The TV Bushfire Ads Airing on Commercial TV

I’ve just had the pleasure (not) of watching the new Bushfire Ads, I rarely watch live to air TV for exactly this reason, to avoid media, to avoid news stories, this has become obvious after the Victorian Black Saturday  Bushfires.

I visually saw about 5-10sec and realised it was smoke, I could hear people panicking and then I realised it was one of the bushfire ads, that I have been reading about, in places like this http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2011/11/30/3380039.htm

I lost the plot.

I can smell smoke, my skin is crawling, the sounds, the memories, just because some people will always be dumb, do the rest of society have to suffer?

Remove the ads and save the sanity of those connected to the 173 people that died and the 1000’s that escaped with prior knowledge or by the skin of their teeth.

PULL the ADS before the inevitable occurs and someone is pushed over the edge.

THE Signage - I live in a bushfire prone area

WOW - my jaw hit the dash when I saw this.

I mean I KNOW I LIVE IN A BUSHFIRE PRONE AREA, My neighbours know this also – you’d have to be stupid not to realise this.

Now, I'm being told I LIVE in a bushfire area?

I want to know at what cost? - Is this a local council initiative or something that the State Government has dropped upon us?

Will ALL areas be receiving these signs, or just a few unlucky pockets?

I'd sooner see the money spent on refuges and signage for said refuges than signs like this.

The Yellow one would be 1 METRE tall and 1 METRE across, not even road signage for dangerous intersections is this large.

IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THESE AREAS:-
Beaconsfield Upper, Belgrave (and surrounds), Bendigo (and surrounds), Blackburn, Boronia, Burwood, Carrum Downs, Christmas Hills, Cockatoo, Creswick, Croydon (and surrounds), Diamond Creek, Doncaster East, Donvale, Eltham (and surrounds), Endeavour Hills, Ferntree Gully, Frankston (and surrounds), Gembrook, Greensborough, Hoddles Creek, Hurstbridge, Kallista, Lilydale, Lower Templestowe, Mernda, Mill Park, Monbulk, Montrose, Mount Dandenong, Narre Warren, Olinda, Pakenham (and surrounds), Research, Riddells Creek, Rosebud (and surrounds), Wantirna (and surrounds), Warrandyte (and surrounds), Wonga Park

Then expect this sign in YOUR backyard (street) and expect it to immediately devalue YOUR property AND Raise your insurance premiums.

Your thoughts?

40’c at your place? What Council services can you expect?

I covered this some 12 months ago Do Council, Government & Insurance Co.'s have power to shut your business on HIGH fire risk days?

From council offices, to council amenities, schools, day-care centres, possibly even community events.

Don’t forget your electricity supply also Cut my power, cut my ability to make life-saving decisions

Then to find this article in the Adelaide Now Care Factor Nil for Elderly Left Alone - Adelaide Now stating that elderly citizens were abandoned during a day that exceeded 40’c. These elderly people, who have paid their taxes and raised children and helped Australia grow, couldn’t even have a shower, because no-one came to help them.

The response from the agencies involved? “the policy called for systems to ensure family, friends or neighbours checked the welfare of clients on days of extreme heat and fire danger.”

What if they DO NOT have anyone to check their welfare? What then? People don’t use these agencies because they have that people that care about them, or are nearby, they use these agencies as a last resort solution.

I hope and pray that nothing EVER goes wrong.

Please if you have elderly neighbours, OR know someone in this position, please find the time to stop past or even ring to check they are okay. Remember the older generation are proud and will not ask for help. Sometimes you have to just DO IT, for them.

Fire Warning Signs - Replaced and Looking Good

As per this post Sept '09 Signage and this post Nov '09 Signage the signage has NOW BEEN RECTIFIED!

This is one step in the right direction, the final sign was completed in the 23rd December 2010.

I’m happy now that this has been completed. It’s one more step in the right direction for residents, tourists and people travelling through the affected areas.

This is now what the signs should all look like (They do in my neck of the woods)

What about yours?

Please let me know if you have a location, NOT YET taken care of.

I was informed by the CFA that sign replacement was to be completed by September 2010, but remember it’s NOT THE CFA’S responsibility, so they are NOT to blame if the sign switch has not been done.

Refer your local council AND post locations here, Council, suburb/town and street name/number.

Let’s bring this to the forefront of fire awareness.

Stay safe, stay alert,stay prepared and stay safe

Take care out there

Fire Warning Signs - still no change from September 2010

The Good - Kinglake Fire Warning Sign:-


The Bad - Whittlesea Fire Warning Sign:-



The Ugly - Kalkallo Fire Danger Warning Sign:-


Look, call me a looney, call me a fool, call me an idiot for even caring. Not 25km from these signs - 20 people died. Not 90km from these signs nearly 150 people died.

We as residents of the state of Victoria, DESERVE the RIGHT to know what danger the day may bring.

We pay rates, we elect the people into Local Council, into State Goverment, we have a right to be fully informed.

The CFA are NOT responsible for these signs, they are ONLY responsible for ensuring that the arrow points in the right direction - the problem is THERE IS NO ARROW, THERE IS NO WARNING INDICATOR.

I've previously written about this:-
September 2010 - Fire Danger Warning Signs - Are we in Danger?
August 2010 - CFA Road Signage

The last I heard in late September, early October was that new signs were being designed, yet the fire danger period is almost upon us and nothing is being seen to be done.

The CFA are hamstrung, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't say anything. Damned by the Government/Councils for speaking up and making them look bad and damned by the general public for not warning them

Someone needs to pull their finger out and soon - soon enough so that people entering high risk fire areas on days considered high risk, can actually see the risk.

Fire Danger Warning Signs - Are We in Danger?

1st September 2010

30km apart, three totally different signs, three totally different attitudes, three totally different types of townships, two townships both impacted by the Black Saturday Fires.

And yet the warning signs, that are meant to form one of the points of contact to alert the residents in the area and the travelling public to the danger of fire in the area belong to three different councils and have three completely different looks.

I have previously covered this topic here CFA Road Signage - August 2010 and here Victorian Public Lives Not At Risk - January 2010

The state of Victoria currently has 3 types of signs:-
The least informative which looks like this:- Kalkallo - Fire Signage

A little more informative, but not much better – Whittlesea – Fire Signage
(This sign faces south and would explain why the sign has not deteriorated)

And the third which wins ALL the prizes - Kinglake Fire Signage
(This sign is metal and speaks for itself) Also note that this sign is new, within the last 15-30 days.


Why can’t the people and visitors to Victoria have the same information available to them, across the state, in the same easy-to-read format?

Hasn’t the state Government learnt ANYTHING since the fires of Black Saturday?

**photos taken between the 20th and 22nd August 2010**

Marysville V Kinglake, Bushfires and Rebuilding

I've tried to bite my tongue - but enough is enough - HOW DARE THE COUNCIL treat the township of Marysville with so little respect.

The same sign, two different towns, both affected in the same way - both suffering and this what you get.

Data from the 2006 Census reveals:-
To give you an idea of some figures:-
Kinglake (2006 Census) - 1482 population
Marysville (2006 Census) - 519 population

Kinglake:- During the week prior to the 2006 Census, 735 people aged 15 years and over who were usually resident in Kinglake (Suburb) were in the labour force. Of these, 58.5% were employed full-time, 29.5% were employed part-time, 4.2% were employed but away from work, 1.9% were employed but did not state their hours worked and 5.9% were unemployed. There were 291 usual residents aged 15 years and over not in the labour force.

Marysville - During the week prior to the 2006 Census, 269 people aged 15 years and over who were usually resident in Marysville (L) (Urban Centre Localities) were in the labour force. Of these, 58.4% were employed full-time, 31.6% were employed part-time, 1.9% were employed but away from work, 2.6% were employed but did not state their hours worked and 5.6% were unemployed. There were 149 usual residents aged 15 years and over not in the labour force.

The difference between Kinglake and Marysville - Kinglake is considered a suburb of Melbourne, Marysville is not.

A majority of Kinglake residents travel into the outer suburbs of Melbourne for employment

99% of Marysville residents worked within the township. Now there are only a handful of jobs left.

Marysville is dying, no jobs, people can't afford to stay. People can't afford to rebuild. Without jobs people move away.

Kinglake the same as Marysville, there was loss of life, there was loss of residences, but perhaps only 5-10% of jobs were lost in Kinglake.

Complete polar opposites. Yet Marysville gets completely ignored. same Council, same State Government, and the McEwen Electorate.

Council, State Government and Politicians should be ashamed that they so blatantly discriminate against a township struggling to survive.

Mandatory Evacuations in the USA 'V' Australia

I am writing this whilst sitting in my lovely house on top of a hill, overlooking the suburbs of Melbourne. 10-20km north of me are tracks of land – burnt beyond belief. To the north of me 7 people died, to the east of me 164 people died. To the northeast of me the fire got to within 7km of my property, before the winds changed.

I’m trying to give to you a sense of where we stood in relation to the Black Saturday Fires and how close they came.

There have been many tales told of the USA where ‘Mandatory Evacuations” take place and I thought I would investigate a little further. Not everything you can hear is true nor understood fully by the speaker.

The word “Mandatory” means (in context) – (adjective) authoritatively ordered; obligatory; compulsory: It is mandatory that all residents leave the area.

Now mandatory evacuation doesn’t mean that in the USA. In the USA you have 3 levels of alert,
1. Be aware of your surrounding, you may be required to voluntary evacuation to pre-designated safe areas (similar to Australia).
2. Voluntary evacuation – evacuations centres are opened and the public may use them if they choose, or may re-locate to friends and family outside the immediate area of danger. People considered unable to care for themselves should be assisted by officials in the area. This could include children, if authorities deem them to be at risk.
3. Mandatory Evacuations – evacuations centres are opened, people are encouraged to leave the area and move to the evacuation centres, until the danger passes.

Now this is where it gets tricky. If you choose NOT TO leave, when the mandatory call is put out, you are ON YOUR OWN. Emergency services will not attend, food and fuel WILL NOT be available. Nobody will come and rescue you at the height of the danger. You are ALL ALONE.

Some things to consider IF a mandatory evacuation order IS ISSUED IN THE USA. From what I can understand you are effectively under marshal law and could be arrested if you step off private property. Explain Mandatory/Voluntary Evacuation

Now the key to ALL of this working is warnings and people being aware of their surroundings. No matter how diligent the officials are at warning people, some people will be missed. That is why it’s essential no matter which side of the world you live; you pay attention to the outside world.

In the USA, where there is more time than not, ample warning of an approaching hurricane or similar, I’m led to believe that along with radio and TV, loud hailers and face to face warnings are issued. Mandatory Evacuation

Bushfires because they are not something that can be predicted (i.e. arson or fallen powerlines) then the ability to issue timely warnings can be very limited. But in the instance of the Black Saturday Fires, for three days prior warnings were issued on Television, Radio and Print media. This was effectively Stage 1 of the ‘be aware of your surroundings’

On Saturday the 7th February 2009, the media switched to (Stage 2) requesting people leave their place of residence IF they lived in an area deemed to be a high risk fire area, or prepare to stay and defend. At that stage, NO fire had been reported.

Once the fire got started, there was no going back, the weather conditions on that day were probably the same if not worse than 1939 and the inevitable happened. Even those that had been through the 1939 fires, thought they were invincible and that turned out not to be the case.

Personally I stayed, with my husband, we prepared, as we had prepared every day for this time. Our house had been constructed with fire mesh, with a water supply not requiring any form of power. We had a water pump; we had tanks with CFA connections. We had accessed what could and could not be saved, building wise. Prepared the animals to be transported or left. The neighbours had all been warned and transport arranged for the elderly and infirm. Those with young children packed and left. The fire should have hit us about 3.30-3.45pm on Saturday the 7th February 2009. At 3.15pm the wind changed, and the fire turned flank and headed east. God help those in the hills. I called my parents and told them the fire was coming. They had 3hours to prepare. They did what they could, warned those they could. They survived. Just like many others, who had spent a life-time doing the small things, leading up to that dreadful day.

So you see – Australia DOES have similar steps in place for emergency evacuations, the difference is people here, in Australia seem to think that emergency services have enough personnel on the ground to save THEIR house, bugger everyone else’s.

I’m sorry – there are two words – PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Heed them, look at them and act on them.

CFA Roadside Signage

I have previously touched on this topic, what’s made me bring it up again is that I was reading the local newspaper and saw this article Star Group - Fired Up Over Signs Which says that the council are fully responsible for the funding for the CFA Fire Danger Indication Signs. I wasn’t aware of this, I’m sure you weren’t either.

The new format, corrugated plastic signs were placed over the old format steel (better) signs with funding from the State Government, the councils are being asked to replace the fading and failing plastic signs with a material more durable, but in the same format.

I agree with councils (which is rare for me) the old format is far superior to the new format as I have discussed previously here Victorian Public Lives Not at Risk
The reasoning behind replacing the signs in the first place as to make it ‘easier’ for the public to see the fire danger, which is a complete an utter lie. The new sign shows NO indicative points, only colours with a telephone number and a website. The old signs with the arrow and the colour markings were easier to see at high speed and also clearly indicated the fire danger in the area you were entering.

Another aim when replacing the signs is to ensure that the fire areas line up with total fire ban weather areas, which is also a good idea.

The Government need to realise that by supposedly simplifying things, they are actually muddying the waters and making it even harder.

The OLD CFA Danger sign was far superior to the new. It was easier to read when passing in a 100kph zone, and it clearly showed what the fire danger was. The new sign shows NOTHING. Other than pretty colours, a phone number and a website.

The State Government are all for making people more aware, more accountable, why remove ANOTHER avenue/layer of warning?

Your input greatly appreciated

The outcome of the Royal Commission and the bushfires of Black Saturday

I’ve read the recommendations, I’m no expert and I don’t pretend to be, but here is what I see:-

Recommendation 1:- “Enhance the role of warnings” This is very hard given the fact that wind changes (which can’t be predicted) caused many of the problems on Black Saturday. People MUST be prepared and accountable for days of high fire danger. It’s not the Governments responsibility.
Recommendation 2:- “Community education programs” I live in an area that was on high alert that day, due to the fires starting about 20km away. I have yet to see a letterbox drop. I have not seen any communication in relation to community education programs. I’m sure they are there, but I have not seen anything advertised.
Recommendation 3:- “evacuation and shelter for vulnerable residents” I’d be interested to know the locations of these shelters, as the general public have nothing put aside for them yet. What about neighbours? – On Black Saturday, our street ensured that the vulnerable residents were accounted for and removed or under the care of someone capable.
Recommendation 4:- “Replacing the 2005 Fire Refuges in Victoria” There were NO fire refuges in Victoria in 2005, all refuges were deemed unsafe due to public liability issues. Personal shelters for individuals, who will monitor these to ensure their ongoing safety compliance?
Recommendation 5:- “encourage individuals—especially vulnerable people—to relocate early” This is the leave earlier policy in different wording.
Recommendation 6:- “national curriculum incorporates the history of bushfire in Australia” We can't teach Australian History in schools, how can we teach bushfire danger to kids, without someone complaining we are terrorizing their children into fearing the bush?
Recommendation 7:- “to develop a national bushfire awareness campaign.” Isn’t that what the stay or go policy is? An awareness campaign about the dangers of bushfires?
Recommendation 8:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 9:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 10:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 11:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 12:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 13:- “introduce a graded scale of emergency declarations short of a state of disaster.” By avoiding calling a ‘State of Emergency’ the local government saves a lot of money. That is why the Black Saturday Fires were not declared a state of emergency because the funding that is provided once this has been declared is greater than if it had not been declared a state of emergency.
Recommendation 14:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 15:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 16:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 17:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 18:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 19:- “provide to all CFA volunteers an identification card” This is good, finally, even when clothed in CFA clothing, water tankers were unable to get through road blocks. Finally some common sense for support vehicles and support personnel.
Recommendation 20:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 21:- “aerial resources that are suitable for firefighting “ Considering we hire/rent/lease a fire fighting aircraft from the USA and that on Black Saturday it was claimed that most aircraft on Australian shores could not fight fires in any degree or fashion.
Recommendation 22:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 23:- these are internal issues for CFA (Why is the DSE not also mentioned here?)
Recommendation 24:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 25:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 26:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 27:- I agree with the replacement of the SWER lines, but this has been recommended for many years. Electricity linesmen have been saying this for years, because of the lack of maintenance performed over the years, and now the state of disrepair of the electricity cabling, we are going to be forced to pay for this, perhaps as high as a doubling of power bills to fund this upgrade.
I have a SWER line 20m from my house, that spans 1km of treed (and housed) area, how can that go underground? The aerial bundling won’t stop the cable breaking, but the replacement of may reduce the risk for many years.
Recommendation 28:- “change their asset inspection standards” This is a certainty and essential commitment that MUST be complied with, as discussed in a sitting at the Royal Commission
Recommendation 29:- is really just a re-hash of 28
Recommendation 30:- “to reduce the risks posed by hazardous trees “ I honestly thought that this would have been part of normal inspection process that is supposed to be carried out on a regular basis.
Recommendation 31:- “the identification of hazardous trees and notifying the responsible entities” is this a form of back-up insurance? To make sure that the electricity companies are doing their job? What other risk could trees be, other than risk to powerlines?
Recommendation 32:- “disable the reclose function” only 6 weeks? – The fire season doesn’t abide by dates or calendars, why only 6 weeks? Yes this will mean more power outages for regional areas, but perhaps it is for the greater good.
Recommendation 33:- Spreaders should be fitting on all lines, regardless of location, I thought this would have been standard practice.
Recommendation 34:- “The State amend the regulatory framework” and “to require it to fulfil that mandate” ummmmm, again I thought this would have already been in place and that being the case, why mandate that the mandate be fulfilled?
Recommendation 35:- “coordinated statewide approach to arson prevention “ The police can’t control arsonists. If arsonists are discovered, they go to court, they are released again on bail (as happened in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne 2009) How can the police monitor that? – During peak fire season, if an arsonist is caught – they MUST be locked up for the duration of the fire season, it’s the only way to show a) we are serious, b) ease the workload on already stressed Police Officers.
Recommendation 36:- “National Action Plan to Reduce Bushfire Arson in Australia,” Relates again to Recommendation 35.
Recommendation 37:- These are internal issues for CFA and local Government.
Recommendation 38:- These are internal issues for CFA and local Government.
Recommendation 39:- These are internal issues for local Government
Recommendation 40:- These are internal issues for CFA and local Government
Recommendation 41:- These are internal issues for DSE and local Government
Recommendation 42:- These are internal issues for DSE
Recommendation 43:- These are internal issues for DSE
Recommendation 44:- These are internal issues for CFA
Recommendation 45:- “to urgently adopt a bushfire policy” Why is the Murrindindi Council singled out here? There were other townships affected. But I do agree with the principle of the idea
Recommendation 46:- “develop and implement a retreat and resettlement strategy” Good idea in theory, but non-compulsory? – What does this mean? We all know under ‘compulsory’ acquisition, that the value is well-under market value. What does this mean to landowners who choose this option?
Recommendation 47:- “reducing the risk of ignition from ember attack” is a MUST for buildings in high-risk areas. In fact common sense in reality.
Recommendation 48:- is really just Recommendation 47 worded differently.
Recommendation 49:- again Recommendation 47 & 48 reworded
Recommendation 50:- “develop a standard for bushfire sprinklers and sprayers” This is a MUST but in saying that – people can’t afford copper piping AND the cost is massive (and the risk of theft the same) – what else can be done?
Recommendation 51:- “existing buildings in bushfire-prone areas can be modified” This is a good idea – but again, the building owners should have already thought and put into action further protection means for the buildings.
Recommendation 52:- “the regular assessment of landowners’ compliance with conditions” The council will baulk at this – the cost and manpower required will incur cost and the councils will be reluctant to follow through.
Recommendation 53:- “amend s. 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962 to require that a vendor’s statement include whether the land is in a designated Bushfire-prone Area” A good idea and allows for the potential purchaser to make decisions accordingly. The only failure of this, is that CFA are not compelled to attend properties in dead-end streets, This should also be commented on in the section 32, as a reminder of how alone you will actually be under the threat of fire.
Recommendation 54:- “issue fire prevention notices.” (Delegation is not a real issue) The CFA and MFB already do have this power, along with the council.
Recommendation 55:- “providing regular training and guidance material to planning and building practitioners” This should be encompassed under the council approval processes
Recommendation 56:- “a long-term program of prescribed burning” Correct, but there will be elements within society that disagree with this.
Recommendation 57:- “Department of Sustainability and Environment report annually on prescribed burning outcomes” again, as prescribed burning is done wholly within the domain of the DSE, This is covered within Recommendation 56.
Recommendation 58:- “long-term data collection to monitor and model the effects “ again, encompassed under Recommendations 56 & 57, with the reporting and increasing of burns.
Recommendation 59:- again encompassed under recommendations 56, 57 and 58. The use of wildfire was apt for the day of Black Saturday, but a ‘normal’ bushfire should be classified as such. A wildfire is just an increase in the strength of words, which is what the government wants.
Recommendation 60:- “the provisions allow for a broad range of roadside works capable of reducing fire risk” This decision (or change in rulings) will not appease some members of the community and cause Local Councils and Vicroads much hardship and possible confrontation in the field.
Recommendation 61:- “on resolving the competing tensions arising from the legislation affecting roadside clearing” addresses my exact concerns. Will the State and Commonwealth Governments have the guts to do this properly? The fires funnelled up the roadsides and creeks because of the quantity of scrub and rubbish in these areas.
Recommendation 62:- is just a rewording of 60 & 61.
Recommendation 63:- These are internal issues for Government and DSE and CFA
Recommendation 64:- “replace the Fire Services Levy with a property-based levy” This recommendation has long been fought for by insurance companies, the problem is will property insurance rates drop or remain stagnant because of this decision and what will be the effect on council rates?
Recommendation 65:- “a national centre for bushfire research” sounds like a good idea
Recommendation 66:- “assess progress with implementing the Commission’s recommendation” is definitely required, but will the time frames be fluffed to appease certain groups?
Recommendation 67:- “The State consider the development of legislation for the conduct of inquiries in Victoria” Is this a slap in the face for the Victorian Labor Government, in essence the governments response and knee-jerking regarding the interim report?

Now remember the above is MY PERSONAL views on the subject. I understand that CFA/DSE/MFB/Victoria Police policies along with Government rules and regulations, all have an impact on my life, but it’s not for me to dissect these decisions and possible outcomes. That is why I have avoided comment on recommendations encompassing those areas.

I still don’t think enough emphasis has been placed on personal responsibility; each and every adult who lives in a high fire danger area has a personal responsibility to every child and aged adult in their care. I don’t think this has been stressed enough.

Something that the media and the general public have been avoiding commenting on is the issuing of fire warnings. For three days prior to the tragic day of Black Saturday, the media was crawling with the Premier, the Chief of the CFA and others who stated quite clearly that Saturday the 7th February 2009, was going to be the worst day that Victoria had seen in many decades.

I understood that to mean that the risk of fire was basically inevitable and consequently could not be ignored. I was on alert and saw the smoke of the Kilmore fire long before anything was in the media. From that moment onwards I enacted our fire plan and ensured that everyone on the street was aware. Once the fire situation made it to the media my father was calling me, checking that we were organised, checking that we were okay.

The public were warned, perhaps not on the day – things were moving too quickly, I could only follow the fire from what I could visually sight. Not from the media, or the CFA website simply because the information must have been coming in too quickly.

I have blogged previously about the events after this time. I have no wish to re-visit that ground, it has been done and nothing can be changed.

Remember this blog is MY PERSONAL VIEW.

Victoria Lives at Risk #7

I know its almost winter, I know that few people except those with a keen interest will be checking out the CFA website for bushfires, let alone any fires.

But once again the CFA feed for the fire locations IS NOT WORKING. The DSE Site IS working, with the same information, but if you live in Epping, Victoria, why would you check the DSE site? - When the CFA is your fire brigade?

This is not the first time and I doubt will be the last. If it is a planned outage, then notice should be posted on the site, on the relevant page.

I was informed at 19.36hrs EST, that the website has currently been down for 20 hours. It is now 20.42hrs EST and there is no notice on the site, nor has the site come back up.

If this was to happen mid-summer, I'm sure there would be an uproar, but since it's winter and little threat is posed, who cares?

I hate to say it but I care - my reasons for caring are that a site that can't work properly in winter, what hope have we got in summer when the threat is real and not imagined?

The people who run the technical side of things for the CFA need to fix this urgently as I have been blogging about every outage that I am made aware of.

Here the major outages that I am aware of and have been able to prove.

Dec 2009 - Outage #1
Dec 2009 - Reason for Outage
Dec 2009 - Outage #2
Jan 2010 - Outage #3
Jan 2010 - Outage #4
Jan 2010 - Outage #5
Feb 2010 - Outage #6

At the risk of repeating myself:-
"We must make our voices heard over the politics, over the government protectionism of public liability, we need multiple sources of information and not information that is hidden from all except a few who understand how these things work.

“Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron says people should never rely only on the CFA website."

So tell me Mr Cameron – what do we rely on? Or do we leave our house, our business or animals to the hand of God?

Victorians have a right to know - not be kept in the dark like mushrooms. We have a right to defend if capable/able"

**It is now 7.23hrs EST 31.05.10 and the CFA website is still down, making a total of 32 hours that the CFA has been down for so far. This is not acceptable

** The site finally came back up again at 10.05hrs EST 31.05.10 - making a total of 35 hours down time

Royal Commissions and Arse-Protection

I’m not going to pretend I’ve been following all the goings on in the Royal Commission for the last 150 days, I’ve had other things to deal with.

But what I have seen from the media and the transcripts doesn’t make for pretty reading.

One thing that has upset me from the day the fires hit was the removal of the fire refuges, due to public liability issues. The State Government passed this responsibility onto the councils and the councils promptly shut down 99% of the fire refuges, due to public liability issues. When people needed somewhere to turn, there was nowhere.

Then the State Government steps in at the release of the interim report from the Royal Commission and instigates a whole raft of proposals, regulations and rules with little thought for the consequences.

One example was/is the release of the “Code Red” days and warnings and the closing of schools, education centres. Fine in theory – but in real life will not work.

Then there are reports in the media of some councils closing council properties on these declared days in the hope of avoiding responsibility in the case of another fire like Black Saturday.

It is now 18 months after the fact, there has been no real change in protection of the communities previously affected, nor those that weren’t affected, but need protection.

In 18 months, a Royal Commission started by the State Government, has now become a ball and chain for the Labor State Government and possibly the Federal Government, especially with the election looming on the horizon.

People that they placed in command that day have openly lied about their whereabouts on that fateful day. How could a serving member forget their whereabouts on a day now labeled the worse in Victoria’s History?

I’m sure if you think back you could remember where you were and what you did. Given 20 years things may be different, but 18 months after the fact the memory will still be fresh. So explain how someone so heavily involved could forget?

Then there is the lost fire path prediction maps – thrown out by the cleaners? – I don’t think so.

The half-arsed CFA pager system – No wonder the CFA volunteers were struggling. Between the metropolitan digital system and the analogue country system. They had no chance.

Until recently (like April 2010) there was an open URL that could be used to trace all the CFA pager messages that went out from the search and rescue messages, to road accidents, out of control fires, to admin messages advising where keys were located for stations. I’m not sure who else was aware of this ‘leak’ but it got patched once the CFA pager problems were made public. That URL had been operational since March 2009 that I am personally aware of – as I am the person who located it.

The Royal Commission has resulted in many people in many areas falling into self-protection mode and not telling the WHOLE truth for fear of retribution, be it from their bosses or the public. A public office position is highly coveted and thus many people will forgo morals and ethics in favour of public opinion or they will do as they are told by those higher than themselves.

I foretell now that many recommendations put forward by the Royal Commission into the fires of February 2009, will not be implemented, just as the Royal Commission into the fires in 1939, sees many recommendations not implemented today, some 70 years later.

Therefore the Government, both State and Local need to step back. An example of a resident trying to do the right thing before the fires. He requested (four) 4 trees be felled and had to pay a fee of $94.00 and was prohibited from removing others from the same block.After the fires the owner was allowed to removed 194. Can anyone see a problem with this? – I know I can. Oh and the removal permit of $94 was also overlooked in the aftermath of the fires. That’s local government for you.

Australians have always liked the bush, therefore many of us choose to live in the bush, amongst nature, amongst the tall trees, amongst the animals. It is OUR responsibility to ensure we are safe, to ensure that we survive, not the governments, not the councils.

Christine Nixon and Black Saturday

I wasn’t going to enter the fray regarding Christine Nixon and her dinner date whilst the state burnt, but I think now has come the time for me to discuss MY thoughts and opinions regarding this issue.

People have been loud in their support for and against Christine Nixon.

Neil Mitchell has taken a caning, yet he is only reporting what was said in the Royal Commission, word for word, public opinion took over from there.

The Thank-you concert at Federation Square last night saw Christine Nixon cheered as she approached the stage.

Kevin Rudd and John Brumby have both stood by her and say that she has done nothing wrong.
Ted Baillieu of the opposition is calling for her resignation.

Fran Bailey the local member for Parliament for the seat of McEwen, the seat hit hardest by the fires, is also calling for her resignation.

Tony Abbott is sitting on the fence, saying that “She made an error in judgment”

The blogging community can’t decide to support or sack Christine Nixon. The blog “Telling it Like it is” has made these comments on Hysteria Burning hotter than ever

Then you have the blog “CarringtonBrigham.com” which stands on the sacking side with Nixon made un-acceptable mistake when Victoria needed her.

Only the people directly affected should really have any say. My personal opinion is YES she made an error in judgment, but what hurts the most is the fact, she tried to cover it up, either lie outright (as some have done) or tell the complete and utter truth. There is no in-between when dealing with what is now a Royal Commission and therefore a fact finding mission, not a blame game.

Remember this is MY PERSONAL OPINION and nothing more, nor less.

Christine Nixon made an error in judgment, she had a moral and ethical duty to be standing side by side and shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who were fighting the battle, be it on the ground or in the control room. She should have been there, to witness the suffering, to witness the panic, to witness the way HER organisation managed or didn’t manage all aspects of the situation.

She had a duty of care and she has been negligent in her duty.

Christine Nixon is now no longer in the position, in which she failed, perhaps that is a good thing, but to say that she needs to be sacked is a completely different thing. Perhaps she was already aware she had let ‘The side’ down on that day and by her filling the position she now does, she is compensating for the lack of care and attention.

Only one person knows and that is not you and me. Only time will tell if she is strong enough and has the guts to stand up to the critics and face her personal demons, just like those that survived that night have to do.

Also in closing remember she is not the only member of our emergency services who failed us on that day, many many people decided not to turn up to work on that day, because it was too hot, because it was Saturday. Some of the absenteeism records for that day are abysmal, she is not the only person that should be singled out if you want to play the blame game.

Yes the houses would have burnt, yes lives would have been lost, but morally she had a duty to be on duty - that's what we paid her for.

When is an Official Warning not an Official Warning

26.03.10

3AW Issued an 'Official Warning' Yesterday for the Western Part of Victoria for Sunday. Which you can View Here

An Exert --> "Certainly on Sunday we need Victorians in the western part of the state to be prepared and alert," State Control Centre spokesperson Caroline Douglass said. "People need to understand that even towards the end of the bushfire season the risk of a significant fire is still very real."

This morning, Saturday the 27th March 2010, I checked both the CFA and the DSE sites for media releases or anything that might indicate a danger for people in the western part of the state, and other than the entry on the 3AW blog titled "Extreme fire conditions on Sunday" I am unable to find any reference.

Remember I am only an ordinary resident of the state, I could live anywhere in the state and yet I hear (and see) that a major player in the radio news field issues a warning for an area, that I may live in, may be travelling through, or perhaps have family in, yet I am unable to follow this threat up with either CFA or DSE. Nothing in media releases. nothing on the home page.

It feels like mis-information all over again.

The BoM (Bureau of Meteorology) is showing what appears to be some weather activity to the West of the state which will likely impact the state late Saturday or Sunday. The Official Warning also states "That weather pattern, combined with a strong chance of dry lightning, presents a significant chance of fires."

I don't like putting the cart before the horse, neither do I believe in crying wolf, but it would seem that the CFA/DSE and media outlets either go into overkill or they completely smother the warnings.

I know the Government thinks that most people are idiots and can't look after themselves, but seriously - don't we have the right to KNOW when we MIGHT be in danger, when OUR lives MIGHT be at risk, WHEN OUR families MIGHT be at risk?

If there is such a risk present, then perhaps the CFA/DSE need to ensure that the media releases page located Here SHOULD make reference to what appears to be an official media release by a fire agency?

We have a RIGHT TO KNOW.

Look at Black Saturday, people time and time again claim that they were not warned. There were warnings three days in row that the threat of fire was imminent and yet people claim they did not hear these warnings.

We MUST BE informed, we MUST be told, we MUST Have the ability to make decisions of our OWN accord and live and die by those decisions.

Your Thoughts

And if you are wondering WHY I keep harping on lack of notification or information, this is why My Story I don't want others to have to go through what I and many 1000's of other people did on the 7th February 2009, now known as Black Saturday

CFA are still playing with our lives and our minds

I have to say that the CFA on the ground do a magnificent job and I dare anyone to argue with me. The problem is with the people using the technology given to them to advise us, the public about what is going on are failing us miserably.

Today a Watch and Act Alert was raised for the Raglan area in the North West of Victoria, an area bordered by the Sunraysia, the Western and the Pyrennes Highways. There was and is nothing wrong with the warnings. They needed to an were raised in a timely manner.

The problem was what the warnings were not showing up on the main page of the CFA incidents site. There were numerous warnings throughout the day – the first one for the 18th March was raised at 7.23am, the second one at 8.55am the next one at 10.30am. There were other warnings issued AFTER this time – but they displayed correctly – so there was no need for me to screen-shot them and post.

So lets have a look at the first screen shot.
Screen shot taken at 9.20am – yet the 8.55am written warning does not display (note that if you clicked the 7.23am link it DOES take you through to the 8.55am warning) but on first look it would appear there have been no further updates since 7.23am



Now the Second screen shot.
Screen shot taken at 9.20am. This is the written warning of 8.55am, (accessed via the 7.23am link) notice that it clearly states that the township of Raglan is likely to be impacted between 8.30am-10.30am. That time is RIGHT NOW, the time I took that screen shot.



The Third screen shot
Screen shot taken at 11.02am – notice that the 7.23am warning is still listed, no mention of the 8.55am warning and now the 10.30am warning makes an appearance.



The Fourth Screen shot
Screen shot taken at 11.11am – notice that the 8.55am warning is still not listed and the 10.30am warning has been removed (it’s only been 9 minutes since the last screen shot)
The residents of Raglan are relying on information that looks to be 3.5hours old, when in fact is it 2.25hours out of date.



The fifth screen shot
Screen shot taken at 11.11am – notice in bold that it clearly stated ACTIVATE YOUR BUSHFIRE SURVIVAL PLAN. As residents of Victoria, this means to get out if planning on leaving and stay and prepare if planning on staying. It can’t get much more serious, if you are planning on leaving.


So a recap – warnings issued at 7.23am, 8.55am. 10.30am and yet from the CFA incident summary page, it would appear that at certain times, only the warning of 7.23am or the warning of 10.30am were issued and no mention of the 8.55am warning.

You have to click through to determine if a fresh warning or not. This is not acceptable.

As residents of Victoria, and as per the interim Royal Commission Report, we are entitled to as accurate information as is available and yet clearly this is not occurring and put our lives at risk.

This is not the first incident that has posed a risk to residents and yet we have not had the information available to enable us to make decisions and judgements on the information available.

Remember we can only rely on ourselves, because the information being provided by those meant to be protect us is sadly lacking from the technology point of view.

Fire Bunkers in The News Again – Are They Safe?

Thursday saw the release of first state government accredited fire-bunker. I understand people are looking for ways to protect their families, pets and valuables but I am not sure that fire bunkers are the answer.

Personally and this is a purely personal thing – I am against bunkers of any sort. I would never use a bunker – but that is MY personal choice. I am concerned for people, perhaps not this year, perhaps not next year, but in 10 or 20 years time, when maintenance has not been done correctly and perhaps the neighbours have moved and no-one knows the location of said bunker.

If the bunker is a commercially purchased bunker, the companies providing these bunkers, clearly state that “ABC does not claim this product will save lives. There is NO Guarantee of personal safety. Nothing works better than timely and safe evacuation.”

It concerns me greatly that people may be putting their lives in the hands of things that may not provide the protection they are expecting.

Some comments from people who know far more than me state:-

From the Master Builders Submission to the Royal Commission
1. Master Builder has participated in discussions with the Building Commission and the State Government’s Building Advisory Council (BAC) regarding bunker installation in high risk bushfire regions.
2. Master Builders does not support mandating bunker construction on private property. We believe that the decision to construct a bunker on private property is a risk management decision for individuals. Thus, we do not believe government has a role to play in restricting individual freedom of choice in this area.
3. Master Builders also does not support the introduction of regulations for bunker design in Victoria. We consider the development of such regulations to be fraught with danger as this could engender the incorrect belief that bunkers will guarantee a persons safety.
4. Master Builders instead recommends the Building Commission develop a voluntary checklist for consumers. Such a checklist would help improve consumer awareness without unnecessarily regulating an area of policy where few absolutes exist. Matters which could be included are:
• Maintenance of tenable conditions;
• Suitable location (ease of access and exit and proximity to vegetation / trees);
• Size, strength and occupancy level;
• Bunker entry and locking mechanisms;
• Capacity to observe fire threat;
• Bottled oxygen supply;
• Appropriate signage to locate the bunker;
• Separation requirements if adjacent to other buildings; and,
• Resistant to embers

From Consumer Affairs – Victoria
Consumers should note that research conducted under Australian conditions has yet to prove that bunkers save lives. They are not compulsory for properties in fire-threatened areas and should not be considered as a substitute for a comprehensive fire safety and evacuation plan.

Not one organisation is prepared to say that these bunkers replace any sort of forward fire preparation and planning and all state that early evacuation is the BEST OPTION IS ALL CASES.

Some experts even fear that a fire bunkers when not being used as a fire bunker – may pose another threat and that is entrapment and suffocation of children and this is something that the authorities are extremely concerned about

My greatest fear is not for tomorrow but in 10-20 years time or even longer, when the location of these bunkers is forgotten by neighbours and when people remove any indication of a bunker or allow trees and shrubs to grow near the bunker, that the existence of the bunker will be forgotten by all except the householders and when the fire approaches, retreat into these bunkers.

What happens if they are trapped? What happens if the air runs out? What happens if smoke does manage to enter the bunker?

Will these people be lost forever, killed by something they thought would save them and people and companies (long since out of business) have proclaimed these bunkers safe to protect human life?

I have spoken to many people from areas affected by the fires of Black Saturday and EVERYONE I spoke to have declared quite loudly that next time (if there is a next time for them) they would prepare their house, stay as long as possible and then move to cleared ground. This is not what I call an ideal solution, but it is a solution they are prepared to take on.

Many people in the Narbethong/Marysville area survived the night by remaining on cleared ground, people in Marysville on the oval and people in Narbethong on ploughed soil. Many residents in both areas declare they would do the same thing again.

They would not retreat to bunkers, they are fully aware of the dangers of what may go wrong and would rather die in the open, where are least they have a chance of surviving or being found after the fire front has passed. It is a well-known fact that the fire-watchers bunker on Mt Gordon in the Marysville/Narbethong area melted. If the proposed occupant had decided to stay he would be dead now. The locals are well aware of this fact and have made their decisions accordingly.

NOTHING AND I MEAN NOTHING is more important than you and your families safety. If you are not 110% prepared both mentally and physically or have previously suffered health problems GET OUT AND GET OUT EARLY.

DO NOT rely on bunkers to save your life. By the time you realise something is wrong it may be too late and too dangerous to exit and you may perish.

Black Saturday - Royal Commission – Some Sense until tomorrow?

John Brumby has come out and said that banning building in fire-prone areas is not feasible. Hooray for someone seeing the light of day. The only problem is that I think this may be all politician speak and nothing more.

The Shire of Murrindindi which was one of the hardest hit areas is predominantly a Working Class area – Which although the seat of McEwan is currently held by the Liberal Party,The last election was very close and saw the seat contested for 7 votes.

John Brumby is quoted as saying "If you say in Victoria that you can't build in any area that's heavily forested you'd be removing close to a million Victorians from their homes - that's the reality.'' [1]

Where do 1,000,000 people go? 90% of them would be unable to afford to move, as I discussed here Black Saturday - Royal Commission Experts The fact that John Brumby is not only referring to the area of Marysville, but state wide, from Bendigo to Ballarat, shows that someone has seen the light.

I can’t make political comment on areas that I don’t know and to tell you honest truth, can’t be bothered checking out. (Yeah I know lazy) – I don’t get paid for this – unless you want to donate!!!!!!!!!

John Brumby is also quoted as saying "This is all about, I think, living with the risk of fire and we are a dry continent, we're also a very beautiful continent, our eucalypt forests are stunning places and they're beautiful places to live.”

Which is 100% correct, since the day that Australia was settled; there has been a battle for water, some years are good, some years better and some years very poor. At other times there is so much water, we are literally swimming in it, while standing on what was previously dry land!

John Brumby is also quoted as saying "So this is about making places as safe as possible while recognising the beautiful amenity that we've got in so many treed areas across the state."

So, let’s make the state safe, if that is the case, get off your backside and nominate the areas deemed to safe, places that the population can evacuate to if they choose to. Not leave these people and communities hanging around waiting for you to make a decision.

It’s been 12 months since the fires of Black Saturday, and most fire-prone areas still remain without ‘safer places’

Drop the fancy terminology also, either we are in danger or we are not. The old fires index signs, run and operated by the CFA – clearly showed at 100kph what the state of the area was you were entering – now we are presented with a tiny little sign that shows NOTHING. CFA signage

The Government needs to stop talking the talk that people think they want to hear and start actioning some of these so-called good ideas. Kick the bureaucracy in the backside and start doing SOMETHING.

The sooner the government stops meddling and bringing false hope and starts actually doing something and bringing real hope, will be the day that people and townships start pulling and putting themselves together again.

[1] The Australian February 16th 2010

Black Saturday, Royal Commission - Experts, Messperts, - What do they know ‘perts?

I have a vested interest in this topic for many reasons, some of which are contained in this blog. Others are too personal to be written about in the public domain.

The last 24-48 hours has seen so-called experts claiming that places like Marysville (notice they ONLY cite Marysville as the example) should not ever be re-built. My first bone of contention is that Marysville is, was and will not be the only place ever threatened/destroyed by fire.

Other places also affected:-Kinglake, Flowerdale, Bendigo, Narbethong, Strathewen, Steeles Creek, Yarra Glen, Humevale, Wadong, St Andrews, Callignee, Taggerty, Koornalla, Beechworth, Long Gully, Maiden Gully, Redesdale,

I’ve made comment before and I’ll make it again, places closer to the CBD receive more support from the media and social services than those places ‘out of the way’ I know for a fact that several families in the township of Strathewen ONLY see 1 person on a daily basis. Nobody else bothers, because it is too hard and they are forgotten. People in Marysville and no doubt other places are in the same boat, yet Kinglake and Flowerdale get all the accolades for re-building, and fighting etc.

This fire was perhaps a once in 100 year event. Yes lives were lost. Yes, people’s lives have irrevocably been changed. Yes, children have been affected by what they saw. But this trauma has been occurring since man became self-aware. At some point in life we all suffer something that changes us forever; some people suffer more than once.

Experts, like Roz Hansen have been quoted as saying “I was disappointed and somewhat alarmed about allowing those communities to go back and resettle. And I think we've really got our hands full in terms of guaranteeing them their safety in the future, unless we change the major considerations around those areas in terms of bushland setting," [1]

Another ‘expert’, Michael Buxton is quoted as saying “a large scale government buy back should be considered to move people away from areas of unacceptably high bushfire risk.” [2]

These people probably live in the yuppyland, sipping on skinny soy decaf latte with no thought for those that live in these areas, that work in these areas and that put the food on the tables that they eat from. Without people in rural areas, there would be no food, and if this was the case, the Greenies would be screaming blue murder about the emissions caused by the people driving to and from the place of employment because there is no public transport. Isn’t that the rage these days – work, live and play in your local area and source your food from the same area?

People choose to live in these areas and work in these areas, because they like the people, they like the environment, they like the lifestyle. They like having their horses nearby. They like hearing the birds in the morning. They realize the danger, they accept the danger. If a person cannot accept the danger then they shouldn’t live there – that I do agree with. There are dangers living in the suburbs, from assaults, to burglaries, to not knowing your neighbour. In the country there are different dangers, which more often than not, pose less danger to the person and just means you have to be more self-aware.

How dare these so-called experts claim that perhaps for the greater good places (like Marysville) should not be rebuilt.

Other areas in exactly the same position are not mentioned, not even touched upon. Is it only ONCE the devastation occurs that the spotlight is turned on these townships? Had the prescribed back burning been done, then perhaps things would not be so bad. Perhaps if the communication between the fire agencies had been better, things would have been different, perhaps if the people in charge had more experience things would be different. There is little purpose in looking back now, only forward. To dwell on the past means you live in the past.

You can’t change what happened, but neither can you destroy further the lives of the people affected. People need to stop jumping to solutions that won’t work, either in the past, present or the future. Instead offer solutions, like safe havens, like ovals, with water supplies that can never run out, open spaces. Bring back the fire sirens and don’t let the Sunday tourists turn them off. I grew up in Marysville and if the siren sounded, you headed to the oval. The siren could be heard in the valley and all except for Sunday at 10am – you went to the oval, you knew something was happening. You could be out on the horse; you could be at a friend’s place. IF that siren sounded, something was wrong.

Bring back the sirens, bring back the safe havens, stop trying to destroy townships, livelihoods and what people know and accept.


[1] The Age 16th February 2010

[2] The Australian 15th February 2010

The threat of Fire in the Dandenongs, following Black Saturday Bushfires.

The media today has come out and said that Mt Dandenong and surrounding villages have three times the tree canopy that Marysville had prior to the Black Saturday Fires in February 2009.

Without a doubt, I personally believe this to be right – The problem is that you can’t go chopping every tree down in the Dandenongs. The Dandenongs are renowned for their trees, beauty and tranquility.

The government has decreed that on high risk fire days that people evacuate. The problem is where to? No viable solutions have been offered. For anyone, anywhere.

It is claimed that for the Dandenongs alone, it could take 6-12 hours for an evacuation to be completed. These are dreadful figures, and if I lived in the Dandenongs; I would be scared for my life. The problem stems back to what to do with your animals, your birds, your horses, your dogs. Where can you take them? What do you do with them?

Do you evacuate under the assumption there will be a fire and leave the animals, or do you stay and worry about it when the fire is almost at your doorstep? Neither is a satisfactory solution. But what can you do?

I know for a fact, that I could afford to lose my house, my car, my earthly possessions, but not my dog. My dog on a normal day keeps me sane and I’m sure for others they feel the same way. Mentally I think if I was to lose my dog, I would lose the plot.

Monday night the 9th February 2009, I was at the evacuation centre in Whittlesea and the number of people clinging to the only thing they had left was devastating, yet that thing was their dog. People had done their upmost to ensure the safety of their dog/s. These dogs knew that they had their owners to thank for living and they behaved accordingly.

The question still stands, where are people meant to evacuate to on days of high fire danger? What happens to the animals?

I’ve covered various scenarios within this blog, of both the human evacuation and the problem of animals and yet NOT one person, government body or agency has offered any answers/solutions.

I would like your thoughts as to what you think might be a solution to this problem.

Victoria Lives at Risk #6

Why do I have to repeat and repeat and repeat myself?

Today was a mildly warm day - the night is cooling down - although still quite warm.

Tonight at 21.22hrs (9.22pm) the CFA site went down - or more specifically the OSOM system appears to be affected.

This effects the incidents, and the warnings if any are current.

The feed back I have been getting from other sources are :-
The Twitter Feed appears to be working
The DSE feed and site appears to be working correctly.

The CFA site was out (to the best of my knowledge from 21.22hrs - 22.04hrs) and the there are problems with the mapping component that has continued past 22.38hrs (10.38pm. The Google API Mapping Key is invalid and I believe it is retrieving data from the DSE site currently

I don't like being the bad person - I don't like outing the good guys, but the problem is NOT WITH THE men and women on the ground - it is with the people who administer this site - it is with the people PAID to ensure that the Victorian Public have somewhere to turn in an emergency.

Bushfires are a battle, they are battle for life and death, not just of humans, but animals and livelihoods. Businesses have and will be destroyed by bushfires. Lives have been lost due to lack of information or no information or god forbid WRONG information.

The officials are to blame, not the men and women who defend your life, your property, your livelihoods.

We must make our voices heard over the politics, over the government protectionism of public liability, we need multiple sources of information and not information that is hidden from al except a few who understand how these things work.

“Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron says people should never rely only on the CFA website."

So tell me Mr Cameron – what do we rely on? Or do we leave our house, our business or animals to the hand of God?

Victorians have a right to know - not be kept in the dark like mushrooms. We have a right to defend if capable/able

16.12.09 - Outage No. 1
16.12.09 Excuses for Outage
30.12.09 - Outage No. 2
01.01.10 - Outage No. 3
09.01.10 - Outage No. 4
10.01.10 - Outage No. 5

To contact Mr Bob Cameron - please use his his website located Here