Fire warnings

[chook]

Hi all, thought the new system was going to give the same message for the same threat:-
NSW BOM
Severe Fire Danger [50-74] is forecast for the Lower Central West Plains,
Eastern Riverina, Northern Riverina, Southern Riverina and South Western NSW
Fire Areas.

The NSW Rural Fire Service warns that any bush fire that starts has the
potential to threaten lives and destroy homes.
SA BOM

Severe Fire Danger [50-74] is forecast for the West Coast Total Fire Ban district.

The Country Fire Service advises that fires burning under these conditions are likely to be fast moving and uncontrollable. You should action your Bushfire Survival Plan now.

Makes you wonder!
cheers

[crashndash]

well...they're (NSW) obviously wrong

[CFS_Firey]

Hi all, thought the new system was going to give the same message for the same threat:-

I never got that impression - I thought it was just the warning messages that were the same... (as in the Advice message, Watch and Act and Bushfire Warning messages)

[Alan J]

Not even that... AFAIK, the only thing the states agreed on was the new FDI - FDR
translation, and use of SEWS for urgent threat messages.

Each state doing its own wording according to its own perception of political
correctness, regulations, language & vegetation.

cheers

[chook]

Ok no worries - my error for believing in consistency Yes CnD SA is right - as always!

[CFS_Firey]

What are these "Fire weather Warnings" that I've seen on the news?  Who puts them out and what are people supposed to do about them?

[Zippy]

What are these "Fire weather Warnings" that I've seen on the news?  Who puts them out and what are people supposed to do about them?

ha ha ha...

[Zippy]

well...today was "catastrophic"..."Leave early or its too late"....and you questioned what it meant at midday?  YOU WERE TOO LATE!

[Zippy]

(1of2) CFS SC, State Dispatch at Adelaide Fire is being inundated with CFS hotline calls. We have spoken to D/O , Commander & Deputy Cheif Officer. We respectfully request you take over the CFS hotline as a matter of urgency.

[crashndash]

course there was a gazillion calls....all we've done is blow up the armageddon concept in the media for the last 3 or 4 months....no wonder the public are shiiting themselves

[chook]

And the message was confusing with even advice differing depending on which CFS staffer was spoken to. What a shambles!

[Zippy]

CFS: SIG INC: FYI: THE LEP FIRE BAN DISTRICT WILL NOW BE CATASTROPHIC TODAY THE 19/11/09 - SC EDEN > 19/11/2009 7:11:24 AM


It most definately is wrong word for it...Maybe just calling it Code Red???

Then once the FDI goes above 100, region should be paging area's to go onto active standby.

[Baxter]

Terminology is one thing but in some of those fire ban areas the 100+ is all too common.

I don't think that active standby in stations is the go Zippy maybe having crew that is only five minutes away that can drop everything and be there in that five is more important. At least they will be comfortable either at home or at work rather than tense from anticipation

[Zippy]

Terminology is one thing but in some of those fire ban areas the 100+ is all too common.

So really, it needs to a decentralised approach? I.E treat different areas of the state in different manners?  Considering Population density vs risk?

If a fire was say at nullabour, on a catastrophic day,  is it really catastrophic??

[CFS_Firey]

well...today was "catastrophic"..."Leave early or its too late"....and you questioned what it meant at midday?  YOU WERE TOO LATE!

I'm not talking about the fire bans, it's at the end of the weather when they talk about the SES heat warning, they say there's also a "Fire Weather Warning"...

[Baxter]

Zippy I think that you may of got the wrong end of the stick as I sometimes type the same way that I talk (putting in incorrect punctuation in where it should not be).

It is not a matter of having different scales for different parts of the state but a matter of having different reactions for different parts of the state. I can understand that in the MLR or LEP that going on active stand by could be seen as logical pre incident planning step on the code red days but in the northeast pastoral do they need to be on active stand; I doubt it.

[Pipster]

Various areas of the state have FDI's of 100 + on a regular basis during summer - particularly areas of West Coast, Eyre Peninsula, & Pastoral areas.  Nothing new in that.

It makes no sense to have many of those crews sitting in a tin shed in 44 degrees temps, waiting for something that has a low probability of occurring (although a high probability of being a problem if a fire does start!).

Particularly in those areas, every farm has its own farm fire unit.  So if a fire does break out, you have farm units coming from all directions to assist, rather than one crew in a (slow) fire truck, which may have to travel 40 km or more to get to the call (and that's the closest appliance!!)

Asset wise, once the crops have been reaped, there are often not a lot of assets that need protection, in the same way we have say houses in the Mt Lofty Ranges.

I don't think we need to create different rules for different area - we need some common sense applied, taking into account the different circumstances that in exist in different areas!

Pip

[Alan J]

I think the Services need to do a better job of explaining that the FDR
description is of fire behaviour, rather than the definite consequence of any
fire, anywhere.  "Thousands of homes and businesses will be destroyed." (quote
from the CFS Fire Danger Rating fact sheet) may be true if a fire were to start
below Greenhill on such a day. But it is complete garbage for much of the rest
of the state.

It would also be nice if the media were a bit more rational in their reporting
and expectations. 'Demanding' entire rural townships evacuate "to a safe place"
merely demonstrates and fosters a glaring absence of any fire behaviour
knowledge at all. The examples I've seen & heard so far, the township -is- the
safer place.  Stupid, stupid, stupid. Freedom of the press is good, but with it
has to go some accountability. At the moment, the clowns running the show are
all "freedom" with little "accountability".

[straps]

If the CFS advice is for the community members to leave early on catastrophic days etc, then who will respond to callouts.. (where will CFS volunteers be..)

Is this an OHS / HR / Risk Management issue for CFS to address..
Do the Brigades need to have an Action Plan and take the truck with them.. 

Just wondering your thoughts on the above or is it a matter of "do as we say and not as we do..!!"

Cheers
Shane