Agencies from across the country are meeting in Canberra this week for a national disaster preparedness summit. They are looking to learn from the past after bushfires are predicted to be dangerous this year.
The 2019 bushfires engulfed the southern coastal town of Lake Consola in New South Wales.
At the time the weather forecast proved wrong, the community was completely in the dark about what was going to happen – they were not prepared for such a firestorm.
Former ACT Fire Chief Major General Peter Dunn was there.
He says, that morning my wife and I were at the beach. Looking west towards the village we suddenly saw a billow of smoke rising. And that was the first time we knew the fire had crossed the highway.”
The bushfires killed three people and destroyed more than 130 homes – including 89 in one suburb alone.
According to Dunn, the situation was very chaotic, those who managed to come up the highway, people were stranded as the villages were inaccessible.
The tragic events of Australia’s Black Summer struck a chord with emergency workers attending a bushfire preparedness summit in Canberra.
More than 250 representatives of governments and related organizations are planning a coordinated response to the risks they fear in the future.
Rob Rogers, commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, told ABC News that as fire seasons change around the world, we are looking at ways to deal with these challenges in the future. Long-term planning to ensure we have that level of capability across the country.”
The summit included a disaster simulation.
Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt explained that public authorities, the private sector, the private sector all need to ensure they are prepared and informed of what could happen. If there is a gap at least we have time to fix it.
One of the many recommendations of the 2020 Bushfire Royal Commission has yet to be completed, such as the establishment of a national air tanker fleet.
Minister Watt launched a new task force to establish mobile and radio communications among first responders.
Major General Dunn, now a member of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action, also wants to see better resourcing or facilitation given to communities and more staffing for agencies.
Some states and territories are lagging behind on reforms, but Minister Watt told ABC radio progress was being made nationally.
He says, I am not going to blame the state. We are trying to work collaboratively with them through national meetings to implement all the recommendations.”
Defense forces will be put on standby this summer, but the government wants to stop using troops in disaster zones.
National Community Service is a recommended option to increase support.
Brendan Moon is coordinator general of the National Emergency Management Agency – it was launched a year ago.
He said authorities are monitoring potential risks.
Brendan Moon says the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast for this season should mean that yes, we’re going to experience a warm, dry spring and summer. But we should also prepare for cyclones, floods, the possibility of bushfires and heat waves. So the strategy for the future is to look at how to deal with complex disaster situations that could affect the nation during high-risk weather seasons.
