Fire Warnings

foxpuppet

Eats Squid
This was an interesting read from a copper protecting his own place, My Father in Law got pumps and hoses for his place after the 2003 fires here in Berowra. We run them to make sure it’s all working, but I keep saying best move is to go. He is in his late 70’s.


Policeman admits staying to fight fire was a 'stupid decision'
Local police officer Sergeant Graeme Shenton has told ABC Gippsland of his dramatic escape from his property in Sarsfield, northeast of Bairnsdale, this morning.

"A massive ember storm just went straight over the top of my house and I thought, 'that's good, it's missing me.'

"Then the wind stopped and it was like an ember storm just dropping straight down onto all the property around us.

"Everything from my house down to the valley just lit up in five minutes."

Sergeant Shenton had a plan to defend his property but says it turned out to be of little use.

"I'm a policeman, I've been 19 years in the job and I've been through many, many, many fires and I've seen the devastation that it's caused.

But I still made this decisions that I know better and I'm going to be fine and I'm confident and it won't be a problem and I've got everything that I need.

"But when the water goes off and then the power goes off and then you've got spot fires starting all around you, you can't do anything about it.

"It's alright to know, oh I've got my hose and I'll put the spot fire out. But when there's 15 spot fires, what are you going to do?

"And it wasn't just one spot fire. It was the whole (place).

"The sky dropped down, it was like fire falling out of the sky, and it lit up everything between me and the river, and everything burned."

Sergeant Shenton describes driving through "eight kilometres of inferno" as he tried to make his way out on local roads "with thirty metres of flames on both sides of me."

He described it as a horrendous experience.

"It was just a very poor decision to stay and I would never stay again. It was just a stupid decision ...

"I would advise that unless you've got one of those very large red engines sitting in your driveway, I wouldn't stay. It's a total waste of time.

"Everything you think you know about fire, when it comes, it just makes its own mind up."


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

caad9

Likes Bikes and Dirt
This has been a truly horrific period since November, the fire brigades are incredibly brave folk.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
Australia is going to need a professional fire fighting force of some sort. Relying on volunteers is always risky, you’re putting inexperienced people on the frontline and it’s always results in problems and mistakes every season.

Although not helped with the rules being re written every season by worse and worse fires...

But volunteer crews have culture problems. Lots of good people with best intentions, but a lot of hero complex idiots too. We can’t afford to rely on that anymore...
 

Plankosaurus

Spongeplank Dalepantski
Yeah, that’s a good example of what not to do... Someone already fucked up if it got to that point.

Good video, but they shouldn’t have been there.
The fire is going to do what the fire wants to do, and its incredibly hard to predict what that is in these situations. they're not the first to get stuck in a burnover and they sure as shit wont be the last. Yes, the best advice is always to avoid being in that situation, but how the hell are you supposed to avoid it 100% of the time? You're knowledgeable on firefighting so you understand just how many rescourses are out there and how hard it is to pinpoint where an appliance is and where a fire is heading yeah?

I disagree strongly that its simply a case of "they shouldn't have been there". Theres a chance that a crew leader ignored something or missed a sign or didn't hear a radio warning, but i feel its infinitely more likely a case of "shit happens" than "someone fucked up"

Australia is going to need a professional fire fighting force of some sort. Relying on volunteers is always risky, you’re putting inexperienced people on the frontline and it’s always results in problems and mistakes every season.

Although not helped with the rules being re written every season by worse and worse fires...

But volunteer crews have culture problems. Lots of good people with best intentions, but a lot of hero complex idiots too. We can’t afford to rely on that anymore...
Generalize much?

Volunteer crew leaders and strike team leaders and command are some of the most professional people i've ever met. this isn't to say staff aren't, but paying someone doesn't automatically make them more professional or less likely fuck up. I havn't been on a crew once where i havn't been 100% comfortable that the CL and STL was keeping our best interests in mind over the preservation of property and assets, or being a hero. These guys aren't put in these positions until they've undergone extensive training, they understand the risks, they know preservation of their crew is priority, and they know what they're meant to do to achieve this.

We have volunteer services in rural australia because it would be impossible to staff it. i dont know how the RFS service works, but CFA has staff at populated areas and support the vols at surrounding areas. If you start looking at a map and seeing just how much area needs to be covered or look at a campaign fire and see just how many rescources are needed to make even a token attempt at fighting them, you'd see why we need vols by the thousands. sure there's some bad eggs, but there's bad eggs here too, and within the staff ranks, and everywhere else in the world. I'm not sure paying people will achieve what you think it will. (i'm all for more staff by the way, just not in a wholesale "lets replace the vols with staff" kinda way)
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
^ Sorry, don’t get me wrong there is a lot right with the whole CFA/rfs etc setup. It’s just going to need more from here on.

There are some ongoing culture issues to be dealt with, and I’ve seen evidence of the CFA still playing the us and them game with dwelp I had hoped had been canned in the 10’years since I was a firery.

As for that burnover, absolutely shit happens. I’m lucky I never got that close and personal, but yes accidents or just good old fashioned “fuck we didn’t expect that!!”. There is a reason the trucks are set up with heat shields and water sprays to make them more survivable...
 

Dales Cannon

lightbrain about 4pm
Staff member
Seeing images of the destruction in vic this morning. Very sad, glad people heeded warnings and no loss of life expected. Amazing how several houses are razed yet the next house appears untouched, just like cyclone damage.

Feel for you.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
volunteer organisations like this is what makes australia great - community spirit is really important.

that burnover wasnt that trucks fault - the whole video shows a bunch of other vehicles and also fire just appearing all round them - that implicates swirling wind conditions. if you arent in risky places then you cant save properties either - damned if you do damned if you dont
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
if you arent in risky places then you cant save properties either - damned if you do damned if you dont
There is that... It will certainly happen. Fires are getting nastier too...

I do agree though that the increasing reliance on community spirit is not a good thing. This is exactly the sort of public service we have government systems for...
 

Elbo

pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
Some comms back at Corryong, the town is alright, but my old man said 16 houses lost at Cudgewa, to the north west. Roads are closed and absolutely covered with dead wildlife :'( Nariel Creek Folk Festival was evacuated but camp site apparently ok. Fires Near Me app shows the fire stopping in our neighbours paddock south of Tumbarumba, but no way of really knowing the extent of the damage until roads open and we get up there.
 

FigBo0T

Puts verniers on his headtube
Righto, I'll read it .....:rolleyes:

ETA. Read it. I take back part of my original comment. He didn't shit on volunteers.
He did try to justify giving money to an actor's charity over fire fighters though, and I'm still disgusted by the notion.
 
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AaronM

Likes Dirt
Nah, I'm good. I know how politicking works, and shitting on volunteers isn't going to fix it.
The article was shitting on politics which has been actively transferring money away from services for people (like fire authorities) towards tax cuts so we the people use our own money to support those services through donations.

In short the Government can cease funding agencies that respond to these emergencies while Australians are prepared to pay out of their own pocket.
 

FigBo0T

Puts verniers on his headtube
The article was shitting on politics which has been actively transferring money away from services for people (like fire authorities) towards tax cuts so we the people use our own money to support those services through donations.

In short the Government can cease funding agencies that respond to these emergencies while Australians are prepared to pay out of their own pocket.
It's not a new problem though. It's always been this way. The author of the article aligns himself with the opposition to government. That, and only that, is the point of the article.
Politicking shits me, no matter who does it.
 
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