Vic acquires new jet for bushfire season
Vic acquires new jet for bushfire season
7 November 2009
published by news.smh.com.au
Australia — A super soaker jet will help douse bushfires in Victoria this summer but the government announcement did little to ease an inferno of frustration burning among conservative rural voters.
Delegates to the Victorian Liberal Party’s state council on Sunday were scathing in their assessment of the government’s response to Black Saturday, telling an open forum on bushfires that the state was still not prepared for the upcoming fire season.
John Gault, a 66-year-old businessman from central Victoria, said he had lived through seven major bushfires and was furious that the state Labor government has yet to examine fuel loads.
“It’s high bloody time that this state government, this irresponsible, absolutely disastrous state government, stood up, was made to stand up and take responsibility for its ground, its land,” he said to cheers and applause.
“I don’t care if they coal burn it or rake it clean by hand but clean up the forest for which you are responsible.”
Victorian Premier John Brumby launched a royal commission into bushfires shortly after Black Saturday but the commission won’t look at fuel loads until after this fire season – despite 485 submissions specifically on the topic.
About two dozen delegates made submissions at the forum, criticising the state’s new fire warning system, laws on clearing land and an insurance fire services levy for being too costly, among other bushfire topics.
Comments made in the forum, attended by Liberal party members and state and federal MPs, will be used to help draft future state Liberal policy on bushfires.
Some members said they were surprised Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron – one of the government’s senior members responsible for the state’s fire response – has not faced more criticism and calls to resign.
A Country Fire Authority volunteer called him “Sideshow Bob” for his sudden public announcements of new “toys” for the fire crews, including new fire trucks that he said are now too big to travel down some rural roads.
Mr Cameron continued rolling out bushfire announcements on Saturday by revealing that Victoria will become the first Australian state to trial a super soaker jet to combat bushfires.
The state will lease a DC-10 or a 747, capable of dumping 70,000 litres over a 1.2km-long bushfire in one hit.
“This will be another asset as we leave no stone unturned to help deliver on our goal of making Victoria as fire safe and as fire ready as possible,” he said.
The aircraft will have the ability to reach any part of the state within 45 minutes and it is believed it will be leased at a cost of about $10 million.
Mr Cameron said the aircraft would be an important weapon in combating the next fire season as it will be capable of carrying up to eight times the amount of water or retardant as that of fire-crane Elvis.
The aircraft will be in action from January through to late March.
