Disasters involving multiple burn casualties are not uncommon and are usually the result of both human-causes and natural disasters. Likely burn hazards identified for Australia include fires and explosions related to bushfires, transport, mass gatherings, high density living, mining, off shore oil rigs, and acts of civil disturbance and terrorism..
ANZBA has been integral to the development of burn disaster preparedness throughout Australia and New Zealand, coordinating the first disaster planning training exercise off the West Australian coast in 1998, and involvement in the disaster preparedness planning for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The 2002 Bali Bombings and the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday bushfires are recent events in Australian history involving multiple burn casualties that required a specific coordinated national response.
In 2003, ANZBA members were integral coauthors in the development of AUSBURNPLAN. In 2011, the revised AUSBURNPLAN was endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Committee as the Severe Burn Injury Annex A of the AUSTRAUMAPLAN.
AUSTRAUMAPLAN is the domestic response plan for Mass Casualty Incidents of National Consequence (MCINC) which provides a framework for the effective coordination, response and recovery arrangements for MCINC resulting from trauma. The Severe Burn Injury Annexe A (revised AUSBURNPLAN) acknowledges that the national management of multiple severe burn injuries requires specific considerations for effective response and optimal care. The aim of AUSBURNPLAN is to detail the national response and recovery arrangements for an incident resulting in mass casualties with severe burns. Australian states and territories have regionalised health disaster plans inclusive of burn casualties that feed into the AUSTRAUMAPLAN and its Severe Burn Injury Annexe.
ANZBA are represented on the Australian Health Protection Committee and consult at Commonwealth and at international events regarding potential mass casualty situations
Details of the AUSTRAUMAPLAN and accompanying AUSBURNPLAN can be found here:
Furthermore, New Zealand’s National Health Emergency PLan: Multiple Complex Burn Action Plan was developed with the assistance of ANZBA members, the details of which can be found here:
New Zealand Mass Disaster Plan