The ABCs of Fire as a Weapon and Australia’s Experience

Abstract

In a recent ambush attack on police in Queensland, Australia, fire was used as a weapon alongside firearms. The application of fire as a weapon can be arranged into several categories referred to as the ABCs. These categories are Ambush, Barricade, Civil Unrest, Complex/Coordinated, and, added for this paper, Bushfire. A range of violent actors can employ fire as a weapon, not limited to terrorists, criminals, and those suffering mental health crises. While the risks associated with its use have been published in a previous Salus Journal article, this insight will explore Fire as a Weapon attacks that have occurred in Australia to highlight the broad range of applications this attack method has and the need for an integrated approach by emergency services, especially police and fire rescue services. Fire as a weapon creates a challenging and dangerous situation for first responders by further complicating scenes likely to already have injured victims and armed threats present. This paper illustrates that these events have occurred in Australia and continue to do so, reinforcing a need for discussions on how best to combat them within a multi-agency setting. Further awareness, doctrine, and training should be provided to prepare our first responders for these events to improve their safety and the service and safety they provide to the community.