Posted on 11/11/2019 10:46:50 PM PST by naturalman1975
Navy helicopters usually used to hunt submarines have been deployed to identify fire hotspots around the country.
The move came today as Defence drafted plans for an extraordinary deployment of Army Reservists to join regular troops committed to the fire fight.
In what has now become the biggest ever military call-up for a civil emergency of its kind in Australia, squadrons of Army, Navy and RAAF aircraft were working through the day and night on operations as tasked by Emergency Management Australia.
But critically, Defence is also now actively scoping a possible full “call out” of ADF Reservists - under law only ever made “in support of significant national emergencies if required to supplement ADF regular personnel”.
Reservist volunteers have been used in natural disaster response before but should the fire threat increase, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds told parliament a never-before used order by the Governor-General could be given for a mandatory call to arms.
Senator Reynolds said if requested by civil authorities, Defence would provide reservists from all three services firstly under voluntary arrangements.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytelegraph.com.au ...
And I'm honestly not clear why they are such a big deal at the moment - I'm not saying they're not, but going through all the media reports, I'm genuinely not clear why this is being treated as if it's the worst natural disaster in Australian history. Temperatures in Sydney today were forecast to hit 37C (99F) which is hot, but not that unusual - you get multiple days like that every year - but these are being compared to the Black Saturday fires which hit the area around Melbourne in February 2009 which were as bad as they were because the temperatures hit 47C (116F) which was unprecedented for that region.
Part of me wonders how much of this is real, and how much of it is politically driven hysteria. I'm kind of hoping for the latter, horrible as that is.
Wasn’t there a call for ISIS to set forest fires last week? Maybe related.
How terrible if it is politics.
But in this case, we should hope it is.
Are the jihadists starting fires?
That’s always a risk.
But we have plenty of homegrown idiots and fires can start naturally too.
What are these fires endangering? There’s a lot of open country.
Sydney.
Largest city in the country. That’s part of the reason it’s a big deal.
Fires are into the suburbs.
Brisbane (third largest city in the country also has fires around it.
OUCH! That sounds like arson for sure.
I’ve been monitoring the NSW fires on broadcastify. Seems pretty bad.
CC
They’re not good.
But the media here have been talking about them as a repeat of Black Saturday in 2009 - that was close to 200 dead and well over a thousand homes lost.
Hopefully we’re not looking at anything like that this time in reality.
Watch ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News live https://youtu.be/nu3iXDR7iXo
Taree Emergency Services
Australia > New South Wales > Mid - North Coast (NC) (Division)
https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/feed/23815
Taree (in Australia) Emergency Services is the number 1 feed on Broadcastify now, with 4703 listeners. Usually it is Chicago, IL.
That seems to be the likely reason, with the call-up meant to test readiness and effectiveness. Australia has a substantial Muslim population, some 2.6 percent, as compared to an estimated .6 percent in the United States.
First I've heard of this. Lots to listen to. Thanks.
It’s just an extension of the US ‘war on forest fire’.
“Politics” rather than science.
Follow the money...
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