Fires

[OzFab]

As some of you have been concerned enough to PM me regarding the bushfires surrounding Sydney, I thought I'd let you all know through a common medium.

Yes, I'm fine, the closest fire is roughly 40 miles away from me. However, the little princess & her mother live only about 15miles from the fires & we have friends who live in the middle of them, not to mention siblings & their families who also live close...

SO far, so good; everyone is ok for now...

TBH, I'm more worried about members like fallenleopard & jman231994

 

[landuse]

Thanks for the update Tony. I am sure there were a few people wondering if you guys are OK

 

[fowler]

It's looking pretty mental over there

Good luck

It's what happens when u put all these areas to small land owners and towns

If they still let cattle gaze the mountains theres half the fix
And not doing regular burn offs

Well good luck to all
Keep safe

 

[mckutzy]

In our parts here, Our government is contracting out herds of goats in the summer time(our summer time), in fenced off pens along the mountain highways and other areas along the major routs. The car and truck brakes,exhaust along with the occasional accident cause the fire along the roads. These goats go nuts for all the grass they get, its basically free food for the farmer at a small cost of fuel to heard them along and transport to the feeding areas.
Its a really good idea let the animals do what they do best, especially where there is a mass production of food(like cattle in AUS), Im sure our production aswell could go up for more "Free range" feeding and fire prevention.

 

[OzFab]

If they still let cattle graze the mountains theres half the fix
And not doing regular burn offs

Well good luck to all
Keep safe

The biggest problem is that our wonderful new premier thinks backburning is a wate of time, money & resources so, he axed it from the budget; good move Barry...

Interesting points about grazing (both fowler & mckutzy) but, how do you get that message of "simplicity works" through to anyone at government level when "the little people" don't matter?

 

[mckutzy]

Im guessing because It doesn't employ special people(whom ever they may be), people who maybe affiliated with a particular labour union or require a union to do the work,
Or simply it is that simple of a solution that the fear of a failure could be rectified by spending lots and lots of money instead.

I might add that graze-clearing Idea has been a slow one to adapt. I think it was just used by a few areas as thats where abouts I keep hearing it about, could be wrong though.
I also think it wasnt as wide spread, as to keep the bears in check from ingression upon human inhabited places.

 

[OzFab]

Im guessing because It doesn't employ special people(whom ever they may be), people who maybe affiliated with a particular labour union or require a union to do the work,

Umm, no because those who do the backburning are the same people who fight the fires, ALL VOLUNTEERS! THEY DON'T GET PAID! Figure that logic...

UPDATE: The two large fires at Springwood have been deliberately merged in an effort to contain them. The thinking being that, with one heading east & the other heading west towards each other, they'll burn each other out...

In other news, three individuals have been arrested & charged in relation to lighting fires, the oldest being 15, the youngest is 11

Oh, & it's trying to rain...

 

[fowler]

Yep only city's get paid fire fighters

All small towns and farms have volunteers

The further u go from the city's the worse it gets

All those Sydney fires are being fought with donated or government equipment

Out our way (other side of country)

I'm a volunteer fire fighter and we get nothing
We have one fire truck for over 7million hectares

So it's all our own trucks fire suits and supply's
So our truck is a 1987 Mitsubishi 8 tonne
And our safety gear is Cotten cloths and some saftey goggles

Although because we are out if the way of all the bull**** politics we fight fire 100% with back burning

There's no big boss in charge
The local earth movers bring in 2 d11 dozers and 4 graders and we bulldoze a fire break to burn off


Here's somthing interesting

Our prime minister (country leader)
Is a volenteet fire fighter working in the fire zone

U won't get too many lcountry leaders doing that

 

[OzFab]

Here's somthing interesting

Our prime minister (country leader)
Is a volenteet fire fighter working in the fire zone

U won't get too many country leaders doing that

...or was it just a photo op? I dare say he's not still there...

 

[fowler]

i dout it was a photo shoot

thats a Rudd move
go out there and take some pics
then"leak" them to the media and claim hes doing everything for the community effort

i also doubt tony is still out there
firstly they are of course on shifts
and his job will probably keep him a little busier than the average volunteer

still good on him

not that im suppose to bring political views up here
but without meeting the guy i feel hes a good bloke who does what he does genuinely
not that he cant be a scheming bastard as well
nice guys don't climb the corporate ladder
and hes at the very top

 

[machinist@large]

Say it isn't so!!!!

.......nice guys don't climb the corporate ladder
and hes at the very top

It's probably pretty safe to say that you're preaching to the choir on that topic..... Pat

 

[firemanjim]

Fowler, what do you mean you only have cotten clothes and goggles? For brush gear,or in general? What do you use for structure fires? I assume all fire depts have bunker gear for going inside fires....

 

[fowler]

No we only do bush fires
And farm fires
Like I say most of our defence and attack is back burning
So making a fire break and burning back to the fire front
I'm sure your very aware but 7/10 times the fire makes its own weather system that means the wind blows toward it

It's just a pile of farmers that go help each other
In town it's a completely differant fire team
They have a bit of funding from the government

And the shire raised a bit of money to buy a proper fire truck

As for structural fires
It would only be my house as if any other farmer starter a fire we are just too far away
Not to mention during winter we take the tank off and turn it into a seed carter for seeding