Posts Tagged ‘CFA’
Our CFA volunteers must be paid
The fires in the Whitfield hills have got me stirred up. It disturbs me that this burn-off is happening when the town is on Stage 4 water restrictions.
Whilst it is located on private property, and fire restrictions are still in force, I am disturbed that the CFA volunteers are expected to conduct a burn-off when we are told that is what the DSE are paid to do.
This was not planned very well when one of their Lieutenants was called back from Bendigo to attend the fires. The Whitfield tanker was at the burn-off yesterday until 8 pm last night and headed back again at 9 am this morning.
Whilst the locals are in favour of the burn-off, I suggest that it is a bit rich to expect volunteers to give up a few days of their time without pay. If this is the future role of volunteers, the government should be paying them ‘fire ground’ time in lieu of lost wages.
A night on the town in Whitfield
I don’t get out much these days and dinner with some camping friends at the Valley View caravan park was a pleasant way to spend the evening.
It’s amazing how visitors get the low down on what’s happening. Up at Lake William Hovell, there is major earthworks underway at the water’s edge where they are dredging an area below the water line and piling it up to a built up area. What’s going on? I will make enquiries of the local Parks Victoria man but it would appear that it may be preparatory work for the “Eco Village” proposed for the area.
Then on the way home I noticed about 2 kilometres of the hills behind Whitfield on fire. The local CFA brigades have been working up there since 9 am this morning apparently burning off although fire restrictions have not yet been lifted.
It looks like I should get out more often.
