Posted on 02/13/2009 4:54:15 PM PST by naturalman1975
The United States will send 60 experienced firefighters to Australia to help battle the remaining Victorian blazes, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.
The US Department of Interior will dispatch 29 firefighters and the US Forest Service is deploying 31 in response to an official Victorian request for assistance, Salazar said.
Twenty one bushfires are still burning across Victoria, after swarms of devastating infernos killed at least 181 people and destroyed nearly 2,000 homes.
"Australia is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire season due to record high temperatures, drought, high wind and low humidity," Salazar said in a statement.
"We are dispatching this help in response to an official request under our mutual assistance agreement with Australia," he added.
"They have helped us many times to battle wildfires in the west and we are eager to demonstrate our gratitude and assist them at this critical time."
Victoria's state government formally requested US assistance on February 11, the department said.
The federal contingent will be deployed for up to 35 days.
United States
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Canada
Is there some sort of pattern here?
(Note - in fairness, because I am not going to ignore any genuine offer of help, Indonesia has offered the services of police victim identification teams, not firefighters, but still something we sadly do need.)
Yeah all western countries that who
Maybe Australia will teach our firefighters how they got rid of Radical Islam in their country if we get rid of the fires.
Homeowners in Australia are encouraged to defend their own homes from fire. It’s not just something they are allowed to do, but something they are encouraged to do - either leave as soon as the threat arises and go to a place or safety, or stay and defend.
“Is there some sort of pattern here?”
Yes, all english-speaking countries to some degree of understandability. Makes Command and Control (and safety) much easier.
Oh - and Australia hasn’t got rid of radical Islam, anymore than the US has. We’ve got radicals here. Some people even think that terrorist groups are behind some of these fires and while there’s no real evidence of that at this point, the fact is they have threatened to do it, and the possibility is certainly a real one.
“Homeowners in Australia are encouraged to defend their own homes from fire.”
Perhaps, the hapless (and helpless) goobers in the Aussie gooberment are blabbering that line NOW - but for decades, they refused permission to do controlled burns, brush removal, tree cutting, etc.
GangGreen bureaucrats in the Aussie agencies caused this debacle. IMHO, they should be jailed at hard labor for the rest of their unnatural lives.
Better yet, organ bank ‘em with the proceeds going to those whose families and homes were destroyed by the callously deliberate endangerment consequential to GangGreen agenda based policies.
Let there be consequences for such behavior and it will stop.
If not, then not.
I read where Australia government told Islam they would abide by the laws or get out. Not true?
Are they there legally? I also read moving to Australia you had to be self sufficient and not needing government help. One couple was almost denied residency because of their downs syndrome child.
It's also true that people have been prevented from doing some clearing, especially by local councils, but that's a separate issue from the idea that you should stay and defend.
There's been a huge discrepancy between advice coming from different sources.
Fire Ready is the type of advice I am talking about.
Keep grass cut
Reduce ‘fine fuels’ - Fine fuels are things such as long dry grass, fallen leaves and twigs. Anything smaller in diameter than your little finger is a fine fuel and it is these that you need to clean up around your property
Clear away dead undergrowth, and fallen branches
Move wood piles away from your home
Clean leaves out of gutters
Plant trees and shrubs away from your home
Plant a protective shield of trees around the house to slow the wind, cut down radiant heat and catch flying embers and sparks from a bushfire
Place weather stripping around the inside of doors and windows
Close underfloor spaces and seal all gaps where embers could enter
Make firescreens to go over windows to prevent the glass from cracking in radiant heat
Mains water supply may not be a reliable source during a fire as the water pressure may drop. Make sure that you have access to adequate water supplies, such as tanks, dams, swimming pools or water reserves. Install a sprinkler system around your home
Power may go off - so don't rely on electrical pumps for supply of water
Gather appropriate firefighting equipment such as ladders, hoses, buckets, mops, portable water pumps, a ladder, rake, a torch, and a knapsack spray to put out small "spot" fires
The native vegetation removal exemptions for wildfire safety have changed. To meet the exemption residents must undertake a site assessment and prepare a plan which is then lodged with DSE. Find out more and download the plan template.
Yes, some people have been prevented from protecting their properties as well as they should have been because of 'environmental' concerns. That's a tragedy and it's sickening - but it's completely separate to the advice people are given on surviving the actual event of a bushfire as opposed to preparing for it.
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2005/s1444603.htm
Respect Australian values or leave: Costello
Reporter: Tony Jones
PETER COSTELLO: What I’ve said is that this is a country, which is founded on a democracy. According to our Constitution, we have a secular state. Our laws are made by the Australian Parliament. If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you. This is not the kind of country where you would feel comfortable if you were opposed to democracy, parliamentary law, independent courts and so I would say to people who don’t feel comfortable with those values there might be other countries where they’d feel more comfortable with their own values or beliefs.
People are advised to make a choice when bushfire threatens - decide to leave early if they don't think they can defend their property, or commit to stay and defend. Nobody is forced to stay and if you need help to evacuate it will normally be available - but people have to understand that firefighters can't defend every individual home and that if they choose to leave, then they stand a good chance of losing their home. That's not to say we won't defend houses as firefighters if we can - but protecting lives comes first and in a large fire, we normally have the resources to protect empty houses. We have to devote what we have to the preservation of life.
So if you want to save your home, it's largely up to you. Again, firefighters will help if we can, but we can't always do that.
If people prepare properly - and, yes, as one poster has indicated, some people may have been prevented from doing so in some case by 'environmental' regulations - they stand a very good chance of saving their own property from most bushfires. But if they don't think they can, then they should leave as early in the emergency as possible.
Bear in mind, that in rural areas, a very large proportion of the residents are actually trained volunteer firefighters, and the CFA does hand out DVDs and videos to everybody explaining what they need to do.
I read where Australia government told Islam they would abide by the laws or get out. Not true?
Some senior Federal politicians have made such statements, yes, but they really are just statements. Also, there was an e-mail circulating around the web for a while that included the real statements, but then also included a lot of fake ones added on to the end of them.
Are they there legally? I also read moving to Australia you had to be self sufficient and not needing government help. One couple was almost denied residency because of their downs syndrome child.
In general, that's true, nowadays, but it didn't always apply and exceptions have always been made for genuine refugees - quite a few current problems have been caused by the children of refugees who came here in the late 1970s from areas like Lebanon. The refugees, themselves, the parents are fine - some of their kids have been radicalised.
I love America so I will also stay and defend but another battle.
Good luck and prayers!
This link may be of interest to you.
Thanks for the link. Just be careful if you find yourself in that situation. It surrounds so quickly and takes life so easily.
Godspeed to all these fire fighters. I’m in awe of the bravery of all men and women who fight fire.
That link has more than a whiff of the bureaucratic baffle-gab we get from the GangGreen types here.
Has the GangGreen goobers not enacted that plethora of “environmental regulations” most of those homes would still be unburnt.
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