On the 28th September 2015, the NSW Deputy State Coroner made the following recommendations to the Minister for Emergency Services. The findings and recommendations have not been well received by all persons. Feel free to add your comments to this article. We will publish any sensible feedback.
Blazeaid – A week with the volunteers at Maffra, Victoria
BlazeAid is a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods. Working alongside the rural families, our volunteers help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.
Rank v Responsibility – Law v Policy
By Michael Eburn
One of our members who was previously not an officer of the brigade gained employment with the RFS and as part of his employment was given a staff rank that outranks any of the officers in the brigade.
This member has since informed us that he also carries that rank into his volunteer time with the brigade and that as a consequence he has to wear his staff rank to jobs with the brigade and if he is unhappy with the way an incident is being run by the brigade he has a legal obligation to take over control of the incident, and that he is the one that will be responsible if something goes wrong as he would be the senior officer on scene.
NSW RFS brings in jumbo sized water bomber ahead of expected horror fire season
The Daily Telegraph loves a good story, big fires, a horror fire season ahead and now we have jumbo sized water bombers. They also allow public comment and so do we…
Deputy NSW Coroner unable to determine cause of Coonabarabran bushfire
The New South Wales deputy coroner has been unable to determine the cause of the massive bushfire that burned in the Warrumbungle National Park in 2013. The fire started at Wambelong Campground near Coonabarabran in January 2013 and destroyed more than 50 homes, while burning 95 per cent of the National Park.
Has anything changed – or is it getting worse?
On Thursday 3rd June 1999, Andrew Clennell published an article in the Sydney Morning Herald titled: “Hollywood fire chief has too much power: councils”, many Volunteers have suggested that nothing has changed and it is getting worse.
Safety Advice – Possible toxic canisters washed up on our beaches
Media Release – Dated 17th September 2015 Poison canister warning The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is warning members of the public of the potential dangers posed by toxic canisters that have been reported washing up on Australian beaches. Since February
Wambelong Fire – Position of NSW State Government
Mr Elliott stated that the Coroner is still to hand down findings arising from the Coronial inquiry into the Wambelong fire and that the NSW Government will finalise its position on all of the Committee’s recommendations once the findings and any recommendations that may be made by the Coroner are released and considered.
His correspondence does visit the following topics:
1. Fire Trails
2. Protection of Pastoral Assets
3. Support Services, and
4. Funding Models
I Am Fire – New NSW RFS campaign
“I Am Fire” is the theme of a new bush fire public awareness campaign launched by the NSW RFS.
The campaign will be seen and heard on television, radio, online and in newspapers from early September across the bush fire season.
More calls for Wambelong inquiry recommendations to be adopted
VFFA President, Brian Williams talk to ABC’s Rural Country Hour Host, Michael Condon.
He said that the inquiry was conducted in a very methodical way, heard valuable testimony and was very balanced in the way it went about its business.
“The NSW Upper House inquiry made 29 recommendations to help avoid future bushfires across national parks and farmland.”
“The recommendations of the inquiry represent commonsense improvements to fire management.”