From Jan & Peter to Warrandyte Community Association, Warrandyte Community Church and Warrandyte Chat:
Thank you for helping to facilitate this meeting tonight.
This is the first time that my partner and I have attended any Warrandyte Community Meetings and we were grateful for the opportunity.
I personally would have been happy to make a Gold Coin donation for such an event for the wear and tear on the Church premises. Maybe next time.
I think that so many of us attended the meeting looking for a solution to our own personal issues with the fires, and there are none that any one person can give, except the divine providence itself. I believe the answers lie with ourlselves. That is, help yourselves, find out what is necessary and do the best that you can to preserve life and property, and if you cannot, then get out! (In plenty of time!).
We have been a spoon fed population for far too long, and it is time we got a grip and took up things for ourselves instead of looking to others (government etc to do things for us.) We have become far too soft as a nation.
It was very sobering to hear Dr Tolhurst say that if he was in Warrandyte when the fires broke out in Kilmore, then he would have left then, presuming that he did not have a fully defendable property, and a bunker to go to if it got too “hot”.
I will take his advice, and if a fire is within 20ks [of Warrandyte], I am gone!
(if we do not have a bunker that is).
From Mary:
Thank you for organising the excellent evening.
I appreciate your hard work very much on this vitally important issue.
I would like a copy of the tape please. Please let me know how I can obtain a copy. I am happy to call to collect it.
Regards Mary
Good morning Mary,
You have registered on the site that is all that is required!
I’ll send you an email when I have finished putting it together with details and Dr Tolhurst has approved it – maybe a week or so.
In the mean time please feel free to add comments to (you login to leave a reply) on the session or on any other topic
Hello,
We were extremely grateful to Dr Tolhurst for his presentation last night and found the session both informative and reassuring with so many people in attendance.
As residents of Warrandyte Nth we are obviously concerned about the rapid approach of the next fire season and as last year, our plan is to leave on any extreme fire/weather days. I was doing a bit of googling this morning and found a blog site by Professor Roger Pielke Jr. from the University of Colorado. He is apparently giving a talk this month to The Australian & New Zealand Institute of Insurance & Finance (timely perhaps?).
One of the blogs I believe is pertinent to our situation here in Warrandyte and says: “What happens if history is no longer a guide to the Future? One answer is that you set your expectations about the future based on factors other than experience. One approach is to ask the relevant experts what they expect.”
I thinks this sums up what last night’s presentation was about but I also believe that we have to keep asking the often difficult questions and ensure that we get the answers.
Cheers,
Carolyn.
I couldn’t get to Dr Tolhurst’s presentation and would also love a copy of the vidoe however I’m not sure how to fill in the registration form….no, I’m not daft
I’m already a member of Warrandyte Chat but entering my existing ID and password came back with an error so should I just make up new ones?
I’d also like to make a quick response to the comment above. Yes, I agree that we all individually have to stop being complacent but individual action is simply not enough. Even normal bushfires don’t stop at property boundaries.
Because of my situation, and sheer terror every summer, I’ve put in just about every passive and active safety measure I can – fire-resistant shutters, toughened glass, a roof sprinkler system, independent water supply etc – but none of that may save me if my neighbours’ properties burn.
One neighbour has a huge stack of dry wood about 20 metres from my house. Others have dense scrub.
In Nth Warrandyte we are all dependant on each other. So those of us who have to stay for one reason or another are just as dependent on the people who go as we are on the people who stay. We all have to do our bit to slow the rate of the fire as much as we can – whether we’re there at the time or not.
As someone who stayed during Black Saturday I can tell you that I had no idea the fire got as close as it did. I spent the whole day listening to ABC 774 and checking the CFA website and I did not know, anymore than the people of Strathewen and St Andrews.
It was only the next day I realised that just how close we came before the wind change. So, unless someone somewhere gets their act together none of us may know when the next fire is 20km away. And /that/ is the reason we all have to prepare ahead of time, no matter what our plan may be.
If you know for sure that your property cannot be defended then the only safe time to leave is first thing in the morning. If you wait to see what happens, any decision you make to leave may come too late. That is the biggest problem with the ‘Stay or go’ policy. It’s a nice, catchy title but no one every bothered to spell it out. So here it is : The ONLY safe time to leave is long before any fire has started.
Apologies for the rant but despite all my preparations and all my research I’m still scared $%@#less. I used to think my fear was bad. I don’t any more; not if it keeps me and my family alive.
Hi meeka, I should have told people that if they are already registered then there is no need to re-register. I’ll change the details on the welcome screen. The fact that you have made this comment indicates that you are logged in, your password is working and you cannot re-register.
meeka, I hope you will find some solace in what Dr Tolhurst had to say. He had both positive and negative messages. Undoubtedly, the need to work as a community and reduce the danger for all is a very important one. Max Garner and Rohan organised the first meeting (ever, I believe?) of Community Fireguard co-ordinators on Wednesday. We all recognised the need to share ideas, concerns, efforts and raise a common voice.
Jan and Peter have it in a nutshell. Everyone needs to take responsibility for themselves and the sooner they do that the more prepared they will be. Don’t presume that someone else will give you a warning or tell you what to do in an emergency.
I urge you and meeka to join a Community Fireguard Group or if there is not one in your street then start one.
CFA can help you with this.
Community Fireguard Groups will put you in touch with your neighbours and together you can make plans for protecting yourselves and your properties.
RE: Bunker
I hasten to add that Dr Tolhurst used the term Refuge, not Bunkers. There is a pretty big difference. I thought his notion of creating a space that you used everyday as opposed to a ‘hole in the ground’ was an excellent one in deed.
I have to echo both Ruth and Jan & Peter’s sentiments. We have to take responsibility for ourselves and CFG (Community Fire Guard) is an excellent starting point
It is very good for my soul reading these postings you are all so aware of the situation you may face during summer and planning to prepare your properties even if it is not your intention to stay on a bad day. I am from one of the areas directly affected by the fires in February and many people here chose not to be as informed as you, with large areas not knowing the next door neighbours let alone what Fireguard was. I wish you every success for the coming fire season and do talk to your neighbours.
Thank you Bush Capt. Have you seen the postings on the ‘Rake-athon’ which is happening this Sunday at a new members property? We’ll post some pictures afterwards.
I am sorry to put this up here but i dont know how else to give the people of Warrandyte the chance to go to this. IT’S FREE. I have a flier if anyone would like one.
The Emergency Services Training team at Swinburne as part of the Department of Public Safety and Sciences will be conducting a pilot community safety training program targeted at home and landowners living in high bushfire risk areas. Swinburne will be providing a unique opportunity for those homeowners wanting to acquire additional knowledge and skills that will enable them to prepare themselves and their properties if they choose to do so as part of a preplanned, pre-fire season decision.
Training will be conducted by public safety practitioners in three primary areas and will be conducted at Swinburne’s Croydon Campus
• Home and self preparation
• Firefighting equipment
• Bushfire awareness
Dates for this event will be:
Thursday 3rd September 7 pm— 9 pm
(Welcome, enrolment and guest speaker – Jim Baruta, Black Saturday fire survivor from St Andrews inc. video footage)
Saturday 5th September 9 am—4 pm – Workshops (Lunch provided)
Sunday 6th September 9 am—4 pm – Workshops (Lunch provided)
Topics covered will include:
• Planning and preparing your home against bushfire
• Management of vegetation around your home and property
• Bushfire behavior including the effects of fuels, extreme
weather and topographical factors
• Fire Danger Index (FDI) and what it means
• Risk management strategies
• Health and fitness discussions
• Protective clothing and equipment
• Practical workshops using pumps, fire hoses and associated
firefighting equipment readily available to home owners
12 – 50 Norton Road
Croydon Victoria 3136
Phone: 9726 1756
Fax: 9726 1770
E-mail: esti@swin.edu.au
To register for one of 60 (FREE pilot) positions please email or
telephone with your expression of interest
Kind Regards
Matt
From Rohan:
The ESTA instructors are excellent. The CFA uses them quite extensively. Matt himself is a long standing Volunteer from the Basin Brigade.