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.

Even The Best Laid Plans Can Fail

My father was trustee of the local cemetery. He took his position seriously, including preserving the towns’ history. So much so that long before the fires of Black Saturday destroyed the township of Marysville. He had copied the original burial records and distributed 3 copies through the township.

It was unthinkable that ALL the houses in Marysville would burn. Sure 50%-75% but not 99% of every building in the township destroyed beyond recognition.

These ledgers contained the memories of the township – dating back to the first settler, right back to the late 1800’s.

My mother and father knew that Marysville would burn eventually; it was only a matter of time. No-one could foresee the extent of the damage and the complete isolation the town faced that night.

That night saw the destruction of all 3 copies of the burial ledger. The original only survived because of my fathers tenacity and his knowledge that other people besides his wife were sheltering in his home, the home he saved from the fires. Only metres from the road where the fire crews were forced to retreat or die.

When it comes to precious things, be it paper or electronic media – the only message I can (and do) drum into people is many locations, many formats, it could be something like a blog that disappears (as happened to someone this week) to precious family photos, to something like a public document. You can never be too careful.

Take as many copies as you can, spread them world-wide. Keep them electronically, keep hard copies, keep copies on media back-ups. But make sure you don’t only rely on once source of back-up.

Same goes for passports and similar – send copies to a friend in a sealed envelope, with instructions that the envelope is only to be opened on your instruction or death. Send your wills, etc in the same fashion.

Until you have been faced with the utter total devastation bought about by these fires, you think it can't and won't happen to me. Fine you may never be affected by a fire of such force and destruction BUT................ you may lose you phone, your hard-drive may fail.

Here are two posts with similar messages on my other blog . I don't care where in the world you are - remember everything fails once, even the best laid plans.
Back Up, Did I say Back-Up?
How Safe is the Data in Your Safe?

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.

My Memory – in Flames

Went to Marysville again over Easter. I’ve resisted walking around, simply because everywhere I look I see burnt stuff (Yes pun intended)

Everything I once knew has gone, changed or now seems so far from reality I can’t fathom it.

Hubby and I played tourist for all of about 10 minutes, I had to mail something and thought that to mail it from Marysville would be appropriate considering they were “The Marysville Cookbook”. We parked behind the bakery and used the mail box there.

We then took the opportunity to walk down the arcade or what’s remaining of it and onto the main street. There was photo exhibition, run by volunteers and funded with donations Go Marysville which I thought I should go and have a look at. We did,. I walked in and started looking at the room from the left hand side. I was fine until I got almost out the door and there attached to the wall was the phone box from outside the post office. The last time I saw it, it was still burning. That is something I remember. I remember other things, but that phonebox seemed so important, the reason I was in Marysville that dreadful morning was because the phones no longer worked and it seemed symbolic.

I ended up having to walk out and hide my tears. I couldn’t let others see me like this. I’m meant to be strong. I put myself in that situation; therefore I’m not allowed to say anything.

I can’t imagine what it must be like for residents. I can’t pretend to – I don’t know. All I know is they must be better and stronger people than me.

I can understand why long-time/life-time residents say they can’t and won’t return. I can sympathise with them fully.

There are some things Marysville need from what I’ve been able to understand
1. Tourism and the money it brings in, with it comes employment
2. Physical memorabilia, things like mementos, real photos, china, things from Guest houses etc
3. Photos, not just photos from the 1900’s but photos as recently as January 2009. They don’t need to be professional quality. But photos of guesthouses, of homes, of streetscapes, of shops, of people, of signs, anything that is Marysville.

Marysville will rebuild, Marysville will live on, Marysville will still have the colours of autumn, the snows of winter and the coolness of summer and the new life of spring. It takes time and support from the wider community of the city and interstate and international people. Marysville will live on.

Let your memories be happy ones, make memories. Photographs might set the scene, but can’t convey the feelings and the happiness of the times.

Cut My Power & Remove My Ability to make Life-Saving Decisions

An article today in the Herald-Sun claims Power Could be Cut on Catastrophic & High Risk Bushfire Days To Stop Fires 31.03.2010 that Electricity Distributor Powercor, is considering cutting power to high risk towns on days of extreme fire danger to remove the possibility of fires started through fallen/sparking overhead electricity wires.

This outage covers 52 towns, plus those little hamlets in-between, from Angelsea to Bendigo. That means no restaurants, no ice-cream, no take-away, no swimming pools, no shopping centres, no supermarkets, in fact NO tourism. People would learn to stay away and the income lost would destroy 1000’s of lives and certainly more than one business.

In theory it might seem good, but it can’t and won’t work and will cause more deaths than fires will and have.

People rely on electricity for many things, not just air-conditioning. Simple things like:-
Drinking water,
Septic systems,
Toilet flushing,
Fire warnings,
Contact with the outside world,
Phones,
Internet,
Cooking,
Hot Water,
Opening and Closing garage doors,
Life-support systems,
Asthma pumps.

These are just SOME of the problems that residents will be faced with. This reaction by Powercor is one of let’s not maintain the lines, let’s not worry about the maintenance, let’s just turn the power off and we can reduce electricity load AND reduce our liability. If’s there’s no power, people can’t sue for downed power lines which may have caused fires. Quote from above article “A Powercor Australia spokesman said turning off the power was a way of preventing electrical assets starting fires in extreme situations.”

Without electricity I would now likely be without my parents – as referred to Here

As a receiver of said electricity and as the payer of said supply charges, I will have to consider not paying the ‘supply charge’ component of my bill as they are not supplying me with a product I am paying for. What would happen then? I would be sued, for not paying a component of my bill, which they failed to supply. Imagine if EVERY person who has their electricity cut on high risk days followed this method, what would be the outcome?

On days when it is being considered cutting power to homes in high-risk areas, these are the exact same days that the very old, the very young, and the frail are most likely to be affected by the heat and this may possibly cause death.

From this article Dept of Health - Environment - 2007 it is claimed that there are 1000 heat-related deaths in people over the age of 65 and that these deaths are expected to climb substantially by 2050. It is possible that a rise in deaths of between 11-16%is possible. Are you prepared to die or allow your parents or children to die because an electricity supplier thinks it’s safer to cut the electricity rather than maintain the lines, like they should have been doing for the past 10-20 years?

I know I'm not prepared to die, although I am prepared for the encroachment of fire on my home and my life, I shouldn't be unfairly punished because I live in an area that is considered high risk. Remember there are areas of metropolitian Melbourne that are also considered high risk and if the fires of Black Saturday had managed to encroach on those areas, the authorities were already prepared to shut major roads and let those suburbs burn.

Electricity suppliers can't cut the power in lieu of maintenance, the governing body MUST ensure that the correct maintenance is done in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws they are governed by.

31.03.10 - 15.24hrs - I've just been shown this article CPUC Rejects SDG&E's Power Shutoff Plan from a San Diego newspaper in the USA. It covers EXACTLY what I have referred to above.

Note:- "Critics of SDG&E's proposal have argued it would leave vast parts of the county without vital services during times of emergency. Water couldn't be pumped, medical devices would be inoperative and residents would not be able to turn on their televisions, radios and computers or receive phone calls to get critical emergency information, according to opponents of the plan."

"The shut-off plan has always been a diversion from the real problem: for years, SDG&E has failed to enact known safety measures that would prevent wildfire caused by its infrastructure,"

Turning off the power will cause the loss of more life, through heat stroke, and/or accidents and house fires, than bushfires would cause. The events of Black Saturday were claimed to be a once in a 100 year event. Yet if the electricity suppliers had it their way - they'd shut off the power when the sun sneezed.

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