Attorney-General's Department: Recognising the vulnerability of the Asia-Pacific region to natural disasters, East Asia Summit participating countries have worked collaboratively over a three year period on the East Asia Summit Rapid Disaster Response Toolkit. Bushfires are an inevitable part of Australia's warmer months. This fire season, much of Australia is anticipating a higher than normal fire risk. We talk to Richard Thornton, CEO of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, about how El Nino, rainfall deficits and fuel loads all add up to a challenging season.