Recovery hub has done its job
The Towong Shire Council will hold a community celebration to recognise the vital role it has played in the recovery from the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires. After three and a half years, the funding to support the hub’s operations will cease on June and the facility will close.
New system boosts survival chances
Thousands of firefighters will be better protected on the frontline with a new foam fitout on all of CFA’s ultralight vehicles. The agency has commenced the new $3.19 million retro-fit program which includes 246 existing ultralights plus $4.95 million for the purchase of 33 new ultralights with crew protection.
Fire strategy calls for co-operation
The vision for bushfire management in Victoria for the next 10 years has been set out in the recently released Bushfire Management Strategy. Severe bushfires earlier this year once again highlighted the devastating impacts bushfires can have on our communities, economy and natural environment.
Know the risks
Many portable devices today are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. These types of batteries pose a higher risk of fire than others. Lithium-ion batteries are popular because they are lightweight and long lasting compared to other rechargeable batteries.
Restaurant rises from the ashes and finds new home at pub
Kristina Nhen is almost crying as she talks about the support she’s had from the Casino community after a fire destroyed the Mun Tien restaurant on April 29. The fire started in the early hours of the morning at the laundry and haberdashery next door to the Chinese Restaurant.
Town and city bushfire disaster review, case studies and lessons across Australia: John O’Donnell
In this review, John O'Donnell explores 19 town and city bushfire disasters, ranging from bushfire impacts of the early settlements in the 1851 Victorian bushfires to bushfires in 2021, a period covering 170 years. Readers can assess bushfire preparation in relation to their own and other towns and cities and consider if bushfire preparation is well managed, has improved after earlier bushfires and if it has improved since the 2019/ 20 bushfires.
Labyrinth leads to reflection
The Playle’s Hill Project Group continues to make further upgrades to the community facility and the latest addition is The Labyrinth. The project originated through the Black Summer bushfire recovery process ... It is a reflective healing space to walk solo, with a partner, with family or friends.
Partnership prepares for fire fights
A recent collaborative training exercise between CFA and Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP) has been hailed as a success following an enforced break because of the pandemic. The Shelley Burn Camp is unique because it occurs in one of the highest locations in the state and is home to extensive pine plantations managed by HVP.
Bushfire response defended
The head of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has responded to claims by a former group captain about a lack of communication and red tape, particularly surrounding the Green Valley blaze during the 2029-20 Black Summer bushfires. John Hawkins recently tendered his resignation as Group 7 Captain, claiming that he had been told by his RFS manager that his group vehicle was to be taken off him, with no replacement available.
Community devastated at Kurrajong Laundry blaze
Kurrajong and the community in general were devastated with the news that the Kurrajong Narrandera Laundry building was extensively damaged by fire last Thursday night. Kurrajong team members arrived to find that emergency crews had contained the fire, but significant damage occurred, particularly to the centre of the building.
Building a seed bank for iconic forests: FCNSW
Forestry Corporation has embarked on a seed collection program to safeguard some of the most iconic forests in New South Wales. The giant eucalypt forests of the NSW high country dominated by Alpine Ash were severely impacted by the Black Summer bushfires.
First female captain for Walmer FB
Congratulations to Julie Hough, who as from 1 July will be the first woman to be appointed Captain of the Walmer Fire Brigade ... She is well qualified and has a few roles at the Walmer Brigade - she’s the Comms Officer, the Health & Safety Officer, is trained in first aid, is licensed to drive trucks and has been part of a few strike teams.
Emergency services get disaster ready
Last week, Toowoomba Regional Council hosted a major joint Local Government and Police disaster management exercise testing the capability of various Local Disaster Management Groups (LDMGs) from across southern Queensland ... The exercise used a major flood event scenario to practice the various Local Disaster Management Group’s capabilities to respond to a request to provide evacuation centre support for a mass evacuation scenario.
Fire officer pulls pin over loss of vehicle
The Group Captain for the Southern Border region of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) has resigned after being asked to return his official vehicle. Lankeys Creek volunteer brigade member, John Hawkins, claims that on May 17th he had been told by his RFS manager that his Group vehicle - a 2005 Toyota Landcruiser with 600lts of water (classed as a Cat 9) - was to be taken off him, with no replacement available ... In his resignation letter, Mr Hawkins also took the RFS to task over a number of other issues.
Volunteers can fill many roles
This National Volunteer Week, the CFA and its partner emergency service volunteer organisations, acknowledge and thank the tens of thousands of Victorians for their unpaid contributions to their communities.
Buffel not declared a weed: Why not?
A campaigner and hands-on combatant of buffel for a quarter century, Alex Nelson, says the government’s initiative about the imported grass taking over much of The Centre is a time wasting exercise. “There is no reason for not declaring it a noxious weed. They have all the information they need. This is kicking the problem down the road.”
Managing invasive grasses across the Territory: Worden
Buffel and gamba grass are highly flammable and increase the intensity and frequency of bushfires and impact the biodiversity of the natural environment ... The TWG provided its findings, which recommend a Weed Advisory Committee be formed to build on the findings and develop a management plan, with the view of declaring buffel grass a weed.
Walpole inferno: Arsonist hunt continues
Patricia Gill. An arsonist is believed to have started a bushï¬re last Wednesday night igniting up to 13,700ha of the Walpole/Nornalup National Park. The arsonist is believed to have ignited seven ï¬res along Middle Road all of which but one joined up to raze 70 per cent of the park and a small amount of agricultural land ... most of the peat swamps in the northern part of the national park had been burnt.
Hazardous webinar: Students in fire research showcase
In this webinar, you will hear about three PhD research projects covering bushfire smoke and eye health, remote sensing and machine learning to predict forest fire spread, and collaborative and adaptive fire risk-reduction.
Dunoon Rural Fire Service
Mike Berry. It is with sadness that members of Dunoon RFS acknowledge the recent passing of past member Neville Watts age 98 ... In 2023, the brigade introduced a new annual training award posthumously named in honour of past member, Aline Feebrey. ... Our inaugural winner is Alison Wilson.
Only biological control can eradicate buffel
The green that surrounds you is buffel, as far as the eye can see, a malicious plant predator that has overwhelmed much of The Centre, and is continuing its relentless advance. Renowned Central Australian botanist Peter Latz, who has studied the introduced plant for decades, likens the magnitude of impact on the country of buffel with the megafauna’s extinction.
‘There’s trouble at t’mill’
Local CFA brigades attended a fire at Walkers sawmill in Corryong on Friday night which destroyed electrical equipment, necessary for the production of kindling. Two on-site mill workers heard a series of popping noises, similar to gunshots, around 10.30pm before noticing flames coming from the main processing area.
