Bushfires in NSW

Topic 2
Impacts of bushfires
on people and places

STAGE 3 TEACHER RESOURCE
Years 5-6

NSW National Parks ranger with his back to camera while monitoring a hazard reduction burn. Credit: David Croft/DPIE

Bushfire damage to homes and properties can cost people lots of money in repairs

The impacts of bushfires on people and places can be categorised as economic, social or environmental.

Economic impacts relate to money. Social impacts affect communities, health and wellbeing and cultural heritage. Environmental impacts concern natural spaces.

At the end of this topic, students will be able to:

understand the difference between economic, social and environmental impacts of bushfires
give specific examples of the different types of impacts on people and places
describe how the impacts of bushfires can change over time.

Economic impacts of bushfires on people

The first step in understanding the economic impacts of bushfires on people and places is to understand what ‘economic impacts’ are. Economic impacts are things that affect the economy – how money is made and spent in a place.

Economic impacts of bushfires are things that cause people to lose money or spend money.

Every household should have a Bushfire survival plan, particularly those in bushfire-prone areas. Creating this plan involves a number of costly actions, such as buying sturdy hoses that reach around the entire property. People may need to install protection systems like metal gutter guards, sprinklers and seals around windows and doors. Cutting back vegetation around the property and replacing broken or damaged roof tiles are also some ways to prepare that take time and money.

People in areas with increased bushfire risk often pay for home and contents insurance to protect them should the worst happen.

In the 2019/20 bushfire season, more than 5.5 million hectares of NSW was burnt. This includes 38% of the national park estate (more than 2.7 million hectares) which is about the size of 5 million soccer fields.

When large areas of land are burnt, this means there is loss of people’s homes, community buildings and local and national parks – costing millions of dollars.

Bushfires can directly impact activity related to farming, transport and tourism. This affects people who earn money from working in these areas as well as the health of the overall economy.

It’s quite common to see a change in what people spend money on after bushfires have occurred. People may no longer have money for extras, but instead forced to spend money on rebuilding their houses and basic needs like food and healthcare.

Social impacts of bushfires

Social impacts of bushfires relate to community, health and wellbeing and cultural heritage.

These impacts vary significantly depending on a range of factors, including:

whether a person lives in a metropolitan or regional area; this dramatically affects the overall bushfire risk of a place
the area’s socioeconomic status, including sources of revenue and population numbers
the starting position of a place before a bushfire e.g. bushfire preparation awareness, bushfire management systems already in place and previous bushfire management experience.

Bushfires impact communities in a number of ways. The initial destruction of property, livelihoods and loss of lives can have a number of flow-on effects. This includes:

the loss of personal possessions
productivity losses caused by a loss of infrastructure such as bridges, power lines and industrial plants
reduced access to water and other resources
destruction of important heritage buildings, old mining and railway sites and Aboriginal cultural sites.

One silver lining is archaeologists believe bushfires may uncover unknown heritage sites.

Physical and mental wellbeing concerns associated with bushfire may be experienced while the bushfire is still happening or long after the flames have gone out.

External physical health concerns, such as cuts, breaks and burns are the most obvious and usually easier to treat. Health issues caused by smoke inhalation can be much more difficult to see and need closer attention.

Mental health impacts are the most difficult to identify and treat. People may experience a range of emotions during and after a bushfire, affecting their sleep, mood and ability to stick to a daily routine. This might include:

feeling overwhelmed, numb or detached
unable to focus or plan ahead
feeling sad and teary
poor sleep
'replaying' the event and inventing different outcomes.

Environmental impacts of bushfires on people

Bushfires dramatically change the look of our natural environment

Bushfires cause large areas of land to burn, which in extreme cases can be many millions of hectares. This results in the destruction of innumerable plants and trees, as well as the animal habitats and ecosystems found within them. This huge biodiversity loss is in addition to the loss of the animals themselves.

Large bushfires can also impact the availability of critical resources like water and damage the scientific equipment used to monitor these environments. Ash and charred vegetation from bushfires can find their way into streams, dams and beaches. This can lead to blooms of algae forming in our drinking water supply that cause a sharp drop in water quality.

An increased amount of carbon dioxide in the air is also an area of concern for scientists. Unfortunately, we don’t yet know the full impacts of this, but some scientists suggest it could contribute to a warmer climate and poorer air quality. This will likely have consequences for people’s health and the environment in the future, which we look at in more detail in Topic 6.

Find more information and activities related to the impact of bushfires on the natural environment in Topic 3.

How do impacts of bushfires on people change over time?

Immediate impacts of a bushfires on people include injuries like cuts and burns

The positive and negative impacts of bushfires change depending on how much time has passed after the bushfire. The immediate impacts can be devastating, with catastrophic loss of life, property and infrastructure – this is the emergency phase.

When the flames go out and the danger reduces, the longer road to recovery begins. People may need to find a new home and go to hospital to treat injuries. They might also start thinking about making insurance claims and accessing emergency relief support services. Feelings of community cohesion tend to be at an all-time high during this time as people come together and help each other.

Speaking to a Recovery Support Officer can help people understand the different types of support available – including financial, emotional and physical support – and create a recovery plan. There is also a dedicated website for mental health support, offering general advice as well as up to 10 free counselling sessions. This can help increase knowledge, understand potential training needs and build resilience for the future.

The clean-up and rebuild period usually takes place over the medium term and varies according to the level of devastation caused.

Insurance payouts provide a key pillar of support during this time but can also cause divisions within communities. One example is feelings of jealousy towards people whose payouts help them build a better house than the one destroyed.

Other forms of financial assistance, such as grants and one-off support payments, become available from the National Bushfire Recovery Fund during this time.

The replacement of damaged infrastructure after bushfires can often take years

The long-term impact of more carbon in the air as a result of bushfires is unknown

Over the long term, emotional and financial support remain key concerns.

Authorities pay close attention to potential adverse impacts to water catchment areas and the impact of more carbon in our atmosphere.

Changes to bushfire management strategies should be discussed and agreed, with a focus on preventative measures and long-term resilience and recovery.

Activities

Economic, social and environmental impacts of bushfires on people

Use visible thinking symbols to review information about the different economic, social and environmental impacts of bushfires on people and complete a summary table.

Activity 2.1 instructions