Community and fire service perceptions of bushfire issues in Tamborine Mountain: what’s the difference?

Abstract

The social construction of risk explains that public perceptions of an objective hazard are often shaped through social and cultural processes. Hazard managers tend to focus on the objective risk, and as a result can often perceive a risk and related issues very differently to the community they are servicing. This has important implications for hazard management. This paper reports on research that investigated similarities and differences in perceptions of community bushfire risk and issues between the community and fire services in Tamborine Mountain in Queensland Australia. It discusses the implications for bushfire service delivery, and also provides an example of how understanding bushfire hazard perceptions and other issues within a community can give direction to locally-specific strategies targeting community safety.