combining Local Knowledge and Academic Research
04:13 - Neighbors Have Trust in One Another
06:07 - Recommendations for South Australian Agencies
08:05 - Cfs’ Biggest Challenges
10:20 - How Technology Will Support Elderly Populations?
13:17 - Outro

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DISCLAIMER

The information provided in this podcast is for general purposes only and should not be considered personal advice. Al