For the first time, some parts of New South Wales will endure a day when the fire danger will be termed " catastrophic ". This new extreme designation has been coined to describe a situation where " flee early " replaces " stay and fight " as the wise decision in danger areas.
Unfortunately past experience makes it certain that a day of extreme fire danger will bring out arsonists who will deliberately set the bush alight to satisfy some perverted demand in their psych.
The experience of decades past has been that death and destruction have in many cases resulted from a fire deliberately lit by such an arsonist. There is reason to believe that such action is a form of mental illness - and even if an offender is caught and punished - the urge to light fires will persist.
The police and the courts maintain awareness lists of people with a history of lighting fires and perhaps we need a law change to protect the innocent on the few days of the year when " catastrophic " fire events are predicted.
As part of the sentencing procedure it might be necessary for those convicted of past arson to be rounded up and held at police stations for the duration of the extreme danger period.
In this way, those most likely to reoffend and create death and destruction would be kept secure from the opportunity.
It would be a precaution in keeping with gravity of this new fire category.
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