Bushfires and Your Health

Reducing the health risks of bushfire and smoke: An online education
initiative empowering Tasmania’s most vulnerable communities

The course was originally developed and piloted through a previous NDRRGP funding agreement. Funding for the current project allowed the course to be refined and updated based on feedback from the pilot course, and transferred to the UTAS Short Course platform. The course was delivered twice through this platform, in Nov-Dec 2022 and again in Jan-Feb 2023. Through a partnership with the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, resources based on the course material were also developed in multiple languages (Nepali, Farsi, Arabic, Karen, Oromo and Tigrinya) and distributed to those language communities in Tasmania through a variety of networks, including the MRC Tas website (see
https://mrctas.org.au/resources and https://soundcloud.com/mrc_tas_settlement/sets/bushfires-bushfire-smoke-and-your-health), social media, newsletters, with MRC Tas partners and stakeholders and directly to MRC Tas clients.

Evaluation of the pilot project demonstrated that course enrolment and completion was associated with an increase in bushfire related knowledge and undertaking health-protective actions that reduce smoke exposure, when compared to those that didn’t undertake the course. We therefore expect that participants in these two cohorts experienced similar benefits. We also received generous and positive participant feedback such as the following: “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the organizers, sponsors, resource speakers, and to everyone who made this course open and free for learners of all ages. The course provided valuable, educational, important facts and information which I
hope to share to my family, friends and my community.”