4th Alarm Grass - Belair (Urban rural interface)

[Zippy]

Inital Response was a DEH 14,
then Adelaide fire activated Sturt group with Air desk responding bombers.

14:50:56   17-01-08   MFS: INC # 40 - 17/01/08 14:50,RESPOND GRASS FIRE,JAMES RD,BELAIR, MAP 143 B 9 ,,,BELR42 SAIR55 BELR00 BKWD19*CFSRES: CFS Belair Response

Multiple Strike Teams sent in.
Mawson, Lofty, East Torrens.

Other Groups that may be in area or put on stand by:
Heysen, Strath, Kyeema and Mundoo.

Other groups have yet to be contacted.

[rescue5271]

sounds like its burning on a number of front's lots of bombers and strike teams still coming in...sky crane has been sent and has saved a couple of houses that where under threat....

[Zippy]

Yeh a lot of strike teams from a fair distance away....closer ones yet to be deployed eg. Onkaparinga and Strathalbyn.

[safireservice]

Yeh a lot of strike teams from a fair distance away....closer ones yet to be deployed eg. Onkaparinga and Strathalbyn.

Would consider the likes of Para and maybe Gum to be closer than Strath?

[safireservice]

Read the media beat up
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23066996-5006301,00.html
Interesting a member of the public says they reported it at 2:30 but this seems to be the 1st page for it? Noting the time.
1909047 14:50:56 17-01-08 MFS: INC # 40 - 17/01/08 14:50,RESPOND GRASS FIRE,JAMES RD,BELAIR, MAP 143 B 9 ,,,BELR42 SAIR55 BELR00 BKWD19*CFSRES: CFS Belair Response

[Zippy]

Would consider the likes of Para and maybe Gum to be closer than Strath?

Nah...Para group and Gum Group are quite a fair distance from Belair than both Onka and Strath Groups....

better planning for next time

[Alan (Big Al)]

Welcome to the club Zippy our group usually gets forgotten.. We were the only group in R1 that didn't go on the first night of Mount Bold (And no it wasn't because of planning we just plain got forgotten).

I believe strath has sent a few appliances.

Is it possible Onka was left behind to assist in covering your area, east torrens, hysen and mt lofty?

[SA Firey]

SACFS crews rushed to a grass fire at Belair this afternoon on James Road,Belair.
The fire reported at 14:50 hrs was believed to have been started by a workman using a brushcutter and was quickly fanned by strong winds.

Multiple appliances and Strike Teams from Mt Lofty,Mawson,East Torrens,Onkaparinga Car 1,Kyeema,Mundoo Groups to assist Sturt Group in attendance.

SAMFS also sent a Pumper Strike team for asset protection.

Bombers 580 & 582 Helitack 536 & 537 also Helitack 736(Incredible Hulk) Firebird 507

Appliances

SAMFS
Adelaide 202
Car 41
St Marys 401
O Halloran Hill 421

East Torrens Group
East Torrens Car 2
Piccadilly 24
Basket Range 24
Carey Gully 24

Kyeema Group
Aldinga Beach 24
McLaren Vale 34
Range Hope Forest 34
Sellicks 34
Kyeema Car 1

Sturt Group
Belair 34P
Belair 14
Belair Tanker
Blackwood 24 Cafs
Blackwood Rescue
Eden Hills pumper
Eden Hills 24
Coromandel Valley 24
Coromandel Valley 24P
Cherry Gardens 34 COQ to Belair
Sturt Logistics
Sturt Car

Mt Lofty Group
Aldgate 24
Burnside Tanker
Stirling 24
Upper Sturt 24
Ironbank 34

Mawson Group
Happy Valley 34
Clarendon 24P
Kangarilla 34
Morphett Vale 24
Seaford 24
Mawson Car 1

Mundoo Group
Goolwa34
Middleton 24
Currency Creek 24
Port Elliot 34
Mt Compass 34
Mundoo Car 1

[Cameron Yelland]

Read the media beat up
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23066996-5006301,00.html
Interesting a member of the public says they reported it at 2:30 but this seems to be the 1st page for it? Noting the time.
1909047 14:50:56 17-01-08 MFS: INC # 40 - 17/01/08 14:50,RESPOND GRASS FIRE,JAMES RD,BELAIR, MAP 143 B 9 ,,,BELR42 SAIR55 BELR00 BKWD19*CFSRES: CFS Belair Response

According to the adelaide now website some people thought it was a burnoff and possibly could of been burning since 2pm before being reported at 2.30.  Then complained it took cfs 20 mins to arrive....but if the first page was at 2.50pm then someone has some explaining to do if it was reported at 2.30pm.

Although i seen somewhere DEH were first on scene then called adelaide fire?

[6739264]

Glad to see that Sturt Group left some appliances at home to cover their area.

Looks like the job went 4th alarm before it got out of Sturt Group.

It's a pity to see that yet again the media are reporting that the Aviation support (note: Support) won the day and that my god does SA need its own sky crane blah blah blah.

CFS Media really need to promote the fact the the poor firies on the ground are the ones doing the hard yards and that aircraft are not the be all and end all of rural firefighting.

[rescue5271]

There is no CFA media.....the problem is that people think that if it comes  down from above it will stop anything its firefighters who put out the fire its the bombers who slow it down.....From what i heard on the radio traffic the group did a great job as did incoming crews from CFS/MFS/DEH job well done and now its raining up there....

[Blue]

It's a pity to see that yet again the media are reporting that the Aviation support (note: Support) won the day and that my god does SA need its own sky crane blah blah blah.

CFS Media really need to promote the fact the the poor firies on the ground are the ones doing the hard yards and that aircraft are not the be all and end all of rural firefighting.

Yep, but at the end of the day the wow factor sells, and the wow bit that people can see for miles is the fact that aviation support is buzzing low across their homes and dumping impressive amounts of water - of course that will get more media attention. We need to have more media crews on the fire ground getting vision of us. Plus media don't need to have proper training or gear to be able to get cool shots of aerial bombing, so the story will reflect the images that can be easily obtained.

[mack]

Sturt Group
Belair 34P
Belair 14
Belair Tanker
Blackwood 24 Cafs
Blackwood Rescue
Eden Hills pumper
Eden Hills 24
Coromandel Valley 24
Coromandel Valley 24P
Cherry Gardens 34 COQ to Belair
Sturt Logistics
Sturt Car

Blackwood actually ran there 24 and the old sellicks 34 to the fire... rescue was in station.

Glad to see that Sturt Group left some appliances at home to cover their area.
Looks like the job went 4th alarm before it got out of Sturt Group.

Well actually Cherry 34 was COQ to belair for a while, Cherry 24 was in station and Blackwood rescue (doubles as a light pumper)was also, id say thats reasonable coverage..

It's a pity to see that yet again the media are reporting that the Aviation support (note: Support) won the day and that my god does SA need its own sky crane blah blah blah.

Agree 100% mate.

We need to have more media crews on the fire ground getting vision of us.

aah enter fire helmet cam, just need CFS/SAFECOM media to request the vision from firies to use... (yes i used it, yes got some good clips )

[6739264]

There is no CFA media.....

I assume you mean CFS? There is a CFS Media Department. Ever seen those fluro yellow helmets with "MEDIA LIAISON" printed on 'em?

[CFS_Firey]

Mt Lofty Group
Aldgate 24
Burnside Tanker
Stirling 24
Upper Sturt 24
Ironbank 34

It was actually Stirling 24P - responded when it went to second alarm, and Bridgewater 24 to complete the Lofty strike team...
Upper Sturt 12 was also out an about...

[mack]

There is no CFA media.....

I assume you mean CFS? There is a CFS Media Department. Ever seen those fluro yellow helmets with "MEDIA LIAISON" printed on 'em?

"CFS Media" is no more, my friend. Enter "SAFECOM Media" or "Fire & Emergency Sercices Media"

[ltdan]

Upper Sturt 12 had a COQ to Belair Station

Mylor 24 had a COQ to Upper Sturt Station

[ltdan]

Upper Sturt 24 was responded and part of the escalated alarm with Stirling.

[Alan J]

Well actually Cherry 34 was COQ to belair for a while,

a shade under 2 minutes by my sundial. Didn't see any other of the named "CoQ" appliances there, even though they were called before CG34 (almost everyone got called before CG34, but that's another story...) It might be more true to call Belair the staging point than anything else.

Agree on the media.  Saint Phil Cheney of CSIRO described the political & funding imperatives of "...big fires, heroes, helicopters..."   Would be good to embed newsies in crews early.  The vision would be great, although the audio might be unuseable until after midnight (except on SBS - why is that man shouting in 'French'?) 

Shouldn't be difficult to negotiate some sort of useful use-of-footage agreement.

[CFS_Firey]

There were news cameras on James road with us very early on but even then, unless they're chasing us into the scrub, the best vision they're likely to get is of the bombers and helicopters.  If we really want them to get some good footage, helmet cameras would be the way to go...

[rescue5271]

Sorry typo it should have said CFS media,and its all now SAFECOM media....From some of the public that where interviewed on the news its no wounder we cant get the filtered fire safety message across..One guy in shorts on his roof trying to blowvac leaves and clean out his cutters when the fire is less than 30 meters away.Nice to see that CFS had ANDY LAWSON on the news Friday night telling landowners in the hills to clean up,as for the sky crane yes the hills people feel 100% safer as they don't have to clean up as the skycrane can drop 9,000lt onto the fire and safe there house...YE RIGHT....I bet if the brown stuff had hit the fan the public would be asking why did they not safe our house or why did they not send in appliances into dead end over grown streets??? CFS are doing their job what about the public?

[chook]

Thats easy - society has changed & personal responsibility is nolonger part of the equation.
Its always someone else's fault! And someone will come along & fix it
Same as council/ residents not maintaining drains & gutters or people speeding and driving under the influence - all of these things are various degrees of neglegence!
Sadly it is a situation that won't change, also its a catch 22 if you don't defend that poorly maintained property then the resident sooks to the media(Victim mentality).
So I'm not sure what we can do - mind you the bombers make good vision on TV but:-D
Cheers

[Blue]

I think there is a small fraction of society that would purposefully put themselves in harms way but not cleaning up their property, I think the issue is that it is not in most people's realm of understanding that a bushfire could have such an impact on them. Its like driving everywhere and never thinking you'll be in an accident - we never think it will happen to us, so we go a little faster and leave braking a little late.

So I don't think people are shirking a responsibility, its more that they don't tend to believe that that responsibility is a reality and their actions can make all the difference.

How many people take shorter showers cos we are on water restrictions? I bet only a fraction of society. Because the others don't really conceive that it will make 'that much of a difference' and it doesn't affect them directly if they have a 30 minute shower (there's no visible outcome) but it affects them if they have a five minute shower (with still no visible outcome of more water to use unless your on rainwater of course).

Does that make sense? So people could go out of their way to clean up their property but until that fire is knocking at their door, there is no benefit in clearing up, and so believing the fire probably never will impact them they use that time to get something else done instead. Like go fishing.

JMO, studying psychologist and social behaviourist in the making....

[bittenyakka]

I is that CFS seem to target the entire state the same way which is unfortunate. suburbs like Belair, Eden hills, the back of Burnside, Stirling, Crafers, are all big towns and look very similar to suburbia and hence people think they are safe as "fire doesn't burn in suburbs "

media needs to tell these areas firmly and matter of fact that they will burn like Canberra.

[Alan J]

media needs to tell these areas firmly and matter of fact that they will burn like Canberra.

Or California.

Blue you are absolutely right.  It's been the subject of many an emergency management paper & thesis.  We had a steady stream of people coming up to us during a short period we were standing by in one street (Burnell Drv) asking what they should do.
Q: "Have you prepared your house & property to defend it ?"
A: "Huh?"
No idea even of The CFS Message existence, let alone its content. 

As politically incorrect a thought as it is, the only way to make bush-fires relevant to most people is frequent fires close to home. And lose a house or two in each UI suburb to bushfire every 7 years or so.   

But Blue, your post has challenged me to re-think my attitude to these people. 
I shall have to work on patience & rein-in the sarcasm.  Or maybe not...