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Authorities Urged To Change Thinking About Bushfires

Denis O’Bryan, Director of Red Eagle Bushfire Protection Services urges people and authorities to change the way they think about bushfires and how they manage them because persisting with the current approach is

By Red Eagle - 6th February 2012 - Back to News

destined to lead to a repeat of Black Saturday.

"We stayed at Daylesford over New Year for a family thing", he said. "We disobeyed Government advertising campaign, because we went to a bushfire risk area in bad fire weather. We further disobeyed when we did not leave early on a Total Fire Ban Day."

Based on his experience in defending a property on Black Saturday afternoon, he said that if the house they stayed in was vacant and the town was hit by an ember attack, it would have been destroyed, even though it met the CFA guidelines.

"We then went to a popular café within the town on the TFB day and I asked the staff what was their plan if a bushfire came. They said they would rush back to defend their properties. What about the patrons in the café, I said, is there an evacuation point within the town? They said did not know, but they will look into it."

Denis then researched how well Daylesford was protected by fire plans this fire season.

"I looked at the Township Plan", he said. "It is basically a leave early propaganda pamphlet, so it is not a Plan at all. Daylesford is declared to be at extreme risk.

"I looked at the Municipal Fire Plan. It has a list of assets to be protected, but they do not include the houses of the town. It declares the Daylesford CBD as medium risk. The infrastructure works on the ground do not provide any protection for the township"

"I then looked at the fire plan for public land, because Daylesford is surrounded by forest," he said. "I saw a map of recent burns and planned burns, but no co-ordination was obvious"

Denis concluded that the township was virtually unprotected.

"If this is the best they can do, barely 3 years after Black Saturday", said Denis, "it is shameful. But, unfortunately, it is symptomatic of authorities’ confused thinking about bushfires."

He said the authorities encourage evacuation despite knowing that if a severe bushfire attacks, over half the homes will be destroyed, despite knowing that if a property is occupied during a bushfire attack, it has over 80% chance of survival, despite knowing that on Black Saturday, people stayed and self defended on 40% of properties.

"They know I was one of them," he said, "and they know I have developed a self defence system that applies to properties and towns. They also know there is an alternative fire suppression model that works in forested environments, based on the long proven principles of dry fire fighting"

Denis said he cannot understand why authorities have not changed the way they think about bushfires since Black Saturday and how they manage them.

"Why have they persisted with the fire suppression model they use," he said, "when they see it fail every time in severe bushfires? I call it the fire brigade model. Is not 173 deaths enough incentive to change? What other motivation do they need?"

"If I can go right back to basics, me with my limited resources, and find the relevant science and logic to develop an effective self defence system for severe bushfires, why can’t the authorities do the same with their unlimited resources? They know I successfully applied a self defence system on Black Saturday, but they have shown no interest in it. People who do not want to evacuate come to me and when I explain how they can self defend, they view the information of the authorities with dismay"

For further Information, please contact

Red Eagle Bushfire Protection Services

0412 710 331 Mobile

redeagle@redeagle.com.au

Please visit

www.redeagle.com.au

Additional Information

Mr. O’Bryan has had extensive experience in the areas of bush fire fighting and fire prevention, and has worked in government, including C.F.A. and the forerunners of D.S.E. He is a specialist in bushfire risk management and fire training, and has had fire consultancies with both the State and Federal governments. He is well known and respected in the bushfire industry in Victoria. Mr. O’Bryan is director of Red Eagle, a business that provides bushfire protection services to both the public and private sector.

Mr. O’Bryan has published books and articles about bushfire behaviour science and bushfire risk management. He developed a system for self defence that is applicable to a property or a township, especially on severe bushfire days. He applied the system successfully on a property near Whittlesea on Black Saturday, saving people, house, vehicles and livestock.

Mr. O’Bryan is available for further comment, interviews and editorial. In addition to this, Mr. O’Bryan is qualified to conduct local awareness and training sessions, and to give advice on property condition, whether group or singular.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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