Australia Fires Part 2

[wingn]

Very sad news that 3 American firefighters were killed water-bombing a fire in the Snowy Mountains.

RIP and thanks for their service.

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The latest: Three US firefighters die after air tanker crashes in southern NSW | SBS News
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And more information: We’re for Sydney | Daily Telegraph

Sad news indeed

 

[ovrszd]

Regardless of their nationality it's tragic.

When I would Deploy I always had the most sympathy and compassion for the families left behind. They are a phone call away from disaster and never see it coming. I always knew what I was doing and when I was in danger.

It's a young man's game being a firefighter. No room for weakness and/or error.

I'm saddened to hear of this. Again, regardless of where they are from.

 

[Big Barn]

That Hercules that crashed, the Coulson family and Coulson Aviation has close ties to the community here on Vancouver Island..

A sad day for everyone.

 

[Molalla1]

That Hercules that crashed, the Coulson family and Coulson Aviation has close ties to the community here on Vancouver Island..

A sad day for everyone.

Very sad indeed . . . RIP.

 

[ruffdog]

Special about the fires was on CBS 60 Minutes:

How the bushfires in Australia relate to global climate change - 6 Minutes - CBS News

 

[downsizingnow48]

My son in law is back in Cheyenne having spent the last month in Australia. Much of the time planning air drops onto fire fronts. But evidently the rains came and pretty much put an end to the bush fires. I asked him if he tried kangaroo steak or kangaroo chili, I guess not!

 

[Alien]

My son in law is back in Cheyenne having spent the last month in Australia. Much of the time planning air drops onto fire fronts. But evidently the rains came and pretty much put an end to the bush fires. I asked him if he tried kangaroo steak or kangaroo chili, I guess not!

Plenty of camels here we are trying to get rid of. Shooting them in their thousands. Maybe sell the meat to you guys.... hehe

 

[bunyip]

Payback for the camel cigarettes.... a delicate blend of camel sh## and tram tickets.

 

[Wagtail]

Special about the fires was on CBS 60 Minutes:

How the bushfires in Australia relate to global climate change - 6 Minutes - CBS News

Mate.

I'm not going to argue with you.

That "Special" from your 60 Minutes was so misleading, one sided, balderdash as to make me physically ill.

The thing that you need to realise (which wasn't even casually mentioned) is that these forests are eucalyptus trees. Think of them as "gasoline trees". They're 'evergreen', as in they don't seasonally shed their oily flammable leaves. They do shed their bark, also flammable. They do shed (cast, actually) their limbs/branches. Also flammable. It does not rot on the ground, at least at the rate that a North American forest would. We call it Fuel Load.

Fire is how a eucalyptus forest has grown and spread over Australia over thousands of years. Fire doesn't destroy eucalyptus trees, within a week a 'burnt' eucalyptus tree (yes, all of the various species) will start sprouting new leaves. The burnt ash will fertilise the eucalyptus trees and, at the first rain, the 'gum nuts' (seeds) will germinate.

The only way to remove this fuel load is to either burn it in a slow, controlled manner or physically remove the fuel load. Tonnes of this debris/fuel load accumulate every year. If the fuel load isn't regularly removed (every 10-15 years) then the intensity of the inevitable forest fire will increase.

Subsequent State and Local governments who are responsible for the management of the forests (State Forests, Forest Reserves AND National Forests) have simply 'locked up' these forests over decades. Instead of dealing with 'ongoing' management of the forests, they (and I charge 'Green' policies for this) they have decided to deal with the consequences of these fires.

"Climate Change"(tm) has nothing to do with these fires and these fires (which we have every year) are, although this has been a particular bad year, not "unprecedented". The drought that preceded these fires also are not "unprecedented". It's the way Australia is.

I say again, in Australia, the Federal government and, specifically, the Prime Minister, is not responsible for Fire Fighting or managing the various Forests (including privately owned & managed commercial 'plantation' operations). That is a wholly State responsibility. That may be a foreign concept to you but it's the way it's done here.

Another concept that may be foreign to you is the use of the Military during these times. The Australian Defence Force [ADF] can only, by law, be used if requested by the State(s)... it's called Military Aid To The Civil Power. If they don't make the request, the Military (and their assets) cannot be approved and used. (yes, there's some 'local disaster' discretion available) The State's Premier has to request, through that State's Governor, to the Governor General (the Commander In Chief of the ADF) for the use of the Military.

Lastly, I'll say this... my 'next-door neighbour' is a State forest. It hasn't had a clearing burn in 25 years and I hope that It's been scheduled soon.

 

[Jim Shooz]

Back in 1896 the temperature was hotter that it is now and there were no cars or factories pumping out CO2. So claims that global warming is the cause of todays problem has a certain ring of BS


Extreme heat in 1896: Panic stricken people fled the outback on special trains as hundreds die. << JoNova