National Indigenous Fire Workshop, Bundanon Trust 2018

The 2018 National Indigenous Fire Workshop was held at Bundanon property in Yuin Country on the New South Wales south coast.

Participants came from as far north as Napranum, Cape York in northern Queensland to Truwana in Tasmania, and from as far west as the APY Lands in Central Australia. The last day of the workshop was a Cultural Fire Day that was open to the public.

The VFFA congratulates both the RFSA and the RFS for sponsoring this event in 2018. We hope that these programs are supported into the future.

Fire season extended – Your Thoughts?

Not every Volunteer Firefighter agrees with the decision to extend the fire season in many areas around the state. There are some areas where it is an ideal time to burn heaps and even larger areas of bushland. The soil moisture is up in some areas and all that is needed is a calm day for a good burn.

The hassle associated with getting a permit puts farmers and other land owners off. The RFS will say that it’s not a big deal, just get a permit. But the legislation around burning and the issuing of permits is not that easy.

The system is way too complicated and people have become frightened to use fire in case the local brigade rocks up.

Bring back Indigenous Land Management

We’re putting $30M helicopters in the drink, we’re burning houses, and
we’re destroying the environment.
Bring back Indigenous land management for a brighter (and less costly) future.

Burn

Burning the bush to prevent catastrophic fires is something that rural fire services all over the country have been doing for decades. But Aboriginal Australians have been doing it for tens of thousands of years—and their “cool burns” are making a welcome comeback.

A Compassionate and Supportive Cabinet?

As reported by Alexandra Smith (SMH) on the 31st March 2019, Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her government will be compassionate and supportive as she unveiled her new cabinet on Sunday, which will have have a strong emphasis on social change.
How is it possible for Mr Elliot to show compassion and support based upon his track record with the VFFA Volunteer Firefighters.
Why not give the role to Melinda Pavey?
Melinda showed a great deal of compassion and support when she was serving the people of NSW as the Shadow Minister for Emergency Services. It would seem as though she has been handed a poison chalice in the form of water.

Two Fires Festival – Braidwood

It’s not too late to visit the Two Fires Festival in Braidwood.
You may have missed out on the Friday night and Saturday (30th March) events but there is plenty of time to enjoy todays activities and next weekend (6th and 7th April 2019).

Emergency Service Ministers – Very Disappointing

Emergency services have had a bad run with a lineup of Emergency Service Ministers that have failed miserably.
The following SES Commissioner resignations are a poor reflection upon our governments administration of emergency service agencies.
Emergency service workers are waiting to see who will become the next Emergency Services Minister.

A note on climate change and bushfires

A recent article in the Sydney Sunday Telegraph paints a despondent picture: horrible bushfires are “the new normal” because of climate change.

The fire season, we learn, now extends to nearly 10 months of the year, and bushfires have become so intense that they cannot be stopped before immense damage is done.

According to recently retired NSW fire commissioner Greg Mullins (now a member of the Climate Council): “The price of inaction [on climate change] will increasingly be paid in lives lost and communities shattered”.

Green ideology, not climate change, makes bushfires worse

Melissa Price, the new federal Environment Minister, has done untold political damage to a government already divided over climate action by spouting idiotic green propaganda about Victoria’s bushfires.

On Tuesday, she linked the fires to climate change, claiming there is “no doubt” of its impact on Australia.

“There’s no doubt that there’s many people who have suffered over this summer. We talk about the Victorian bushfires … There’s no doubt that climate change is having an impact on us. There’s no denying that.”

Sorry, minister, it wasn’t climate change that caused the latest bushfires which have so far destroyed nine homes in Victoria, and it wasn’t climate change that killed almost 200 people in the Black Saturday fires ten years ago.

The real culprit is green ideology which opposes the necessary hazard reduction of fuel loads in national parks and which prevents landholders from clearing vegetation around their homes.

Don’t blame fire crews or climate, it’s FUEL

The recent fires in Victoria were driven by big fuel loads, not by the weather.
The fire danger index was a surprising low 16-20, but the high fuel loads resulted in predicted rates of spread of 0.5 kph and flame heights up to 10m.
In comparison, the fire danger index on Black Saturday 2009 reached around 130 -180. The FFDI is a measure of the speed, flame height and spotting distance.