Don't expect a fire truck to get there!

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

Only 216 fire trucks. New South Wales on fire.

Fire warning.

The climate is getting worse and worse. Back in the 70's I used to help down in Gippsland. The extent of the fires has never been this bad in all my 55 years. I am concerned for the human and animal population. Especially the koalas who move very slowly. 

[Jeff]

I just saw a post on our weather network where a guy in Oz cooked a pork roast on the seat of his Datsun !! Left it in the cab of the truck for 10 hrs and it coked perfectly he said !

[Winnie]

I have several buddies down now, or headed down to fight fires with helicopters. Fires are shit!

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

1 hour ago, Winnie said:

I have several buddies down now, or headed down to fight fires with helicopters. Fires are shit!

I hope they stay safe. 

[Wumm]

"Don't expect a Fire-Truck" is invariably the final advice for Bushfires. Usually, there is a period of "Watch and Act", meaning take heed of the fires approaching your area, and put your Fire Plan into place... This is whatever you need to do to either ensure the premises or property is as safe as possible; plan your possible egress and secure the valuables, pets and loved ones to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Don't expect.." usually comes after "Leave now", which is the final warning to either leave or prepare to stay and fight the fire. It's a little poke to say, "If you wanted to leave, it's too late."

I grew up in Rockhampton in Central Queensland, on the Tropic of Capricorn. Every spring, after the usual dry Winter, without fail there are fires on nearby Mount Archer. Parts of the Country have been ablaze since August. Typically now that the fires have Sydney under a blanket of smoke, the Prime Minister has been blamed and shamed for taking a week-long holiday that had been planned months in advance. As if it's his exclusive job to micro-manage every problem that comes along.

Successive Governments have pandered to Green Lobbyists in the name of the Environment, and now we are reaping the Whirlwind. Pastoralists and Land-owners are prevented from clearing their own properties or creating sufficiently spaced fire breaks, stopping the fires from spreading when they're discovered early and while they are still manageable. Much like this fellow, who was fined almost a Million dollars for doing exactly as he was told:

https://www.beefcentral.com/news/qld-landholder-hit-with-record-1m-penalty-for-making-fire-breaks-too-wide/

A ten metre wide fire break is pitifully inadequate when the trees are 25 metres high and the flames are moving through the canopies. Once it's out of control, and into the Towns, the two metre easement to your Neighbour's house might as well be a lit fuse.

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

Indeed.

[Jeff]

Wumm,............... same thing here in British Columbia, I live ruraly , and the 'experts' are ALWAYS telling us to be 'Fire Smart", and they expend many dollars on advertising, and sending other 'experts' around the areas to leave pamphlets and 'information' on how to keep one's home 'Fire Safe". And much like you said, they want a 3 meter fire break around your house.................... well that's ok.................................. I guess, but we have trees 100 feet high, and when we get  a good fire going , anyone with half a brain knows the embers fly more than 2 KM's !................................  This silliness is more for the towns, but again they have tall trees, and if you clean up the ground fuels, and your neighbor doesn't?............................this stems from interface fires that start out in the woods and then burn towns down..... and I would say that IF one puts cedar shakes on their roof...... even though they are 'fire proof'....... well maybe not such a great idea when you live in a fire prone area............. we, also , like you folks have done not a lot in our forests to clear out potential fuels, due to some of the same style protesting of the environmentalists, and yes now it is an issue.... also a lot of Insurance companies are not paying up, and then the Provincial Government gets involved and it quickly becomes a night mare..... personally I think we have far too many 'experts', telling us what to do, and far too many governments bowing to the protesters of the environment ( NOT that , that isn't something to consider ), BUT maybe  we, who live in an area, and know the area, should be allowed to do what we think and know is what we need to do...... to protect our own ...............  your last sentence says it all, my friend...... with that said, ................ fire is so devastating, and from us up here in the wet Canada, ( at the moment) we wish every one a safe path through these fires, and hope they will very soon subside...... stay safe down there.......

[Wumm]

Thanks Jeff,

We are fine here in Brisbane. A fortnight ago over the course of 3 days we got about 9 inches of rain, and it's drizzling at 4:30am after a day of the smoke hanging low yesterday and ramping up the humidity. But here isn't where the rain is needed, it's out West and down South at the moment. Despite the parks and lawns greening up though, the ground litter from trees shedding their bark remains, and gives an idea of what most of the scrub is like out there.

I too am a big proponent of letting Folks do what they need to on their own land. I know a family in Southern New South Wales who have the Murray River running through their land; but have no water allocation, so can't use any of it. It's bone dry out there and hasn't rained for months. They can however apply for a Government loan to buy water and have it trucked in. So, they're limited in how much land they can clear for Fire mitigation, and have precious little water for crops and their own use, let alone to save the house if it comes to that.

The completely ironic thing, is that they limit the amount of clearing you can do in the name of Environmental concerns; but when it all burns down it releases double the Carbon into the atmosphere anyway. Plus you lose everything.

Madness

[Jeff]

I sure don't understand some of these 'Experts".................... clearly a disconnect somewhere...... what a beautiful land you live in, man just gorgeous...............

[GusMac]

20 hours ago, Wumm said:

"Don't expect a Fire-Truck" is invariably the final advice for Bushfires. Usually, there is a period of "Watch and Act", meaning take heed of the fires approaching your area, and put your Fire Plan into place... This is whatever you need to do to either ensure the premises or property is as safe as possible; plan your possible egress and secure the valuables, pets and loved ones to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

"Don't expect.." usually comes after "Leave now", which is the final warning to either leave or prepare to stay and fight the fire. It's a little poke to say, "If you wanted to leave, it's too late."

I grew up in Rockhampton in Central Queensland, on the Tropic of Capricorn. Every spring, after the usual dry Winter, without fail there are fires on nearby Mount Archer. Parts of the Country have been ablaze since August. Typically now that the fires have Sydney under a blanket of smoke, the Prime Minister has been blamed and shamed for taking a week-long holiday that had been planned months in advance. As if it's his exclusive job to micro-manage every problem that comes along.

Successive Governments have pandered to Green Lobbyists in the name of the Environment, and now we are reaping the Whirlwind. Pastoralists and Land-owners are prevented from clearing their own properties or creating sufficiently spaced fire breaks, stopping the fires from spreading when they're discovered early and while they are still manageable. Much like this fellow, who was fined almost a Million dollars for doing exactly as he was told:

https://www.beefcentral.com/news/qld-landholder-hit-with-record-1m-penalty-for-making-fire-breaks-too-wide/

A ten metre wide fire break is pitifully inadequate when the trees are 25 metres high and the flames are moving through the canopies. Once it's out of control, and into the Towns, the two metre easement to your Neighbour's house might as well be a lit fuse.

You have the second highest per capita carbon emissions in the world so I hardly think your government is pandering to the green lobby, try the big coal lobby. 

[Sir Desmond Glazebrook]

True. Basically as far as I can tell, successive polies of every stripe have dropped the ball. George St in Sydney was a mess for years. 

Often I feel like moving to New Zealand. 

I cannot really comment with any degree of real knowledge. I have not seen a news cast or read a newspaper since 2014. My brain can't handle it. I am amazed I saw the ABC coverage.

So I watch Netflix and documentaries on YouTube. I don't even know who the prime minister is. Some idiot just like all the other idiots before quite likely. 

[Wumm]

9 hours ago, GusMac said:

You have the second highest per capita carbon emissions in the world so I hardly think your government is pandering to the green lobby, try the big coal lobby. 

OK well, since Gus is the expert here on Climate Science and Eucalypt Forests...

Perhaps he'd like to inform us all as to his opinion the appropriate width of a Fire Break in a stand of 25 metre tall Gum Trees on a 45 degrees Celsius day with a 50 kph westerly wind? 

Because people are losing their homes and their lives here.