NSW is burning, and it is still spring,my recent trip to our states north was fire all the way
On returning the biggest are near me
A thirty year volunteer I never served in a brigade that did not have one suspected firebug
What are we to do with such people
Yesterday I stepped ten feet in to the ashes of a coastal fire, and found the remains of a dead snake [king brown] and a Koala, never even knew they lived in that part of the bush
A coastal heath land is burning
Out of control and not yet contained
It burns often, and always this time of year
The bush is not fully recovering, because of overuse of burns[yes know Aboriginals burned often] but not this often
After that heath land burns, every time,Christmas Bell flowers bloom, just in time to be stolen, and sold in the city to flower sellers for Christmas
What do we do about firebugs who even murder by their actions?

Hi there, BELLY - How are you, old chap? Anyway, despite most people not reading any of my opinions. This was the situation when I first became a policeman. Congratulations to you for your 30 years of loyal Fire Brigade.

Any person who sets a fire, without lawful excuse, knowing the likelihood, it could result in a bushfire, can be gaoled for 15 years. Any person in similar circumstances, knowing a person or persons are in the vicinity of that fire, can receive a life sentence. Moreover, again, the same circumstances, knowingly set a fire with a dwelling house nearby, can be sentenced to death.

What in hell has happened to our judiciary, with their benign penalties?

*NB: My memory of the precise wordings' of the above citations are quite rusty. However, this the approximate wording. Sufficient for this summary.

O sung wo, never miss reading your valued posts
But do not take part is some threads to avoid trouble
Was more than 30 years in fact but as the last 12 was in communications [ham radio operator] did not include
And brief look at bushfire NSW site fires near me, will show we are burning
Again visited my dead snake and bear on way to shop this morning
While regeneration will take place the bush will never be the same again and yes! courts let us down
Never be able to tell every story but it is clear bush fire brigades are served by the very best we have
And the very worst
Many meet their life time partner in such groups
They a way of getting in to the local community
Changes have been made, BUT still attracting some who like to look heroic, and light the fires to look just that
Murder can result

Sunday , years ago hot and dry high fire danger
Out with the Captain , on patrol watching and hoping no fires
Captan, three hours in to patrol, *gee I am bored lets light a fire!*
Left brigade
That Captain became a group captain outside my area
Next Captain, asked me to return, happy to do that
Still working on roads call came 11pm fire threatening country houses [farms]
2.30 am, weary and looking for way to get ready for 6am work start
Woman from farm [last one with a fire] came out
*Do you know the others are lighting fires over the road*
No not controlled burning fire bugs do exist in and out of bush fire brigades

My words are confronting so not surprised no interest
However they are true fireS are being deliberately set and fire bugs exist
No lightning nothing yet over 50 fires, up to 70 have blackened the north coast of NSW

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-30/important-koala-habitat-destroyed-in-out-of-control-bushfire/11653076
Known world wide for its Kolas far more than homes suffer in every fire

Dear Belly,

My niece has just rung us about the fires near
Port Macquarie. She lives on a property just
north of Port Macquarie. She told us they were standing
and watching a fire burning on the other side of the
road from their property. The fire department told them
they were safe. The wind was blowing away from their
property. I'll have to give her a ring today to see how
they're doing.

Belly, it's not only fire-bugs that are a problem.
We've seen grass burning by the side of the road obviously
started by cigarettes dropped from the side of cars.
People really need to take more care when out in the bush.
Especially due to the dryer conditions that currently exist.

cont'd ...

Dear Belly,

We reported the burning at the next town - but
obviously other drivers had already done the same
and the fire-service knew about it.

http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me
Foxy the fire you speak of is on this map
The number who smoke has dropped but as this map shows the fires are edemic
Smoke was like a heavey blanket here this morning, right down the coast to Sydney
Right now it remains and unlikely to move for two more days we are told

Dear Belly,

Thanks for the map. It looks horrendous.
Completely covering the area where my niece
lives. She loves the bush and wouldn't dream of living
anywhere else. She lives west of Telegraph Point
on the road to Rollands Plains.

Foxy know both places very well, the map covers a great deal of the state
Hence my concerns, it is no even close to our hot dry summer
Bush person myself built my garden to be a bird haven some bottle brush eight meters hight one ten,
Bush is dryer than ever before and it will burn dreadfully
IF some fool lights it
People live right in the bush, under trees that flame horribly
Once started they will not make it out in some places
Law must make an example out of those caught
Here down the coast many, too many, fire fighters have been caught

Dear Belly,

I'm worried about my niece and her family.

Foxt first thing every morning I read that map
Right now it seems your family is safe, but we all should keep up to date
Smoke here is easing a bit, and some hope for some rain next week let's hope we get it

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-22/bushfire-arson-warning-ahead-of-school-holidays/11528192
Just this year [google it in NSW] big numbers of fire bugs have been charged
By the end of summer lives will have been lost
We need the law to be strong and act as the victims wish

Dear Belly,

So far so good. My family seems to be doing OK.
I'll keep you posted.

Foxy right now very very strong winds are driving fires near here
But overall better than a few days ago mostly
Summer will be dreadful, here we have not had a bushfire out of control for at least a decade but it is dry worse than we have ever seen
Hopes and wishes for all who lost homes or will this weekend

We will talk again about bushfires and the tragic loss of animals and even insects fires bring with them
Too headlines yet unwritten will inform us of school kids and yes firefighters being arrested for setting these fires
No joy in knowing/saying we are to confront a horrible summer
And that deaths will result
O sung wo said it all, our justice system lets us and every victim down, every time
May I? long time ago this then very active fighter, went to HQ to get supplies, sitting on a bench waiting for a fire sat five young men who waited with joy in their eyes but little behind them, for the next chance to be a hero
Each, even mid winter, walked the streets in full fire fighting clothing
Two got charged later with multiple fire lighting

Belly I can't understand how it can be so bad down there.

Yes it is a dreadful year, the driest year to date in my area on record since 1889, when records started. However that alone makes my place pretty safe. In such a year little grass has grown, & where grazed there is nothing longer than 10 cm anywhere. Such short grass has no chance of causing a crown fire, the one that becomes really dangerous.

Yes we had a big one down in the boarder National disgrace, Whoops, I'm supposed to call them national parks aren't I, but disgrace is closer to the mark. So bad have they become, chocked with underbrush, that not only do they endanger lives & property with the fire risk, but their impenetrable scrub has forced the wildlife out. I get a dozen minimum kangaroos grazing around the house daily, refugees from the near by national park disaster.

When we get rain, & I say when in hope rather than confidence, the fresh growth will not burn before autumn. My across river neighbor usually has the bush fire brigade burn along the river in late winter/spring to eliminate noxious weeds. 70 Ft high & at a 50 degree angle, it is not possible to do this with machinery or sprays. This year the bank has so little grass growth it could not carry a hot enough fire.

Good luck with it anyway mate.

Hasbeen let me list why
As a true firefighter legislation and tree huggers makes it impossible to burn in winter
Rain, heavy and more than usual falls then too, and stalls action
Believe me I know the bush, even now wander about camera in hand, taking photos
It is tinder dry, I have never seen it so deep or so dry
Fire bugs, few know it is an illness, fewer know the attraction even takes those effected in to bush fire brigades
50 years ago wet bag in hand we fought them in the southern highlands till we dropped
Towns women feed us the best scones and sandwiches in the world
No on looked for the spotlight we just did what was needed
I leave early AM tomorrow to bring my repaired car back from Evans head, about five and a half hour drive [smoke will slow it] every single K will be fire affected
Wish, boy do I wish, ex city dwellers would understand why we must cold burn, and why they must not live mid forrest.

Hasbeen in my post above a very very important truth is there to be seen
Tree Huggers, we name them that, but in truth often women and even more often totally committed but totally uninformed they do as much harm as fire bugs
Loving the bush but never understanding it, they are unaware this land was burnt for thousands of years, cold burn
Animals get away in cold burns
They die in fire storms
Even road workers once burned the edges of roads cold burned
PC councils, the under informed now rule, and kill because they will never understand

I'm presently anchored off a Cape York Community that copped a Cyclone first & now the fires are doing their bit. Locals reckon the high number of fishing/camping tourists might have something to do with the fires.
They're not very keen on all these people tearing the land & reef apart.

Belly it is not the problem with sensible fuel reduction that I was doubting, but that there would be much fuel. I guess you have more national parks, which are the only areas that have much fuel around here.

Anywhere that has been grazed this year is almost bare of anything that would burn.

I would really hate to have a national park as a neighbor these days.

National Parks are simply Anti-Evolutionalists' follies ! In the event of fire they destroy everything that evolved within them. Bush with no fire is not natural on this Continent !

Dear individual,

Bushfires are a part of Australia's natural history simply because it is mostly hot and dry. Most of the soil is sandy and the burnt vegetation is how the soil is replenished with nutrients that support further plant life, but only for a short period because the nutrients are really in the plant cover and not intrinsically in the soil. It's a cycle that has been going on for a long time.

British colonisers made the mistake of thinking the nutrients were in the soil so when they deforested 90% of the land they destroyed the only source of nutrients for the soil. Now we're left with a hot dry wasteland that depends on irrigation to grow crops and support farming. And now we have the great water dilemma as a result.

Not a very nice picture is it? And it's only going to get worse as the planet gets hotter from AGW resulting from overpopulation and consumerism that demand increasing use of fossil fuels to support a global civilisation based on First World lifestyles.

Well I know of two fires kids started one lead to deaths
Face it those kids should not walk away free
Maybe not their parents either
But remember it has been too dry to burn off in winter
Too firefighters who tried started horrific fires in mid winter they had no control over stay safe fellas

Mr o is talking arts department bull dust as usual. He tells us chopping down trees to grow crops destroyed the fertilization of the soil. We should have left the trees. He does not bother to tell us how you grow crops in a forest of trees, but what would you expect.

Belly I have been told by one of our local bush fire brigade fighting the Beachmont fire that it is huge thickets of dead lantana that is fueling the national parks fires into the crowns around here.

People want to live surrounded by trees but when the trees start burning they blame everything & everyone but themselves.
Keep your house & property clear of natural fuel & the damage will be much less. Yes, the early "experts" never thought that clearing so much Bush would degrade the soil as much as it has but now "we" know better, we just need to find a way to get the message to be accepted by the experts. As soon as common sense is part of the curriculum this could become reality !

Hasbeen different climate down here but yes lantana is a problem here too
After all it first grew in this country in Lake Inis Lady bought it here as a flower]
DRY WINTERS stopped fires being started
After far too many turned in to mid winter firestorms
Lake I burns still by the way
To the north children set fire that nearly took their mission homes west of that Bora Ridge same thing, that fire is now out of control
Firebugs murder

re lantana. Sensitive weed is even worse & EPA won't even look at it !