Fight the fire
MURALI N. KRISHNASWAMY
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In Australia, firestorms are known to rage for days, forcing the authorities to call in the military and interstate recruitments.
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Fire is part of the Australian landscape, and has very expensive consequences.
PHOTO: AP AND REUTERS
INFAMOUS BUSH FIRES: Fire, north west of Sydney, fanned by strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity.
It was the repeated drone of a small plane one afternoon, flying towards a distant plume of smoke in the mountains that caught one's attention. Why so low? An emergency?
"Although the fire has reached the suburbs of Sydney, it is unlikely to spread into densely populated parts of the city where there is less vegetation. Eucalyptus and other native plants that burn easily have been fuelling the blaze. Areas to Sydney's west remained on high alert on Wednesday night ... The weather bureau is predicting better conditions in the next two days before a return to extreme fire danger on Sunday and Monday."
... later that night, the TV bulletin gave us all the answers. It was one of Australia's infamous bush fires. This time, no community was under major threat, but the authorities were clearly worried about the wildlife.
Fire is a part of the Australian landscape, says the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, and has very expensive consequences. In 2002, "firestorms" were known to rage for days, forcing the authorities to call in the military and interstate recruitments. Fanned by strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity, fires quickly jumped roads and rivers causing power interruptions, a loss of livestock and wildlife and the evacuation of communities.
A main factor is drought, but there are increasing instances of acts of vandalism, which the authorities now intend to tackle firmly.
Bushfire management in New South Wales is a cooperative effort of the whole community and it is interesting to note that under the Rural Fire Act, 1997, landholders are required to reduce bushfire hazards.
At the fire station
It was at Wentworth Falls, a tourist spot, and at the beginning of "A Total Fire Ban" week, that one got to see a fire station up close. The Wentworth Falls Volunteer Bushfire Brigade has been on the alert in this part of the wilderness since 1959.
Using a 40-foot long map of the area, friendly Deputy Captain Matthew Reyter explained the techniques involved in fighting a fire, the crucial strategies to fight the fires and the coordination. Later on, sitting in one of the tankers, the giant "Cat 1" or "Casper", he highlighted the equipment — the giant water tanks, foam tanks, hoses, motors, shovels, beaters, first aid kit, chemicals, and the modern navigation/communication equipment with Global Positioning System (GPS) in the air-conditioned and fireproof cabin.
It's an exciting job, he concludes. "Every day is a new day."
Clearly, it is enthusiasm of this nature and forward planning that wins the deadly fight ... against fire.
Fiery history
The history of bushfire fighting in New South Wales probably began after the settlement of Australia in the 1780s. History shows that grass fires were used to drive the settlers of Sydney town away.
By the late 1860s, volunteer fire brigades were formed. But equipment was poor. In the 1940s for example, brigades fought fires with shovels, fern hooks and beaters. By the 1980s, uniforms and brigade names were standardised, laws were tightened and sophisticated equipment provided.
New Years Day 1994 may be the worst fire emergency Australia has seen. There were 800 major fires across 1,300 kilometres with many having been started by lightning, carelessness and campfires. Firemen fought them for 16 days, and the signs read "Bush Alight Bloody Everywhere".
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