Fires

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi All.
Very sad weekend; a little seaside place called Tathra where we go to in the summer was hit by a fire storm on the weekend, 60 houses burnt out and another 70 odd badly damaged. It is only a small place so the devastation was felt by everyone in the South coast. They think it was a lightening strike and at the time winds were up to 90 kilometers an hour.
We had planned on going to go down there two days before the fire started; as my son was off work, and he drives us down there, that will be on hold now for quite awhile.
There was good luck and bad luck, they couldn't send the text message to tell people to evacuate as the tower was down, but there were enough firies to go around and tell people to run, some stayed and saved some of the houses. It was pitiful to see elderly people in the rescue center who had lost every single thing they had. The fire was ferocious and I doffs my hat off to those blokes all volunteers who risked their lives fighting it. One good thing was no one died.
Living in Australia it is something we all think about every summer.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

Des my wife who is strong CWA was a member attached to the rescue services via I think the Salvation Army , to man the food truck to feed the rescue workers that is firemen and police. This was up until last year when she had two hip replacements. This year she doesn’t do. She used to get calls in the middle of the night , my instructions were don’t wake me up as I lay there perusing the deckhead. Only joking. The bush fire fighters and the attachments to them do a marvellous job and we would be lost without them. The main reason we moved to the coast was because of the frequent fires in the hills every year.. but as said in another post think a lot are caused intentionally. One year we had one started by a volunteer firefighter himself, perhaps he was bored. I live right opposite a fresh water lake and is also only about 300 metres to the beach , which if can’t make would join the ducks and fish in the lake. But know the feeling of living close to Bush or even in it. Cheers JWS

[Doc Vernon]

Yes indeed very bad Des
Only thing one can say is thank the Lord no one was Killed and I hear too that none are missing!
Now Weather is cooled down with lots of Rain so the Fires will be well under control by now!
Raining and very foggy her in Bleakheath LOL Cheers

[happy daze john in oz]

We went all summer, and it was hot and dry without any fires, into Autumn and bang we get this lot.
Here in Victoria not had rain since December 9th, very dry.

Went up to the Murray at weekend, considered coats but thank fully did not, and were caught in a dust storm.

We so badly need rain, know how Cape town must be feeling just now.

[Doc Vernon]

Yes John
Still dry in Cape Town however they have joined up the main Underground Stream from beneath Table Mountain ,and this feeds now into the Molteno Resevoir giving a wee bit of relief. But of course still on strict Water Restrictions!
Wet here Toady and cool and in many places in NSW Relief for us thank goodness/

[vic mcclymont]

Aren't you lucky hot weather, here it's freezing, first night of spring a severe frost.
Easter next weekend, forecasters predicting a white Easter as the beast from the east part 3 rolls in.
There hasn't been much discussion on BBC about climate change or global warming, wonder why?
Vic

[Lewis McColl]

Thankfully there was no loss of life. It must be heart breaking to see what you strived all your working life to enjoy gone in the blink of an eye so to speak. It is not just the loss of property it is the likely loss of family memories , photos,keep sakes etc. Trust the insurance companies will do the right thing and rebuild.

[Captain Kong]

Is it not possible to fit water sprinklers around and on top of a home so that when the fires are coming it stops them from going on fire.?/
We had them all around the accommodation block on our tankers, they were tested every week in BOT Sports day.
I am sure I wouls do that if I lived in Oz,
Brian

[Doc Vernon]

Capt that question had been asked a long time ago on here and I did reply to it if you recall.
I have three Sprinklers on my Roof that covers the Entire Top of the Roof,so if Fire is imminent I Turn the TAPS ON FULL.
On all my Gutters I have made a sort of well (out of Steel Mesh) that no leaves can get down the Drain,so I can just take them out and clean the leaves, when fire is about I cover Sponges with cloth and shove these down the Wells,then as the Sprinklers go to work the Gutters all fill with water,thus helping the control of Flying Embers!
Cheers

[Lewis McColl]

Perhaps as a lot of Properties in Australia may have swimming pools it would not be difficult to have a system were you can draw the water from the pool. On the pump discharge side run a line up to the roof fitted with sprinkler heads in such a way that you could create a cascade effect, also I am sure it would not be difficult to design the system to recover the water back to the pool. Perhaps there are such systems already similar along the lines of what I have said. Just two valves ? may only be needed , one to shut off the discharge back to the pool and one to be opened to allow discharge to your sprinkler system!!!!