NSW has lost near one thousand homes, in this latest fire storm-filled summer.
We lost others, some deliberately started, at the start of Summer, in fact it started when winter did.
Homes, over a dozen, when up after a woman did just that, then left it to burn
Dry drought, even the charge the greens did it had some impact.
Tree huggers, mostly housewives, do try to stop winter burns, gee they need locking up
Over 100 fires burning, at one time, NSW [ not only] has been in it and suffering.
BUT our biggest, still out of control, even with a cooler few days, fire? figher fighters on the worse day! started a massive back burm, drip torch in hand, that today has claimed over half of the half-million Hectares it has burned so far.
And still burning.
Leave the climate change tree huggers hero,s out of it.
Why would anyone, on such a day mid such a danger *deliberately, start a fire*?
Once, years ago, on a deliberately started [by fire bug] fire, a local deputy fire Captain, did a drip line burn.
Behind my crew! leaving us uniformed till near too late, and caught between the main fire and? the drip line one!
I question again, why light any fire on such a day, is fight fire with fire some times insane?

is fight fire with fire some times insane?
Belly,
In the driest time of year it is absolute insanity but hey, that's the people with the say in goings-on !
I fail to comprehend the mentality of those opposing cold burns while there is still plenty of moisture in the environment.

Belly,

I would have thought that, if there is the threat of a drought (say, a second season which looks like being dry), then parks staff get moving on cool-burning or back-burning of national parks in cool weather; and throughout the year, remove as much undergrowth, dead trees, lantana, broom, and other weeds, as possible, especially all that near the roadways, to keep the fuel load as low as possible.

Of course, these would be huge and difficult jobs, there are plenty of national parks and many (if not most) with areas very difficult to get to. That's why they've been designated national parks. So of course, the number of staff who are actually working in the field should be massively increased, to do this work, year-round. Perhaps all of the bureaucrats could do a token stint, say a week, out in the field.

Perhap even they can become heroes.

Cheers,

Joe

Both posters, thanks, yes first know this, last winter was too dry to do any burning.
The one before not much better.
Some times it is just too wet to burn.
And no workers propaganda, just the truth, like my once Roads Authority, NSW Forests, and Parks are less than half the size they had been
More than half, the once very best, firefighters cold burn teams are gone.
Complex issue.
But in the middle of last winter, a woman set fire to her rubbish heap and went into town.
Her fire took near two weeks to put out, and 13 homes.
Dry.
We know, constantly informed, some 100 fires have been started by firebugs, kids given a talking to, nothing else.
Now in the middle of that week, the one that saw records broken one day, then again the next
RFS personnel, after planning! started a back burn, it jumped the Bells line of road,
It is now our state's single biggest fire, maybe ever.
No joy in saying, less in knowing it is truth, I worked in 5 brigades, never worked in one that did not contain? a firebug!
At the end of our summer [mid to end of Autum] yet again.
We will have an inquiry, AGAIN its results will not be put in place.
But two outcomes you can back on, make it four.
1 controlled winter burns, to be done at every chance.
2 monitor back burns.
3 no walk away without pain for any firebug [maybe murderer]
4 True professionalism in fire management, not a local well mmeaning Captain overdoing it with a drip torch

Belly,

What I'm trying tease out is how to keep national parks as safe as possible to avoid bushfires as much as possible, by clearing out weeds and excessive undergrowth and dead branches, etc. and as much as possible along roadways. And yes, when it's possible, cool-burn, back-burn, etc.

So a two-pronged tactic, of cool-burning when it's possible and clearing work, all year round, when it's not, especially along roadways.

Individual's insistence on the value of some sort of National service could make much sense here for clearing teams.

Joe

First of all we need to clear all trees back far enough from roads, that they can't be burnt off & fall across the road, trapping people trying to drive away from fires.

Then we could make the unemployed useful by having them put in at least one week a month clearing national parks.

Then we could return half the national parks to national producing Forrest, making them useful, & having much better management than they are likely to get as national parks.