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It is a component of the Community Fire Guard meetings.
So how about the mental preparation to stay, no-one seems to think of that.
..
The time to prepare for fires is when there isn't a fire or an immediate threat of one. Just like the time to have built new water infrastructure is when there's lots of rain. Just like you need to improve your health while you're still reasonably healthy. Just like we need to fix power, transport etc while it's still working. Just like we needed to address the financial crisis when the insane borrowing and speculating was happening instead of waiting for it to blow up. Etc.
We have burn offs in Winter and Spring. We dont get much rain though, as I keep banging on about. Usually all done by December 1st. And I wondered who had been a naughty boyShould have known.
The path of most fires can be predicted according to terrain and wind strength. The time to run is not just before the fire hits; yet that is the time that most seem to make up their minds. We evacuate in advance for floods, why on earth not for fires! And why should CFS people risk their lives just to save someone's house? Does anyone else think that is a poor choice of priority?
i have family members in kinglake, they stayed and fought the fires off their home, lost sheds and all fencing but kept their house in the end.
it went right over them.
plenty of homes on their road did not make it.. she describes one side of the road to kinglake "gone" the other side has some structures standing..
her husband is a senior fire officer and together the family fought the fire alone..
i am pleased the outcome was how it turned out for them, but i couldnt say how lucky they are... no power, no water, and no communication in the region with mobiles on home phones.. pretty scary stuff.. tougher than me im afraid.. amazing..
Now, Loy Yang (including the gas turbines on the same site) accounts for about a third of Victoria's generating capacity and nearly half its actual production of electricity.http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/08/2485586.htm?section=australia
The incident controller for the Glendonald Road fires near Traralgon, Steven Walls, says there is still a risk the fire could reach the Loy Yang Power Station
My heart goes out to all those affected by the bush fires in Australia. Truly a very devastating few days of summer.
CanOz
I don't want to turn this into another one of Smurf's power threads, but:
Now, Loy Yang (including the gas turbines on the same site) accounts for about a third of Victoria's generating capacity and nearly half its actual production of electricity.
If the plant were destroyed, then we'll have a major power shortage for the next several years. $ billions to re-build it plus the rather obvious risk if the associated coal mine catches fire.
WHY wasn't a decent fire break been put in place around such a critical piece of national infrastructure before there was an actual fire? It's not as though there's no precedent for Latrobe Valley power plants being hit by bush fires so it should have been foreseen.
This has been a terrible disaster, with CFA and local brigades stretched way beyond breaking point. All the talk by Vic Fire Authorities about "sufficient resources" and "adequate fire plans" being in place THIS time around, has once again proven sadly to be mistaken.
In fact, many local CFA and weather bureau people themselves were warning this was shaping up to be a potential disaster - and they were right. Why was not more proactive use of our fine Defence Personnel made in this so-called "1 in 100" year event?
I'm sure the Defence Forces could and would have been able to help out in a significant way both before and during this catastrophe, if only they had been asked by the State & Fed governments - if they had the foresight.
For instance, squadrons of Blackhawks might have been deployed to ferry people out of isolated towns, rather than have locals trying to escape by driving out (and subsequently dying) along heavily forested roads. Then there's the loads of Army transport trucks, bulldozers, manpower that MIGHT have been set up, just in case things got out of control??? I'm not saying EVERYONE of the poor souls who died this time would have been saved, but surely with such a potential catastrophe looming, why not have those ADDITIONAL forces made available? I'm absolutely certain the Blackhawks in particular could have made a substantial difference if asked..
Being ex-Army Aviation myself, I'd guess most Defence personnel would have been itching to help out with this disaster right from the get-go as events were unfolding, but beaurocratic red tape is always a problem. Rapidly moving events om the ground always seem to completely outpace belated pen-manship. Our own squadron of Kiowa choppers & Porter STOL fixed wing aircraft were on standby at Oakey when the 74 cyclone & floods hit Brisbane in January of that year, but we were never called in en-masse, which we all found highly frustrating.
Instead, I believe just one R.A.A.F. chopper squadron was belatedly sent (as well as some local military personnel and vehicles from Enoggera). Only a couple of our Army choppers went in much later, after about a week to offer a little assistance. Really, we were very surprised and a bit miffed that we & many of the other R.A.A.F. units for that matter, never got the call to assist in those desperate and following days.
Since that experience, I have the impression the Fed Gummint only considers deploying Defence personnel and equipment as a last resort - like Rudd now approving this - but generally AFTER the main event has occurred.
Maybe a more proactive approach could be considered in the future, when all the planets once more line up to create a "perfect fire-storm" scenario.
RIP victims.
aj
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