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BUSHFIRE season has officially begun, and this year it is predicted to be as bad, if not worse, than the last.
The message from all official sources over the last few months has been, and continues to be, that preparation is the key.
Premier John Brumby said unprecedented resources were being deployed to the firefighting effort in preparation.
700 seasonal firefighters will join 2700 Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) fire staff and 59,000 CFA volunteers, including 3100 that have joined since Black Saturday.
The largest-ever firefighting effort is being backed by a record emergency service budget of more than $700 million, nearly triple what it was ten years ago.
Skycranes Elvis and Elsie will be deployed, with back-up support from 32 aircraft with a further 170 aircraft on stand-by for a bushfire emergency.
DSE has reduced fire-fuel across 15,000 hectares in the past four months, building on 400,000 hectares of fuel burns on public land in three years.
The CFA’s State Logistics Centre has also been stocked in preparation for the bushfire season.
There are currently 250,000 facemasks, 2000 helmets, 28,000 water bottles, 72,000 bottles of hydrate, 2000 pairs of goggles and 1000 lengths of hose ready for the first fires.
"We live in one of the world’s most fire prone areas and all Victorians – no matter where they live or what their fire experience has been – need to prepare. None of us can afford to be complacent.
"… I’m urging all Victorians to get fire-ready – identify your risk if you’ve not done so already, prepare a fire plan and practise it, clean up your properties and get involved in your local fire preparation activities," Mr Brumby said.
Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron said there would also be 67 fire lookout towers across the state as well 17 airstrips with fire bombing bases, six mobile retardant mixing centres and three mobile base camp modules.
Unprecedented new fire preparation measures are currently being rolled out by the State Government and fire agencies, including:
A new fire danger rating system, with a new category for code red;
Warnings that will be delivered to fixed and mobile phones through a new National Emergency Warning System (NEWS);
A Standard Emergency Warning Signal that will interrupt media broadcasts before potentially life threatening fires;
New procedures for schools and children’s services on code red days;
A new ‘10/30 right’ that allows landowners to clear vegetation on their properties without a permit within 10 metres of a house and ground fuel within 30 metres of a house;
Upgrades to 43 Level 3 incident control centres;
A new Memorandum of Understanding with around 30 of the state’s commercial radio broadcasters to become official emergency broadcasters; and
Significant additional resources for the fire preparation and firefighting effort.
Testing of the NEWS began late last month, with further testing being undertaken in the coming weeks ahead of a full-scale community test towards the end of November. The system will begin operation in December.
While the government has been moving full speed ahead to ensure the state is prepared for the bushfire season, Nationals leader Peter Ryan believes there is still more to do, with the Government yet to launch a single website for bushfire warnings.
As part of the Bushfire Royal Commission interim recommendations, the Victorian Government agreed that before October 30 it would "ensure that a single, multi-agency portal for bushfire information be established that uploads information simultaneously to both CFA and DSE websites."
"The October 30 deadline has come and gone without the Government fulfilling its commitment," Mr Ryan said.
"The [CFA] website has been updated, however the website still directs people to the [DSE] website.
"The bushfire information is not mirrored on the DSE website as it should be. Users are even directed back to the CFA website, which just creates more confusion.
"In the interest of public confidence and as a matter of safety I urge the Government to rectify this discrepancy as soon as possible."
"With the bushfire season now under way, this vacuum of information is unacceptable. The [Government] must ensure the public is well informed in a timely manner," he said.
Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu feels the Government has been to slow in implementing the Royal Commissions’ interim recommendations, particularly in regards to Neighbourhood Safer Places.
"The State Government handballed responsibility for identifying and preparing Neighbourhood Safer Places to local councils without adequate support, defined operational guidelines or effective tools to educate local communities on their operation," Mr Baillieu said.
"It will be essential that communities are crystal clear on the locations of their Neighbourhood Safer Places, when they should go there and what level of protection they can expect. This requires a strong education program but on the first day of the bushfire season many of these places [were] yet to be identified."