Use Cases
The Bushfire Model is used by firefighters and organisations across Australia for training, exercises and community engagement.
Who Uses the Bushfire Model
How the Bushfire Model is Used
Who Uses the Bushfire Model
Volunteer Fire Brigades
The Bushfire Model is a valuable tool for experienced firefighters to share their knowledge with new firefighters and their communities.
Volunteer Fire Brigades use the model for:
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Exercises
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Re-creating fire events for debriefs & sharing lessons learnt
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Cadet programs
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Community engagement
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School visits
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Bushfire mitigation training
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Hazard reduction burn planning & briefing
Brigades are sharing their ideas & innovations, on Facebook.
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Fire and Emergency Services Agencies
The Bushfire Model is used by fire and emergency services agencies across Australia to support training, exercises, operational discussions and capability development.
Its visual and interactive format helps personnel explore fire behaviour, analyse scenarios and practise decision-making in a collaborative environment.
Recognised as a training resource within agency training materials, the model can be used across a range of contexts, from recruit and firefighter training through to leadership development, incident management and pre-season preparedness activities.
By making thinking visible, it helps instructors and supervisors observe understanding, facilitate discussion and provide timely feedback.
The standard landscape design provides delivery consistency across trainers, courses and locations
Training Organisations
Training organisations use the Bushfire Model to deliver engaging and practical learning experiences for a wide range of clients.
The model helps learners explore scenarios, discuss tactics and develop their understanding through active participation rather than observation alone.
The flexibility of the model allows trainers to adapt activities to different learner groups, learning objectives and operational contexts. This helps training providers deliver consistent, high-quality learning experiences while maintaining learner engagement.
Used in accredited programs, the Bushfire Model supports scenario-based learning, professional development and practical training activities.
Local Government
Local governments use the Bushfire Model to support emergency management preparedness exercises, activities and stakeholder engagement.
The model provides a practical way for council staff, committee members and partner agencies to explore local hazards, discuss community impacts and better understand response and recovery requirements.
Through realistic scenarios and collaborative discussion, participants develop a shared understanding of local risks, agency capabilities and response options.
The model has been used to support Local Emergency Management Committee activities, emergency management planning and multi-agency exercises, helping strengthen preparedness and informed decision-making.
Industry - Emergency Response Teams
The Bushfire Model is used as part of emergency response training in the mining sector.
Instructors use the model to demonstrate fire behaviour and suppression strategies together with company specific standards.
The model is a valuable training resource for simulating scenarios and enhancing training.
Discover how the Bushfire Model can support training, exercises and community preparedness.
How the Bushfire Model is Used
Training and Development
The Bushfire Model is used by agencies, brigades and training organisations to support the delivery of firefighting training, exercises and professional development programs.
The Bushfire Model as a Training Tool
The Bushfire Model is a practical training resource used by trainers and brigades to support learning, discussion and decision-making.
Whether introducing fire behaviour concepts, facilitating scenario discussions or running exercises, the model provides a hands-on way for learners to explore situations and develop their understanding. The model's visual and interactive format encourages participation from learners with different levels of operational experience, confidence and literacy skills.
One of the model's strengths is that it makes thinking visible. As participants explain decisions and move resources around the model, trainers can quickly gauge understanding, identify gaps in knowledge and provide timely feedback.
The model also provides a low-risk environment where learners can test ideas, explore options and learn from discussion. Working around a shared model often encourages mentoring, with experienced firefighters sharing practical insights drawn from real incidents.
Supported by a range of practical resources, the Bushfire Model is used across a broad range of training, exercises and brigade development activities.
Training applications include:
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Firefighter
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Crew Leader
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Sector Commander
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Incident Management
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Fire Behaviour
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Prescribed Burning
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Aviation Operations
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Safety and Survival
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Agency-specific operational and leadership programs
Scenario Exercises
Exercises provide the opportunity to practise decision-making, resource allocation, and strategy development without the risks of an actual emergency.
From small Tactical Decision Exercises to large multi-agency discussions, the Bushfire Model helps firefighters practice skills, test strategies, and share knowledge.
Exercise scenarios can range from bushfires in grasslands and forests through to fires impacting the Rural Urban Interface. As the exercise unfolds, firefighters use the model to deploy resources, make decisions, and adapt to evolving conditions.
Exercises can be kept straightforward to ensure new firefighters understand the key points or made more challenging to suit experienced firefighters.
With minimal setup, these exercises only need the Bushfire Model and firefighters; no equipment, no appliances, just teamwork and focused tactical thinking.
Common exercise formats may include:
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Tactical Exercises Without Troops
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Tactical Decision Games
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Discussion Exercises
The Resources page contains a range of guides, scenarios and training materials that trainers can adapt to suit their local conditions, agency procedures and training objectives.
Community & School Programs
The model can be used for community activities including bushfire awareness, bushfire mitigation programs and firefighter recruitment.
Explaining what firefighters will be doing at a fire and the challenges they face helps people understand how important it is for them to be prepared and act in a bushfire situation.
This advice from local firefighters assists communities to be better prepared and contributes to their resilience.
School programs
Rural Fire Brigades have used the model as part of school visits and cadet training sessions.
The hands-on nature of the model has made these events more engaging.
Community Events
Displaying the model attracts attention. People are drawn to the model and the events depicted, questions flow and interest is generated.
Many community members have a keen interest in the work of firefighters. The model assists in explaining what happens at a bushfire and the work they do.
Re-creating Incidents / Debriefs
The model can be used to re-create past bushfires for incident debriefs or sharing experiences.
Sharing these experiences can provide a valuable learning opportunity.
Bushfires can be re-created to show terrain, roads, assets, firefighting resources as well as the fire’s location and behaviour.
Bushfire Risk Planning
Volunteer brigades continue to develop new and creative ways to use the Bushfire Model.
A great example is how innovative brigades successfully use the model for planning, briefing and coordinating multi-agency hazard reduction burns.
Other brigades are using the model to design Hazard Mitigation training scenarios—supporting the identification and reduction of bushfire risk.
