Bushfires 2019/2020!

[get me outta here]

Just to clarify, when they said recently that it was the ‘first time ever.... ’ what were they referring to? That statement is probably all that most of the community have actually heard or read on this matter and they may be surprised to see your list. I have seen no other references at all - not even ‘deplorable and biaised’ types, just the nearly half page call up advert in The Aus.

The ADF has been doing a lot prior to this call up of reserves. They are just extending the input.

The following has been doing the rounds and deserves further dissemination in light of the current deplorable and biased reporting by the media and the lack of knowledge by most of the community:

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been working with Emergency Management Australia to assist with firefighting efforts since directed by the Minister on November 8.

The ADF is providing the following support:

• From November 17 to December 15, The Army provided logistical support for 250 firefighters at the RFS staging ground in the Northern Rivers Region.
• From November 12, the Lismore Depot of the 41st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment, has been available to provide logistical support to firefighters from outside the region.
• New South Wales RFS have multiple large aerial tankers and spotter aircraft at RAAF Base Richmond.
• Since November 29, HMAS Albatross has helped with water refuelling and retardant loading of aircraft from the Nowra Naval Air Station.
• From November 8 to December 22, The Air Force is providing airlift support to move large groups of firefighters and their equipment.
• From November 26 to December 23, The Army is providing NSW RFS with ground logistic support for the movement of vehicles, stores and equipment in the Casino and Hawkesbury areas.
• From December 3 to January 26, The Army is providing support at Marrangaroo Training Area to NSW RFS helicopter assets and personnel.
• From December 3-16, The Army is providing logistics support at Marrangaroo Training Area to NSW Rural Fire Service assets and personnel.
• 41st Battalion, Royal NSW Regiment, will support RFS Casino flight line with loading of fire retardant at Casino airport.
• On December 10, a Royal Australian Navy helicopter provided support to NSW RFS to fly day and night missions from Naval Air Station.
• Defence is hosting refuelling assets. This support is on an as-required basis.
• A Royal Australian Air Force 737 Boeing business jet transported ACT Rural Fire Service firefighters from Canberra to North Coast on November 8.
• A Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft transported firefighters and their equipment from Adelaide to North Coast on November 9.
• A Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft transported firefighters and their equipment from Hobart to North Coast on November 10.
• A Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A multi-role tanker transport aircraft transported 150 firefighters on November 14.
• Two Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A multi-role tanker transport aircraft transported 258 firefighters and their personal equipment on November 15.
• A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster aircraft transported 165 firefighters and their equipment, using two flights, from Melbourne to Coffs Harbour on November 17.
• The same aircraft then transported an additional 130 firefighters and their equipment from Coffs Harbour to Melbourne on November 18.
• A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster aircraft transported 130 firefighters from Melbourne to RAAF Base Richmond on November 19.
• A Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft transported 140 firefighters and their equipment from Melbourne to Coffs Harbour on November 20.
• A Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft transported 167 firefighters and their equipment from Coffs Harbour to Melbourne on November 21.
• On November 18, 21 and 22, Army supported Queensland Fire and Emergency Services helicopter operations at Borneo Barracks, near Toowoomba. This support is now complete.
• From November 11-13, Singleton Army Barracks provided accommodation and catering support to about 200 firefighters from the Victorian Country Fire Authority.
• From November 12-14, two MRH-90 Taipan helicopters from the Royal Australian Navy and two S-70 Black Hawk helicopters from the Australian Army provided movements for Rural Fire Service strike teams.
• From November 12-13, the Royal Australian Navy provided two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to fly night missions from Sydney and Coffs Harbour to facilitate the operation of Rural Fire Service air observers.
• Two EC135 helicopters from the Royal Australian Navy and two S-70 Black Hawk helicopters from the Australian Army flew in support of New South Wales Rural Fire Service impact assessments on November 14. This support is now complete.
• From November 12-16, RAAF Base Williamtown provided refuelling and water re-supply support to a large aerial tanker from the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.
• From November 13-23, RAAF Base Richmond provided accommodation and catering support for varying numbers of between 150 and 300 firefighters.
• From November 18-19, the Army’s Borneo Barracks near Toowoomba established a helicopter-landing site, overnight parking and refuelling capability for firefighting and support to civilian rotary-wing aircraft.
• On November 21, a New South Wales Rural Fire Service large aerial tanker was refuelled at RAAF Base Edinburgh after a mission was completed in South Australia.
• On November 26, RAAF Base Gingin provided 18,900 litres of water to two water bombers fighting a fire in the vicinity of Yanchep.
• On December 3-4, HMAS Albatross provided catering and accommodation for RFS NSW at Naval Air Station Nowra.

This support is been provided in a co-ordinated fashion in conjunction with the State Governments.

https://news.defence.gov.au/national/defence-continues-bushfire-support?fbclid=IwAR2SPsJo8AAltyJHdwDk4tcVrInkHs28OH7Qc5May-e9AZ-7nbICCHU-61U

 

[Pushka]

I heard it was the first time that reservists had been called up and not the ADF in general.

 

[amaroo]

But they can’t tell the quality of changes though nor fittings.

Photos or invoices I suppose.

 

[Pushka]

Photos or invoices I suppose.

That were burnt in the fire....something to remember if ever I guess!

 

[amaroo]

That were burnt in the fire....something to remember if ever I guess!

That’s when the cloud comes in handy.

 

[straitman]

I heard it was the first time that reservists had been called up and not the ADF in general.

That sounds about right.

I did a few flights in Gippsland in October 1980 carrying people and freight during the fires at that time. Over various years I was involved in quite a few SAR, Flood Relief and Bush Fire operations.

 

[Pushka]

That’s when the cloud comes in handy.

Too hard! Agree it’s great for important photos though but every receipt for furniture? I have kept email receipts on the server though.

 

[VPS]

Too hard! Agree it’s great for important photos though but every receipt for furniture? I have kept email receipts on the server though.

Dropbox is easy - just point your camera at the receipt and it saves it in the cloud.

 

[p--and--t]

Seen so many conflicting views on a range of subjects regarding the fires, and surrounding issues.

So many recent articles have given me even more to pause and reflect and challenge previous beliefs....

Fire chief calls out debate around fuel reduction burns as 'an emotional load of rubbish'

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews moves to shut down calls for a massive increase in fuel reduction burns and is backed up by the state's fire chief, who says the debate involves "hysteria".

www.abc.net.au

I've studied fires for 40 years and I keep coming back to the same solution

As we contemplate a future where catastrophes like the one currently engulfing Australia become increasingly frequent, there's an idea to which I keep returning: maybe it's time to say goodbye to the typical summer Australian holiday, writes David Bowman.

www.abc.net.au

We spoke to Black Saturday firefighters after 10 years and they had a simple message

As evocative images of volunteer firefighters fill our newspapers and television screens, we look with gratitude into their ash-stained faces and want to see a modern-day hero looking back at us. But that's not what firefighters want, writes Leanne Cutcher and Graham Dywer.

www.abc.net.au

Scientific modelling 'not coping' with scale of current bushfires

As fires rage across large sections of Victoria and New South Wales, emergency services struggle to predict how the bushfires will move, with their sheer scale repeatedly outwitting both human and computer-based modelling.

www.abc.net.au

This is how a bushfire can flip a fire truck

The science behind rotating fire systems is still being worked out, but there is no denying they are incredibly dangerous.

www.abc.net.au

 

[dajop]

One thought I had, are this years fires the first major bushfires in Australia in the age of social media (i.e since the rise and rise of Facebook and Twitter)? Both platforms were in their relative infancy during the Black Saturday platforms. In turn is that contributing to the hysteria and overweighting of opinions (like it does with everything else these days) that we are seeing?

(On the flipside the learnings of Black Saturday coupled with additional information delivery tools via websites, traditional media and social media have probably helped save lives)

 

[Pushka]

Tomorrow we have having one hot day then much cooler. Parts of KI are very much open and looking for business. Kingscote etc. And that was the message this morning. Within 5 minutes out goes the catastrophic alert for KI by those who seem to have a vested interest in raising panic. And the panic merchants are saying Adelaide is having a heat wave again. We aren’t. It is a hot day in the middle of summer to be followed the very next day by a cool and rainy day. Can we at least get the message out that best serves the locals without putting everyone into panic mode again?

The Mayor of KI who seems to be doing a brilliant job and has lived there for years said this morning their main point of concern currently is the fire in a Pine Plantation. He said we need to stop planting forests of trees and plantations that simply do not belong in this environment. He said we need to get to areas where fires start - apparently there were locals that saw the starting point of this fire and wanted to get in with tractors and prevent it spreading. They had been doing that for years as fires are always part of KI but the ‘powers that be’ wanted to protect the natural environment and were not allowed to do anything. Consequently we now have widespread destruction of their wildlife.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Tomorrow we have having one hot day then much cooler. Parts of KI are very much open and looking for business. Kingscote etc. And that was the message this morning. Within 5 minutes out goes the catastrophic alert for KI by those who seem to have a vested interest in raising panic. And the panic merchants are saying Adelaide is having a heat wave again. We aren’t. It is a hot day in the middle of summer to be followed the very next day by a cool and rainy day. Can we at least get the message out that best serves the locals without putting everyone into panic mode again?

The Mayor of KI who seems to be doing a brilliant job and has lived there for years said this morning their main point of concern currently is the fire in a Pine Plantation. He said we need to stop planting forests of trees and plantations that simply do not belong in this environment. He said we need to get to areas where fires start - apparently there were locals that saw the starting point of this fire and wanted to get in with tractors and prevent it spreading. They had been doing that for years as fires are always part of KI but the ‘powers that be’ wanted to protect the natural environment and were not allowed to do anything. Consequently we now have widespread destruction of their wildlife.

Canberra’s pine plantation were a big problem when the 2003 fires hit. There has been more management of pines since then.

Pine forests cleared to prevent repeat of 2003 Canberra fires

Almost 14 years since the worst bushfires in the ACT's history, pine clearing is under way in an effort to prevent such devastation ever happening again.

www.abc.net.au

I can understand why there is concern about tourists going to KI. We had some fires down the coast before Christmas and there was a massive push to get people to still go to the coast on holiday and support businesses and tourism. Then the second wave of fires hit last week and it was a huge problem with thousands of holiday makers trapped down there - lucky more lives weren’t lost. In hindsight they should never have gone, but it seemed OK at the time.

 

[Pushka]

Canberra’s pine plantation were a big problem when the 2003 fires hit. There has been more management of pines since then.

Pine forests cleared to prevent repeat of 2003 Canberra fires

Almost 14 years since the worst bushfires in the ACT's history, pine clearing is under way in an effort to prevent such devastation ever happening again.

www.abc.net.au

I can understand why there is concern about tourists going to KI. We had some fires down the coast before Christmas and there was a massive push to get people to still go to the coast on holiday and support businesses and tourism. Then the second wave of fires hit last week and it was a huge problem with thousands of holiday makers trapped down there - lucky more lives weren’t lost. In hindsight they should never have gone, but it seemed OK at the time.

Yes, I can imagine the issues that would have caused. I’d trust the locals in this situation as it really is a place with two different environments. There are places not to go and places that will be fine. But it is probably a little too soon. The airport is still open as well. It probably didn’t help anyone when the headlines last week said that the loss of the whole island was possible. They just need to get messages out using common sense and not using the panic button.

 

[admin]

Please see my post at Bushfire Appeal 2020

 

[drron]

Seen so many conflicting views on a range of subjects regarding the fires, and surrounding issues.

So many recent articles have given me even more to pause and reflect and challenge previous beliefs....

As I have stated before there have been numerous official Inquiries into bushfires.Every one of them has recommended hazard reduction.The only State that initiated HRBs at the level advised by the Royal Commission was Western Australia in 1961 and for the next 30 years there wasn't a serious bushfire.
Unfortunately the area of HRBs dropped-not in National Parks but on private land and land under the control of councils and other bodies.The area then burnt by bushfires then started to rise.Again to their credit WA then gave overall control of Hazrd Reduction to one organisation who could carry out proceedures on land that should have hazard reduction even if councils or other bodies objected.

Again as I have stated before I was involved in action by numerous Conservation bodies in the 1960s to introduce HRBs to NSW National Parks.There were several severe bushfires during the 60s even though the temperatures were dropping from 1950 to ~ 1975 and CO2 levels were much lower.

We had access to the advice of the CSIRO Bushfire Research Unit.Even back then they had calculated that a doubling of fuel load causes a bushfire to spread twice as fast with 4 times the intensity.Fuel loads this season have been much higher than a doubling.

As to drought vthere is no direct evidence that Climate Change has increased the intensity of this drought.This was stated by one of Australia's experts on drought recently.He did say that there maybe indirect influences one being increased growth rates of trees and plants due to increased CO2 levels.

In the 2009 Victorian fires temperatures of the most severe blazes were over 1000C.How can even a 5C increase in ambient temperature be a major influence on that.

A couple of references for the causation of drought in Australia because of natural cycles.

Australian hot and dry extremes induced by weakenings of the stratospheric polar vortex - Nature Geoscience

Hot and dry climate extremes in Australia are linked to stratospheric polar vortex weakening, with potential implications for their predictability, according to statistical analyses of observational data from the past 40 years.

www.nature.com

 

[get me outta here]

This is great : Celeste Barber's bushfire fundraiser on Facebook is officially the largest in the platform's history, raising over $40 million

Celeste Barber's bushfire fundraiser on Facebook is officially the largest in the platform's history, raising over $40 million

Celeste Barber has created Facebook’s largest-ever fundraiser.

www.businessinsider.com.au

 

[Flying mermaid]

This is great : Celeste Barber's bushfire fundraiser on Facebook is officially the largest in the platform's history, raising over $40 million

Celeste Barber's bushfire fundraiser on Facebook is officially the largest in the platform's history, raising over $40 million

Celeste Barber has created Facebook’s largest-ever fundraiser.

www.businessinsider.com.au

It’s truly unbelievable- so many people from all over the world who cared!

 

[Pushka]

It’s truly unbelievable- so many people from all over the world who cared!

I read somewhere it was mostly Australians? I think she was the first to start something when people were keen to help but didn’t know where to do so. I hope it gets shared around all the bushfire areas as it started as one just for NSW.

 

[blackcat20]

You should see the crafting community's response to the call out for items for injured wildlife. People all over the world are sewing and knitting, and sending items over.

 

[jakeseven7]

Virgin and QF donations to the bushfire here:

VA effort pretty pathetic.

Qantas & Virgin response to 2019/20 bushfires

Qantas and Virgin have responded to the horrific AU bushfires: QANTAS - $1 million cash (no strings) to bushfire relief and recovery - Free travel for fire fighters and equipment - QF group airlines collecting passenger donations at airports - QF loyalty encouraging people to convert points...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au