The Coming Fire Season !

Last Sunday was the shortest day of the year.   We are now on the annual curve back to longer days which will culminate in summer and with that comes a return of the bushfire season.  Last summer was the year we will never forget.  A combination of an enduring drought and the record high temperatures that are the outcome of global warming brought a fire storm that destroyed lives and property from which we are still recovering.

What got us through the inferno of last summer was the volunteer bush fire brigades who turned out in their thousands and battled the fires for weeks without a break. No sooner were the fires out than we had this coronvirus to contend with, and as a result the Australian economy is looking very different heading towards this next summer.

Those volunteer fire fighters were a mix of self employed and people who worked for a boss who released them to undertake their fire fighting duties.  Most of those businesses have been weeks in lockdown and a return to employment hinges on this pandemic being contained. There are tentative signs that this is happening, but there are also signs that we may be entering a second wave of the virus that may make local lockdowns a critical response.

Last summer's national emergency saw a heavily increased use of water bombing planes and helicopters.   The dropping of fire retardant from the air conbined with men on the ground to tame the flames and it is important that we have a repeat of the aircraft available for next summer. Exactly the same aircraft orbit between the fire seasons in both the north and south hemispheres, but they need to be booked in advance to ensure availability.

Perhaps the biggest danger is the possibility that many of those volunteers who gave their time unstintingly last summer may be unemployed when this fire season comes around.  The state of the economy will certainly make it much harder for employers to release employees for fire duties and it is highly likely we may have to cope with reduced numbers.

Volunteer members of rural fire brigades are highly trained people.   Fighting fire is a complex art and they give of their time all year to gain that expertise.   It would not be unreasonable to expect the government to chip in and make a pay contribution on the days that they are on the fire front.  In the present economic circumstances that should not be left to the goodwill of their employers.

What happens on the fire front next summer depends on luck.  If we have a wet sumer the risk will be reduced, but there is every expectation of fires to be fought and we have a volunteer army in place to respond.   In the changed economic cuircumstances, the government would be wise to put in place the financial incentives to ensure that happens.