Foxy
"I heard about a man being fined by his Council, $100,000
for cutting down trees near his house. It bankrupted
him, yet his house was the only one that survived the bushfire"
The authorities not only did not do the right things to protect the houses from fires but they panished a person who tried to save his house in the future, by cutting trees around it.
The authorities had to block people to biuld houses in the forest or if they gave permision to biuld houses they had to put some basic rules to protect the houses from fires.
Of cause the big problem is not the houses and properties and the animals BUT BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE DIED FROM THE FIRES.
The authorities had plenty time to rescue the people from the high risk areas but they did not do it. THIS IS THE BIG PROBLEM.
Foxy
"My husband and I went to our bank early this morning to make
a donation to the Fire Relief Fund"
The donations are memorable but they can not solve the problem. We must find the sourse which left it happened,
We must sent a very strong, clear mesage to authorities.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT ON 21st CENTURY AUSTRALIANS TO DIE FROM FIRES.
If they do not go home now, we will sent them home in the comming elections!
The people are over the political parties and ideologies.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Forrest, Foxy, I solute you both, thanks for being the people you are may she be alright and back soon.
That bunker was a death trap! had his house burnt down he would be dead.
examinator noticed the fuel drums too, what else did he keep in their? poisons could be anything.
Workplace safety laws forbid storage of such in containers that can not breath if they breath fire can enter.
Remember how he suffered from heat? hot air? if that house 6 feet away had burnt so would he.
Under ground bunkers, no not communal ones time is not available, may work, prevention is better.
Every Royal commission from 1939 fires till now has highlighted the need to reduce Forrest litter by burning.
This one will too, we may not act even now, more will die if we do not.
After controlled burns, if hot days follow, fallen burnt leaves and bark, [our trees shed bark so it will burn] can carry a big fire, a need to watch that time exists.
Fire balls do not form unless enough fuel exists.
Houses on hillsides in timber country will burn down one day believe me fires travel uphill very fast prevention is the first and second option bunkers? last desperate defense.

Foxy everyone
I thought you might like some news direct from some people in the fire. Despite their position and without power these wonderful people somehow managed to post this as a thanks.
How typical of our country people.

http://www.whisperingacres.com.au/bushfire1.html

Also it seems a Gold coast Man has the Answer for fire flood and weather warnings.
It calls you either on your house phone or mobile and warns you of fire floodor any emergency.
It also is able to read people moods to see if they can cope.
It asks you at the same time if you require assistance.

I am sure there will be more about it. I will post more as it comes to hand.

The Gold coast Mayor gave it the inventors of the year award last year.

Heres the sad part- Had the Government had listended..

It is ready to install within three months.

*The authorities had plenty time to rescue the people from the high risk areas but they did not do it. THIS IS THE BIG PROBLEM.*

We will agree to disagree on that one. The authorities don't need
to hold your hand for life. It is your responsibility to paddle
your own canoe. If you live in a high risk fire area, it is for
you to inform yourself and help yourself.

The role of Govt might well be to help those who cannot help themselves, too old, too frail, too young etc.

But don't expect Govt to change your nappies for you.

Col Rouge: << So, I assume you agree with this “curmudgeon” that the actions of green activists in tampering with fire breaks carries with it a criminal culpability >>

Col's not a curmudgeon - rather, he fancies himself as a bit of a wit. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to say exactly what kind of wit I think he is at OLO.

His idiotic and hysterical bleating - about "green activists" being somehow responsible for the unprecedent firestorm that Victoria has just experienced - seems to me to be concordant with the shrieking denialism expressed by the ideologically challenged 'business as usual' crowd in response to Australia's first mass deaths caused by global warming.

I hope they live long enough to have to eat their words.

Yabby
"The authorities don't need to hold your hand for life"
We taxpayers pay millions of dollars for managers, experts and sub-experts. If they said them to stay there and fight for their home, and properties and if the people trusted and respected the authorities they did.
We do not play with people's lifes.
If the authorities can not give the right advices for so simple and basic problems then why we have them? Why we ,as taxpayers and as citizens, we give them so much power and we waste on them so much money? Your theory is similar with Republicans in USA about the Hurricain Katrina in New Orleans. But you know people's answer to Republicans in the last elections!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide