Title: One Tree Hill, Ferny creek, Residents' submission First Name: Colin surname: Wnnd state: victoria Telephone: Main TopicsA summary of our concerns as they pertain to the conditions leading up to the fires, the things that may have contributed to the outcomes, and the findings that will be made by the Bushfire Royal commission as they will affect us too. Acknowledgements: * I acknowledge that my submission will be treated as a public document and may be published, quoted or summarised by the 2009 Victorian Bushfires ~oyalcommission. * I understand that I can be contacted by the Royal Commission in relation to my submission. * I would like to receive future updates about the activities of the Royal Commission. col in wood DG International Media Pty Ltd A.B.N. 93 088 896 155 Ferny VIC 3786 his message may contain confidential and privileged information. Unless you are the intended recipient (or authorised to receive this ?ESrs#; intended recipient), you may not use, copy, disseminate or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. ~f you have received the message in error, please advise the sender of its incorrect delivery, and then delete the message. Thank you. Contents Urgent requirements Urgent requirements .............................7 Climate change & the weather .....................9 Stay or go? Stayorgo? ...................................10 One Tree HIII. Location Locationmap .................................12 Aerial photograph ..............................13 Tourist destination set amid forest .................14 F~rebreaks Fire breaks &containment lines ...................16 One Tree Hill residences: trees too close ............17 One Tree Hill containment line ....................18 Road reserve requires opening up .................20 Fuel prox~mlty& fuel loads Vegetation proximity ............................22 Comparison of fuel proximity .....................23 Housesinablock ..............................24 Churchill Drive .................................25 Conservation policies ...........................26 Fuel load in nearby forest ........................27 Park abuts private property....................... 28 Road reserve overgrown & neglected ..............29 Longgrassisahazard ..........................30 Fire buffer or fire hazard? ........................31 Forest abuts residential property ..................32 Reduce the fuel load regularly ....................33 One Tree HIM: the Issues Summary of issues for One Tree Hill ...............35 First line of defence ............................37 Fire can come from all directions ..................38 Escaperoutes .................................39 Vegetation profile Vegetation profile of the Dandenongs ..............41 Introduced trees an attraction too .................42 The authorities: who does what? The authorities' preparations .....................44 Who'sincharge? ..............................45 Resources & assets Inadequate resources ...........................47 Put cables underground .........................48 Pole in the road ................................50 Inadequate construction .........................51 Communications............................... 52 The Ferny Creek siren alert .......................53 Helicopter access ..............................54 Reinstate the look-out tower ......................55 Current & future technology options ................56 One Tree Hi//residents' submission Page 4 Climate change &the weather All the forecasts point to hotter and drier summers with an increased frequency and severity of bushfires. Our plans should be fomulated to provide defendable space, not accept defeat in the face of bushfires. A fire on a 37"day seems to be different from a fire on a 47" day. The latter can produce firestorms, given the right conditions. But if fuel is denied to the fire, it can't proceed. Bunkers, refuges, reduction of fuel loads, world-class communications, abundant fire-fighting equipment and integrated command structures all play their part. Hotter and dryer future Fire Danger lndex We are told that climate change will mean less rain, The Bureau of Meteorology calculates a Fire Danger hotter temperatures and more fire risk in future. As we lndex (FDI) and, while this can be found on the BoM have recently suffered more catastrophic fires, there website, it is hard to find and is not widely publicised. is an urgent need to address the issues and make The community has little understanding about the FDI. changes. These changes may include the provision especially what the higher readings indicate. of greater resources and infrastructure as well as Such information should be more widely publicised changes to our management policies. and explained so that the communbity can make more informed decisions. Prepare for the worst If we prepare for the worst, we will be better prepared The current weather for all bushfires. While the BoM website is very useful, additional information would be welcome. ror instance, The North wind is the danger timing of the progress of a change crossing the State Like all areas, One Tree Hill is more susceptible to is critical when waiting for a wind change. It would be fire on days when the wind is from the north to north helpful if a graphic representation of a change in wind west. There is a history of arsonists lighting fires along direction be added to the existing maps. Mountain Highway, the lower part of which is directly downhill and north of One Tree Hill. This problem musi be addressed. However, winds from other directions, especially the south west, can also be hazardous. The wind frequently changes to the south west later in the day when fires are active. One Tree Hill residents' submission Page 9 Stay or go? People should be free to choose whether to stay or go. Statistics prove that, not only is it safe to stay and defend your property, but that absence can lead to the loss of a house and leaving late can be deadly. Well prepared is well defended. There are many reasons why forced evacuation is not a workable solution, and very few reasons why those who choose to stay should not be allowed to do so. Forced evacuation is solution of last resort When would you tell people to leave? Evacuation policy should be formed after examining Unless everyone in fire prone areas was forced to all of the contributing factors as it is an action of last leave before (say) 10 am on all designated days, it is resort, not the first. likely that the decision to force evacuation would be made once a fire had started. Such a fire would, of Safer to stay and protect necessity be a potential threat to those who you wish Forced evacuation endangers people's property to remove. Thus there would be people fleeing while It has been proven many times that those who stay fire was in the area. The statistics show that this is the and defend have a much greater chance of saving worst time to be on the roads. their homes (go%), property and livestock. If you leave, and your house is subject to a fire front or Leave if you wish fire spotting, it is very likely that your house will burn Those who wish to leave on high fire danger days down. should have the best possible forecasts, warnings and other relevant information at their disposal. Reduced effectiveness People will tire of evacuating and the resulting loss of Refuges business time will be unsustainable. There has been a lot of discussion about bunkers, and Many wrong decisions are made in an emergency. many residents will install them now. Consideration No-one wants to be evacuated when it proves to be should be given to establishing public refuges and unnecessary. Conversely, there would be occasions regional plans for extreme emergencies. when evacuation will not be enforced, people would think it is safe and then get caught in a bushfire unprepared. People should be allowed to decide for themselves. What they need is timely and comprehensive information on which to base their decision. One Tree Hill residents' submission Page 10 Fire breaks and containment lines There are no fire breaks in the Dandenongs; there should be. Fire breaks are often put in when a fire threatens, and while you can't guess everywhere they might be needed, some strategically placed breaks would provide immediate access to key areas. There are some areas, such as Sherbrooke Forest, that are impenetrable and, if a bushfire started, it is likely that the CFA would let it burn. This is unacceptable near to residential properties. Also, in a bushfire, most of the native animals we claim to protect would perish. The extreme green movement has created a dangerous situation. We are 'green' too; a better plan is needed. Fire vulnerability - lack of fire breaks Reducing the fuel load The lack of fire breaks in and around the Dandenong There should be multiple strategies to reduce the fuel Ranges creates a dangerous situation. Those fire load, slow or stop fires' progress and provide rapid buffers that do exist are not maintained adequately. access to fire fronts and potential fire spots from Sherbrooke Forest has not had its fuel reduced for ember attack. The CFA are keen to emphasise that the decades. It is widely thought that if Sherbrooke Forest greatest dangers lie in the small leaf litter that provides were to catch fire, the entire forest would be burned, fuel for ember attack. To reduce such leaf litter, we killing the very animals the current policies claim to must have access, and fire breaks and containment protect. lines