Firies want more action against Global Warming

[Jovial Monk]

ABC website:

'At risk' firies want urgent global warming action

By ABC News Online's Cassie White

Australia is at risk of more tragedies such as the Victorian bushfires if the Federal Government does not reassess its approach to global warming, says the peak firefighters union.

United Firefighters Union of Australia national secretary Peter Marshall has written an open letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Victorian Premier John Brumby, on behalf of Australia's 13,000 firefighters.

He says the Government's own CSIRO report shows that under a high global warming scenario "catastrophic events are predicted to occur every year in Mildura and firefighters have been warned to expect up to a 230 per cent increase in extreme danger fire days in Bendigo" alone.

So much for GW denial!

[boxy]

And they're also saying that the Green lobby has had too much influence, in disallowing sufficient fuel reduction burn.

Funnily enough, lots of Australian ecosystems benefit from regular cooler burns, rather than fuel loads building up until extreme weather combine with the load to scorch the earth as far as the eye can see.

[Jovial Monk]

Ja, mentioned that somewhere!

No one will come out of this smelling of roses, except the heroic firies!

[boxy]

Just saw a piece on the 7.30 report, on a bloke that sat out the full brunt of the fires, Jim Barrotta (or similar). Amazing footage and story. It's obvious that his new (still being worked on) house was built with fire as a primary concern. A large clearing on the upwind side of the house, a safe haven to get into while the fire front passes, and then pumps, water sorces (a pond) and a calm and confident person to put out anything still burning after the worst has passed through.

[Jovial Monk]

Someone has to ensure that the lessons of the Canberra & york Pen fires are acted on hence my suggestion for a Minister for Natural Disasters: - no new Dept, put him in PM&C with a small secretariat & some funds and the job of keeping after state/local govts to implement changes in design, development rules, compulsory fire safety inspections etc and report to Parlt and do some research, pay for some testing & research etc. Essential or next year it is NSW with fires even bigger/hotter than the ones in Vic now.