Protecting cultural heritage on the fireground

During the January 2026 bushfires, Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) played a critical role in helping protect Traditional Owner assets.

For Cultural Heritage Specialist Manny Thalasinos , who has worked with FFMVic for the past two years, this work is deeply personal.

‘I’m a proud Tati Tati Latji Latji man from northern Victoria, I joined FFMVic after a Cultural Burn Officer position became available’, said Manny.

Guided by passion

A role that aligned perfectly with his passion for cultural burning and supporting Traditional Owner Groups to strengthen their presence and success in fire and land management.

That purpose was front and centre during the Ravenswood fire, where he was deployed for six days as part of the response.

Each day started at the Bendigo Incident Control Centre, working closely with Operations to understand planned works and fireground priorities.

‘From there, I headed into the field to locate cultural heritage sites that could be impacted by suppression activities such as dozer lines, tree hazard removal and mineral earth breaks.’

‘Fire spread quickly, and firefighters had to move just as fast to contain it. This meant cultural heritage advice needed to be delivered in real time, helping crews work around significant sites without slowing critical firefighting efforts,’ Mr Thalasinos said.

Despite the challenges, important outcomes were achieved. Five Aboriginal scar trees and six artefact scatter sites were successfully protected during the incident.

Scar trees face danger during fires, as exposed or dead sections of wood can ignite, weakening the tree and causing it to fall.

‘To reduce this risk, trees were carefully prepared and wrapped with a radiant heat blanket designed to shield the base of the tree, or in some cases the scar itself, from intense heat.’

For Manny, the most rewarding moment comes after returning to see that cultural sites remain standing because of the guidance, planning and teamwork that went into protecting them.

While this season’s Harcourt fire has been especially intense, his time on last year’s Grampians fire remains a standout. That deployment brought together a strong cultural heritage team whose work was later recognised with the Victorian Resilient Australia Awards.