Farmer Pete...some figures for you to put some context in the argument.
King Lake complex=450,000acres+
Marysville comples=370,000acres+
Just two fires along the same area of the Dandenong Ranges consumed some 820,000acres.
In total Black Saturday in Victoria consumed some 1,111,074acres of land.
In 06/07, 70 individual fires merged into one to burn through 2,471,053acres of Alpine Victorian forest.
In 2003 Victoria lost 3,706,580acres of land to fire in the North East.
In three separate fire seasons less than five years apart, over 5,000,000acres of land was lost.
Do you think Victoria alone needs some serious firepower when it comes to taking the fight to the fires?
In my opinion, the Authorities would rather let a fire burn out if it doesn't threaten life or asset. However, that policy allows a fire to burn quietly unchecked (where it can be stopped) until the next trough comes through and allows the beast to roar again threatening life and asset in small communities considered "Too Dangerous to defend"
Just to put us in context with Californa.
As a footnote...this last season the DSE have appeared to be more helpful than ever up in the North East...they actually were more proactive in fighting the fires with backburns and putting assets on the ground than years past...then again, they have lost a lot of face in the district. A crew change allowed Tatra ski complex to burn to the ground on Mt Buffalo in 06 after a backburn got out of control. State Goverment just pocketed the insurance money rather than rebuild the site($6,000,000 I believe. Locals believe it is a greenie agenda to return Mt Buffalo to natural state and not give a reason for anyone to go up there in the winter.)