Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Nov 10, 2019 11:13:28 GMT 10
On the CBC news we are hearing about the wild fires in Australia. Many homes burned, 100 or more, and 3 people died so far somehow.
If there is info on that on the forum, I haven't found it..
Hope all are safe and well.
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Post by Peter on Nov 10, 2019 13:41:58 GMT 10
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Nov 10, 2019 18:15:21 GMT 10
Public shout out to a member here who is very close to one of the fires. Hope everything is good at your place and H&K's.
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Post by SA Hunter on Nov 10, 2019 19:07:57 GMT 10
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Nov 11, 2019 4:13:20 GMT 10
From the video that would run here, from the link, it appears different kind of timber a bit more open, mostly much flatter ground than here.
No less dangerous and devastating. It seemed odd for me to see the kangaroo fleeing the fire. At a time like that livestock and wildlife don't get thought about with bigger concerns at mind. Even when all danger is over, wildlife will take years to recover as does the ground and forests to recover.
All stay safe.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Nov 12, 2019 11:25:22 GMT 10
We’re in the zone marked “catastrophic” today. Nothing too near yet but just watching the fires near me app and all the rfs reports.
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bug
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Post by bug on Nov 12, 2019 15:33:37 GMT 10
Sunday was the first day in recorded history that no rain fell anywhere on this continent. Some turd factory in Beijing pollutes the atmosphere as much as they feel like it whilst our farms and homes burn.
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Post by Joey on Nov 12, 2019 19:21:14 GMT 10
From the video that would run here, from the link, it appears different kind of timber a bit more open, mostly much flatter ground than here. No less dangerous and devastating. It seemed odd for me to see the kangaroo fleeing the fire. At a time like that livestock and wildlife don't get thought about with bigger concerns at mind. Even when all danger is over, wildlife will take years to recover as does the ground and forests to recover. All stay safe. The problems we have here are the state and local governments bending over for green policies for the last decade in regards to hazard reduction burns during winter and have been refusing to sign permits to burn. This has lead to record amounts of fuel load on the ground which is aiding these fires to a level that would otherwise be more manageable as compared to when regular controlled burns happened. The eucalyptus trees are a hard oily wood, and with the prolonged dry season their timber has somewhat cured and the leaves are all crispy dried. They don't stay green like the evergreen trees you have in Canada and the US and when they sense that they are struggling for water stop sending water and nutrients to their branches to protect the trunk and thus they are also called "widow makers" because they randomly drop their very large branches without warning and have been known to kill any poor sod who is underneath them, hence the name.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Nov 13, 2019 2:49:30 GMT 10
The eucalyptus trees are a hard oily wood, and with the prolonged dry season their timber has somewhat cured and the leaves are all crispy dried. Read more: ausprep.com/thread/5860/wild-fire-season?page=1#ixzz655Alxz6X>>>>>>>>> Kinda - sosrta similar in the fact conifers have different levels of sap and moisture in the small limbs and needles during different conditions. This mix can be as dangerous as gasoline at times. It is too bad, but it rarely seems feel good terrorist suffer the same fate for there actions as others do. Not many bush fires in condo complexes and manicured estates. Don't get me started. Keep safe.
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gasman
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Post by gasman on Nov 13, 2019 14:53:42 GMT 10
We got the Vic bunyip fires in March Lost fences and sheds but house intact We were prepared- house cleared/ fire suits / fire sprinklers/ fire trailers/multiple pumps Fire bunker as last resort Neighbours and community were great- no power and roads closed for 2 weeks Don’t rely on anyone but yourself-our fire service didn’t help Good prepper experience- got the wife on side
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Beno
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Post by Beno on Nov 13, 2019 16:15:38 GMT 10
In our area its not green policies affecting us it’s lack of resources, liability and a changing environment.
Many RFS sheds are low on young, fit and available individuals to help with wildfires let alone controlled burns. The cost of controlled burns can be high and some locations just didn t get the right weather to burn hence fuel build up. Anyone can pretend to be a good controlled burner but the fact is there seems to be less competent planners around to do good burns without destroying the joint.
Liability for controlled burns is a big issue, who pays for the damage when one goes bad? RFS used to do burns but they are not a major contributor in this area any more. This needs to change as i know a lot of people willing to burn but don’t get the support or resources. I’m not having a go at RFS as most of them know how crap things have got but when the paid staff came on board so did liability and responsibility for their actions.
Up here reliable rain is now becoming a thing of the past. we are going to more dry tropic weather, boom times and bust. The problem is our vegetation can’t handle this variability so it will change to a more fire prone area as a result.
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Nov 13, 2019 16:22:48 GMT 10
We got the Vic bunyip fires in March Lost fences and sheds but house intact We were prepared- house cleared/ fire suits / fire sprinklers/ fire trailers/multiple pumps Fire bunker as last resort Neighbours and community were great- no power and roads closed for 2 weeks Don’t rely on anyone but yourself-our fire service didn’t help Good prepper experience- got the wife on side Where did you get the suits? I've been looking online and the one that had a price was about $400
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Post by spinifex on Nov 13, 2019 17:43:12 GMT 10
Just tried uploading a pic of the Aerotech squadron that saved the Lincolnites bacon - big time. (Site has exceeded its upload limit)
8 Airtractors with 3 ton capacity and a surveillance plane guiding actions and providing real-time mapping. They limited the fire ground to just a few hundred hectares in a densely populated peri-urban environment during catastrophic conditions.
Massive cred to the pilots getting the job done in harsh flying conditions - making accurate low level strikes in 70km+ winds is an art form.
For a while it looked and sounded like a pack of Stukas during the opening phase of the blitzkreig.
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bug
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Post by bug on Nov 13, 2019 19:32:51 GMT 10
In our area its not green policies affecting us it’s lack of resources, liability and a changing environment. Many RFS sheds are low on young, fit and available individuals to help with wildfires let alone controlled burns. The cost of controlled burns can be high and some locations just didn t get the right weather to burn hence fuel build up. Anyone can pretend to be a good controlled burner but the fact is there seems to be less competent planners around to do good burns without destroying the joint. Liability for controlled burns is a big issue, who pays for the damage when one goes bad? RFS used to do burns but they are not a major contributor in this area any more. This needs to change as i know a lot of people willing to burn but don’t get the support or resources. I’m not having a go at RFS as most of them know how crap things have got but when the paid staff came on board so did liability and responsibility for their actions. Up here reliable rain is now becoming a thing of the past. we are going to more dry tropic weather, boom times and bust. The problem is our vegetation can’t handle this variability so it will change to a more fire prone area as a result. Some rare common sense on the topic there. Well done. The 'green policies' thing that many try to claim is largely a myth. The Greens are in no position to drive policy. Not in government, not holding the balance of power. They are a minor party. Shooters Fishers and Farmers has more seats in NSW than the Greens. If back burns aren't happening, it's because resources to carry them out have repeatedly been cut. It's often a denialists way to go. The 'greenies' have been warning for years that Australia will get hotter and drier with more and earlier bushfires. Denialists ignored them and did nothing. Now that the predictions are coming true, the same people are trying to blame those who warned them.
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Post by SA Hunter on Nov 13, 2019 20:15:19 GMT 10
We got the Vic bunyip fires in March Lost fences and sheds but house intact We were prepared- house cleared/ fire suits / fire sprinklers/ fire trailers/multiple pumps Fire bunker as last resort Neighbours and community were great- no power and roads closed for 2 weeks Don’t rely on anyone but yourself-our fire service didn’t help Good prepper experience- got the wife on side Where did you get the suits? I've been looking online and the one that had a price was about $400 Me too!
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Post by Joey on Nov 13, 2019 21:06:13 GMT 10
I don't think a fore suit would save you from some of those fires that are so hot and ferocious that they are scorching the earth which will take a long time become fertile again as compared to a low intensity controlled burn.
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Nov 14, 2019 4:39:40 GMT 10
Both of two summers before this last summer area where MIL lives down province from us had bad fires. They are a bit less rugged terrain, with more grazing, but there timber is just as thick. They live on the end of the lake and said both summers starting first light to last light the Canadian built, load on the fly water bombers would go over the house to the lake and rattle the dishes on the table. If it wasn't in her hand, the tea pot and her favorite cup were in the sink where they could not fall.
Depending on wind and location the planes would come over our place "skud running" (tree top high) to and from the local airport to refuel and maintain.
I presume you have aircraft similar, but is there lakes big enough to operate from??
Man power is also an issue at times. Many times tree planting crews are diverted to secondary support work behind the main line fire crews.
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gasman
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Post by gasman on Nov 14, 2019 5:25:09 GMT 10
Where did you get the suits? I've been looking online and the one that had a price was about $400 Me too! There was a shop in Melbourne selling them after black Saturday, but has long closed down Think some safety shops have gear but not sure Protective gear is essential- balaclavas gloves goggles etc Ours was a slow fire so very defendable
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norseman
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Post by norseman on Nov 14, 2019 6:55:03 GMT 10
We have been surrounded on all four sides by fire at my place, one fatality bottom of the valley last Friday, a 40000 hectare blaze threatening our place took out 6 houses over the ridge night before last. I asked my wife to leave on Tuesday for her safety and go to oldest daughter's place only to have them decide to evac there as it seemed their situation was becoming more dire than our own. We lost phone, internet and power for four days even mobile phone data would not function! I've been through this extreme level type fire emergency four times now in two separate rural / regional locations. At the end of the day you really are on your own the Emergency Services quite literally become overwhelmed, it is not their fault it is just how it rolls. Miraculously given the damage to infrastructure all around us our power, phone and internet were all restored yesterday don't know how they did it! Our landline and internet rely on a repeater tower and receiver dish on our dwelling it is a shit system because if the power goes out you lose everything mobile service in our area is also garbage! Interestingly the old timers all stayed to fight / defend and the tree changer city types have all bailed or deliberately chosen to stay away from their weekend retreats leaving us with exposed boundaries (no manpower) what is worse is the metros are calling RFS to come check their properties for them potentially pulling personnel away from more crucial tasking! Pacific Highway was closed for three days and towns have been running out of fuel especially diesel, shops and supermarkets emptied rapidly of nearly all fresh food, all hardware and rural stores have been completely stripped of hoses, fittings and pumps! Luckily our immediate area hasn't been impacted so far and we are enjoying a quiet time right now.
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Beno
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Post by Beno on Nov 14, 2019 7:03:01 GMT 10
👆 good luck mate, take this time to regroup and rearm. we have a decent buffer (20-25km) from fires but they are 360 all around us. we are having issues with arsonists. that POS that was mimicking RFS had a red decked out landcruiser ute, fire unit, uniforms and was bluffing his way behind closed roads etc. No one can prepare for someone like that, well not in this country anyway. I have to go metro, we just moved in to our new property but are not set up to fight fires.....we literally moved in last week.
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