Australian Fires

[topendtorque]

Originally Posted by Semi Rigid

Please elaborate for us.

Hi Semi Rigid Glad to.

Since my post there have been more news items in relation to it, included below. The first details the Victorian govt offer of travel assistance to family members of the injured firies. The second of course announces - (DRUMROLL) - the inevitable inquiry into the incident. Gee whiz.

Assistance
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1813470.htm

Review
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1813715.htm

In answer.
Almost calamitous;
Because it could easily have further injured or indeed killed these very noble volunteers, countrymen of yours, who have travelled here to help.
Unnecessary;
Because the natural resources of this country should never be mismanaged with such shocking ineptitude, without putting too fine a point on it, that necessitates these volunteers and others from USA who are on standby, to have come fix up our mess.

Mismanaged because of the absolute lack of Political will of these eastern state govt’s;
To get in and create fire mitigation by cool fire burn offs or;
To get on top of a noisy rabid minority who do not have on their agenda anything to do with good rangeland management, merely it is misguided disruption that puts at risk all of those now facing risk, or;
Despite begging pleas from farm organisations representing those in drought esp. those right adjacent these forest areas where there are a lot of grass reserves (fuel) the park managements will not give relief to the financially crippled farmers or help mitigate the fire risk by allowing grazing.

This country was created by fire, to replace it with some grazing mechanism is OK, but remove everything and you will get infernos, almost every three years, as is being demonstrated, not like the thirty or sixty year cycles from before.

Captain Cook found the Eastern seaboard as open woodland from thousands of years of cool fire burns that the aboriginal people used to hunt with (not to manage the land that is a load of bull) they did it merely to hunt and gather, a good practise.

Also, we in the north reckon that the techniques used to fight these fires is totally a*** up. A fire break is only good if it is used to burn back off, get out further back burn and fight fire with fire and abolish the risk for those involved.

There is no excuse for the fires management that these guys are in hospital. Why did they not have suitable protective gear? The press report talks about burns to the exposed areas. Jesus!!

Grizzled on a bit much there Heliport, my apologies, ten points to the NZ - and all vollies - and I wish them a speedy recovery.
TET