Victorian Fires

[kincella]

recently..past 3 months...ch 7 did a special about an arsonist...think he was an adelaide man around 30....after he was caught...got a good behaviour bond...ch 7 followed him around...yes he was still lighting fires but denied it...but they had the cameras on him and the proof....he is not locked away yet...and he was about to light another fire....he had been lighting fires for about 20 years
on tv ca tonight...?? which one...story about a convicted arsonist,,,
currently working for one of the cfa's....hello...how about a police check for volunteers...
another thing I heard.,,they reckon if the police visit each arsonist on a big fire day...that should deter them....
hahahahahaha sorry who are these idiots that come up with these ideas....
and after the police have left ????
what if the arsonist is already out on the job ......

 

[sam76]

currently working for one of the cfa's....hello...how about a police check for volunteers...
QUOTE]

Kincella,

please do some research before posting.

You are not helping the situation posting rumours and innuendo

The CFA (and I would be assuming all volunteer fire services) conduct police checks on new applicants and transfers.



What is the process for joining?
1. May involve an information session at the Brigade to find out more about what’s involved and see if there is a role suited for you.
2. May involve an individual meet and greet session with Officers of the brigade.
3. Fill out an application form & consent for police record check.
4. Your application will then be supported by the Brigade
5. Approved by Operations Manager

http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/joining/volunteering/faq.htm

 

[kincella]

sam...I mentioned the current affair...and the shorts tell that story...so lets wait and see what they come up with...
the only explanation...if he is a convicted arsonist...how can he be a volunteer...if there was a police check done ???

innuendo and rumours...not...
most information can be traced..doing a google
even you sound unsure if police checks are done on volunteers....the word
'assume' ...do new entrants and transfers include volunteers ??? or just the permanent workforce

 

[sam76]

Kincella, My area of knowledge is the CFA not the other fire services.


read my previous post or spend some time on the cfa website.

either way, this is getting tiring....

i'm off for a bit.

 

[MrBurns]

I think I like this bloke - from www.crikey.com.au

Privatised power won't pay for its part in the fires
Jeff Sparrow, editor of Overland writes:

Arsonists, says Kevin Rudd, should rot in prison. But who will be punished if the pending law suits find private power companies liable for the fires in Kilmore East, Horsham, Mudgegonga and Dederang?

Why, you will, dear reader -- thanks to the terms that state governments negotiated when they sold off our public assets. Consider the case of SP AusNet, the subject of a class action for negligence around the Kilmore fires.

The Insurance Council of Australia has estimated the damage of those fires at about $500 million. But SP AusNet's legal liability has been capped at $100 million under a deal struck by the former Kennett government with private utility operators, when the former State Electricity Commission was privatised in 1995. Legal sources said this meant the Brumby Government could be forced to cover a shortfall of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The recent heatwave highlighted some other results of the great privatization binge carried out a decade or so ago.

Connex, the group that seized Victoria’s rail network, recently excused the 2300 services it cancelled last month on the basis of ... wait for it ... the weather. Its trains can’t, you see, function in weather warmer than thirty-five degrees. Given that each year there’s this phenomenon called "summer" (you may have heard of it), operators of a transport system designed for the benefit of the public -- most of whom, strangely enough, still have to work on hot days -- might conclude that cool-weather-only trains simply don’t cut it.

But Connex, of course, is a private company, and makes its decisions on the basis of an entirely different calculus. That’s why, though Melbournians would clearly prefer to buy their fares from a conductor, we’re stuck instead with dysfunctional ticketing machines, unable in most cases even to provide change. Not surprisingly, there’s now a widespread culture of fare evasion, which the private owners attempt to counter with hectoring advertisements and roving gangs of thuggish inspectors.

But there’s a bigger issue relating to climate change. Now, we don’t have to believe in global warming. The science is complex and most of us don’t fully understand it. But many of us are also sufficiently mathematically challenged as to not follow the process by which Eratosthenes of Cyrene first calculated the circumference of the planet. But we don’t therefore sign up with the Flat Earth Society, since we possess sufficient common sense to accept the consensus of the scientific world.

If we adopt that methodology with climate change -- aligning ourselves with the vast majority of scientists rather than the small but shrill denialist faction of oil-company flacks, shock jocks and the tabloid journalists who are professionally wrong about everything -- certain things follow. We can expect a small but real increase in average temperatures, and that means bushfires will become more likely and more devastating. No, you can’t ascribe the blame to climate change for any particular fire, just as you can’t definitively link your heart attack to your pack-a-day habit. Heart problems kill non-smokers, too -- but only a fool would conclude that means you can puff away without risks.

In other words, if we don’t do something, we can expect more tragedies like the one we’ve just endured.

But that brings us directly back to privatisation. It’s not only that the process by which we swapped our public assets for a bag of magic beans has led to an appreciable degradation in services, it’s also disarmed us in the fight against the causes and consequences of climate change. How is the private company that makes money from selling you electricity -- and thus becomes more profitable the more of it you use -- going to foster energy efficiency?

The short answer is that it will do so about as effectively as, say, a pub campaigning for sobriety, a casino against problem gambling -- or, to use a more apposite example -- the private utility in charge of our taps for water efficiency.

The world financial crisis has already exposed many of the ideologues behind the neo-liberal excesses of the last decades as at best charlatans and at worst overt fraudsters. By all means, prosecute the arsonists. But let’s also have some genuine accountability about the policy makers who got us into the mess we’re now in.

 

[bunyip]

Written by
Mike Claridge of Ararat Victoria.

Where green and gold once cloaked the land
Where eucalypt and pine did stand
Where man did live and lay his hand
Now black is all I see

Where horses grazed and cattle drank
Where grasses lined the river bank
Where stood a house and water tank
Now black is all I see

There was a town with store and hall
Which proudly stood ‘neath ridges tall
Now nothing moves or lives at all
And black is all I see

There stood a home and there another
Where lived a daughter, father , mother
A sister, cousin, niece or brother
Now black is all I see

Our nation grieves and holds them tight
Throughout the darkness of the night
Till daybreak brings an ashy light
And black is all I see

“Poor fella, my country”

 

[Calliope]

A taxpayer, in letters to the editor, in The Australian is critical of a suggestion that the taxpayers should bail out the uninsured householders who lost their homes in the bushfires. I think the number of these is about a quarter of the total.

But hasn't this decision already been made by Mr Rudd. I am sure I heard him pledge to rebuild all the homes. Those more responsible people who insure their home and contents (and their vehicles) may think this unfair. But it has always been Mr Rudd's policy to look after the improvident.

And I think the precedent has already been set. I am fairly sure that after the Canberra fires in 2003 the uninsured were reimbursed by the taxpayer.

In the 1974 floods in Brisbane nobody in the area where I lived ever dreamed they would need additional flood insurance coverage for a very rare event. We were lucky as we had a War Service home which was automatically covered. It was stiff cheddar for those without flood coverage.

 

[daisy]

So the message now is don't waste your money insuring your house we will bail you out anyway. I'm keeping this in mind, as every year I up my insurance in order to rebuild if a cyclone gets me. Maybe I won't do that anymore and use the premium for a trip to NZ instead.

 

[MrBurns]

A taxpayer, in letters to the editor, in The Australian is critical of a suggestion that the taxpayers should bail out the uninsured householders who lost their homes in the bushfires. I think the number of these is about a quarter of the total.

But hasn't this decision already been made by Mr Rudd. I am sure I heard him pledge to rebuild all the homes. Those more responsible people who insure their home and contents (and their vehicles) may think this unfair. But it has always been Mr Rudd's policy to look after the improvident.

And I think the precedent has already been set. I am fairly sure that after the Canberra fires in 2003 the uninsured were reimbursed by the taxpayer.

In the 1974 floods in Brisbane nobody in the area where I lived ever dreamed they would need additional flood insurance coverage for a very rare event. We were lucky as we had a War Service home which was automatically covered. It was stiff cheddar for those without flood coverage.

The donations would have covered that without the Govt spending a cent.

The uninsured may only be covered in extreme situations like this, if their house just burns down in isolation they'd be on their own.

Lucky for them there's a Labor Govt in, I reckon pretty soon non of us will have to work at all, just collect our wages from a crisis package of some sort.

 

[Julia]

Julia, (not having a go at you) each community has one truck to defend them, if they are lucky, two.

There are only approx 1200 tankers in the state

these trucks can't sit around waiting to defend in a big fire.

All resources need to be sent to the front line to extinguish the fire before it spreads.

That is why people need to learn to defend themselves.

Understood completely, Sam. I was just confirming what had been asked, not making any judgements.

 

[daisy]

So the message now is don't waste your money insuring your house we will bail you out anyway. I'm keeping this in mind, as every year I up my insurance in order to rebuild if a cyclone gets me. Maybe I won't do that anymore and use the premium for a trip to NZ instead.

Just joking.
Maybe this kind of bail out is because gov't aknowledges that these kind of losses could have been averted if they had been more pro-active in taking preventative measures. e.g. We'll give you a house if you don't sue us for not following the advice of all those royal commissions?

 

[Julia]

To be honest, if I choose to live in a place that is a bush fire risk I would hate to think that the CFA would risk their lives to save it in a bushfire. If I could not save my property I would not expect anyone else to try to do so either. Obviously they will learn more from what happened.

But then, I wouldn't live in an area that was so knowingly risky either.

Agree in spades on both counts. The determination expressed by so many people who have lost their homes to rebuild in the same place is something I don't comprehend.

 

[Calliope]

Bob Brown has lashed out at critics of his forest management policies. With his usual slippery sleight of hand he has tried to turn the criticism back on his critics claiming they are are being nasty to the victims and surviviors by blaming them for living there, etc.

This is a very cynical guy. I think Brown and other greens have a gene which causes a mental block which prevents them from being able to admit they are wrong.

Meanwhile; in SMH

February 16, 2009 - 10:59AM
The forestry industry has blamed "uninformed" green policies for Victoria's devastating bushfires, saying too much forest is locked up in reserves.

National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) chief executive Allan Hansard has called for a national plan to actively manage forests.

"The current process of locking forests up in conservation reserves and national parks with no ongoing fire management regime has proven to be fatally wrong," Mr Hansard said.

"Bushfire management policy must be based on the best scientific knowledge, not the whims of uninformed green ideologists.

"These current green policies are clearly not working and, ironically, have contributed to the destruction of the very areas they were supposed to protect."

Mr Hansard said forests should be pre-emptively managed to prevent fuel building up, and roads had to be maintained so firefighters could reach trouble spots.

NAFI wants a national summit to be held to thrash out a plan to prevent, and better manage, bushfires.

Mr Hansard said he had offered to give Australian Greens leader Bob Brown a briefing on how green policies aren't working.

 

[Bushman]

Meanwhile; in SMH

You are quoting the Forest Industry - lol; no vested interests to 'bash a greenie' there.

 

[MrBurns]

You are quoting the Forest Industry - lol; no vested interests to 'bash a greenie' there.

Good they'll have plenty of helpers too............

 

[Julia]

I think Brown and other greens have a gene which causes a mental block which prevents them from being able to admit they are wrong.

Doesn't that same gene exist in all politicians? (maybe except Wilson Tuckey)

 

[Bushman]

Good they'll have plenty of helpers too............

Ah the wisdom of crowds.

PS: I have changed my mind about Kruddy doing a bit of grandstanding on the side after seeing this photo -



Seems he did learn a thing or two from l'il Johnny after all.

 

[sam76]

I see on the news tonight that there was another allegedly deliberately lit fire in the Dandenongs last night.

And what do I see?

People standing under overhanging trees on their filthy litter-covered roofs spraying a garden hose wearing nothing but summer gear.

Do people not learn????

Especially in such high bushfire risk areas such as the Dandenongs.

 

[Prospector]

Not sure what is happening interstate, but there is an increasing level of 'growl' in the media that the people in the bushfire are getting tax relief, mortgage relief, bank relief whilst others who suffer an 'individual' crisis (cancer, housefire, accident etc etc) are ignored. And those who are uninsured will get their house back. Listening to the radio, one of the commentators was someone who had put in a major effort at getting several pantecs off interstate with donated goods last week - yet even she is getting antsy about the inequity.

And I suspect, Rudd's ever increasing media photo opps are getting on everyones nerve too. Who is running the country at the moment?

People standing under overhanging trees on their filthy litter-covered roofs spraying a garden hose wearing nothing but summer gear. Do people not learn???? Especially in such high bushfire risk areas such as the Dandenongs.

No they dont Sam. To be honest, they never will until a tougher stand is taken by our Government, the CFA, the Councils. They will never get the message that the onus is on them to prepare for fire, because there is usually always someone to their rescue. It sends a mixed message. If people want to live in fire prone areas, then it is at their risk, including their responsibility to fully protect and insure their home. The CFA should not be required to protect our homes if we cant be bothered to do that. But no, Rudd has now labelled them 'Aussie battlers' - ????? and so the benevolent Government will once again come to their aid.

Treat people as adults for once, and stop being the parent to the silly little child.

And oh yeah, if something is going to go wrong, make sure the 'going wrong' happens to as many other people as possible.

 

[Calliope]

Prospector,

Have you noticed over the last few days we have all been able post our, often conflicting, views on this highly emotive subject without anyone losing their cool or making personal attacks on other posters. I think it reflects the maturity of the posters.

Not long back I had to be very careful to vet very word for fear that it could be misconstrued as callous disregard for the suffering of the victims. We have come a long way in a few days.