Hot or Cool Burns (you choose)

Hot or Cool Burns (you choose)

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that hot fires must be avoided. We have to return to cool burning and other land management practices (including selected agricultural clearing and grazing) if we are going to sustain our environment and lifestyle into the future.

A FEDERAL Parliamentary inquiry will be held into Queensland’s bushfires as the State Government bluntly rejects calls from farmers, lobby groups and Prime Minister Scott Morrison for a judicial inquiry.

NSW has the same problems.

Fire and Emergency Services Levy (Report Tabled)

The Fire and Emergency Services Levy report has been released by the Portfolio Committee No. 4 – Legal Affairs.

The report was tabled on Friday 30 November 2018, it is available on the Parliament NSW website, along with submissions, transcripts of evidence and other documents associated with the inquiry.

The report and its recommendations are now with the government for consideration.

On the 15th of November 2018, the Upper House resolved that Standing Order 233 be varied so as to require that the government provide the response to the committee’s report by the 28th of February 2019.

Projects ahead of People

Whilst we are enjoying our Christmas and New Year break, let’s not forget that there are many people who are less fortunate than ourselves.

We recently celebrated a win for all firefighters (full time, part time and volunteers) with the introduction of compensation for firefighters who contract one of 12 cancers from September 27, 2018.

In a press conference held in Orange (November 2018), former Orange firefighter Trevor Eassie revealed the struggles he has endured after contracting leukaemia at work and not receiving any financial compensation.

Read more and watch the press release video…

Failure – two stories on the failure of wildfire management, one distant and the other closer to home

Failure – two stories on the failure of wildfire management, one distant and the other closer to home

Media coverage of the California fires in Australia is sure to unnerve many in our community and prompts the question, why are the fire management agencies not explaining the differences in fire behaviour due to the vegetation involved? Or does the media coverage serve to strengthen the “leave early” policy?

There has been much criticism and mocking of US President Donald Trump for his comment about raking forest floors to remove the material which fuels fires, but the principle behind his comment is sound.

Hero in the sky?

Hero in the sky?

The VFFA says that the real heroes are the men and women on the fireground.

Unfortunately, the NSW Government and the NSW Rural Fire Service is relying upon aviation as our saviour when it comes to wildfire suppression.

The truth is that we cannot afford to continue along this path.

We must improve our land management practices, including cool (cultural or ecological) burning, to reduce the frequency and intensity of fires. This will eventually negate the need for large air tankers.

Firey’s Charge Extinguished

With reference to the article by Emma Partridge, that appeared in The Daily Telegraph on 5th October 2018, titled Firey’s Charge Extinguished.
The article stated that Police never saw it, no one was hurt, but it still took two years and $74,000 for a Rural Fire Service volunteer to overturn a conviction for driving dangerously during a hazard reduction burn.
VFFA President, Mick Holton talks to Shoalhaven CBF about this terrible situation.
Listen to the interview here.
This situation was so unbelievable that others who were not privy to the full transcript were judging Oliver as being guilty, saying things like “he must be guilty, how else could it have gone on for so long”.
But, this is a case of bullying and harassment at a local level that quickly got out of control. It became a very ugly and costly, fuelled by coverups, deceit and atrocious behaviour by representatives of the Rural Fire Service right to the top.

Farmers told its not too late to prepare for fire season

This podcast was published on the 2GB network on the 9th November 2018.
Drought this year is expected to deliver catastrophic bushfire conditions.
Just out from the start of Summer, rural property owners are being reminded it’s not too late to start preparing.
Rural reporter Eddie Summerfield caught up with New South Wales Farmers Conservation Committee member Mitchell Clapham.
WARNING: Fire service bureaucrats are warned that this podcast may contain simple and common sense solutions.