Fire Weather (continued)

Reports of weather conditions and fuel state were analysed by fire weather meteorologists, and were made available more frequently as fire danger grew. Communications were overhauled in consultation with fire authorities, the PMG and radio stations. During appropriate fire weather seasons special forecasts were issued twice daily and special warnings were issued when conditions were critical. In the event of outbreak of bushfires the fire weather forecasters were in constant touch with fire control authorities.

It took some time for Commonwealth and State authorities to adapt to Len Dwyer's initiative and there was some resentment from those who thought the Bureau was usurping the responsibility of others in broadcasting warnings of weather conditions conducive to the outbreak and spread of bushfires. However a close working relationship soon developed with fire authorities cooperating in monitoring of fuel state, the Bureau maintaining a weather watch and issuing warnings and fire authorities fighting the fires and evacuating threatened people from fire prone areas.

G. U. (Gwynne) Wilson had transferred from Sydney to Melbourne in 1954 and in 1955 was placed in charge of the Fire Weather Section of the Bureau's Central Office. He was engaged in maintaining liaison between Divisional Offices and Central Office and participating with Divisional Office fire weather meteorologists in discussions with fire authorities. The physics of fire behaviour became a subject of great interest to fire weather meteorologists who collaborated with Commonwealth and State authorities in their investigations.

Weather News No 9 of April 1957 reports an on-the-spot investigation by Gwynne Wilson and Angus Robin of a forest fire at Broadford in Victoria. They made observations of wind, temperature and humidity in the vicinity of the fire, observed fire behaviour and assisted the fire fighters by interpreting the relevance of the weather forecasts prepared by the Victorian Divisional Office to local conditions. Their participation illustrated the value to firefighters of on-the-spot advice from fire weather meteorologists.

Bureau of Meteorology