A very smoky sunset tonight

[Don 130]

It's been very smoky all day. The Gospers Mountain fire is 25-30Km away by crow, but it has to jump the Hawkesbury to get here. It's quite capable of doing that as it has done before. We're as well set up as can be, so we wait to see what happens.
155785
This is taken from the back verandah. The bush that goes all the way to river is quite close.
I hope everyone is as safe as can be. I think we're in for a bad summer.
Don.

[V8Ian]

Stay safe, Don.

[speleomike]

Don,

Your place is so green. We'd love that greenness where we are. Our farm with 50 alpacas is about 25-30 km from the Wollemi fires.

155786
Sunset about 6:10 pm, near Mt Marsden

Mike

[Pedro_The_Swift]

The 22nd may be a busy day... [bighmmm]

[loanrangie]

Coming in thru the heads into Sydney harbour yesterday morning at 5.15sm I got up early to video it but couldn't see **** until Mrs Macquarie's chair, and when we left we could still see and smell smoke all the way to Nouméa.

[travelrover]

We are in East Kurrajong and only about 15km south of the Gospers Mountain fire @ Colo Heights. Nothing green at our place.

We have been lucky so far with the wind favoring us. It was in the north for a while yesterday which was a bit scary but there were no big gusts so all good just now. They have done a brilliant job containing it at Colo Heights and along Wheelbarrowing Ridge Rd which runs down to the confluence of Colo River and the Haweksbury.

No matter how vigilant you are you just can’t keep on top of the amount of leave litter blowing in around the place. I am just focusing on keeping it away from the house and sheds and hoping the wind will work in our favor but we are well prepared.

The RFS have a helicopter refueling/ resupply site at Wiberforce about 10 kms to the north east and these choppers and the water bombers and spotter aircraft out of RAAF Richmond are constantly over head which is reassuring. Interesting tracking them on Flightradar24.

Good luck everyone, going to be a long summer.
Cheers - Simon

[Don 130]

Don,

Your place is so green. We'd love that greenness where we are. Our farm with 50 alpacas is about 25-30 km from the Wollemi fires.

155786
Sunset about 6:10 pm, near Mt Marsden

Mike

How are you with fire activity today Mike? At a meeting of the Regent Honeyeater Recovery group last weekend we were told there are a couple of spots where the fire has crept down into your valley. I hope you're all ok.
Don.

Edit: I'm watching your weather on your weather station.😁

[4bee]

An Observation by an Onlooker.

It doesn't bear thinking about the Long Term Health & Environmental problems associated with these fires but soon someone will have to.
. They have been going for such a long time with Crews & Control room staff being changed, Equipment & Vehicles going Non Stop & requiring maintenance which can hardly be justified by taking it all off line & a whole host of unforeseen issues while the fires continue unabated. When it is all over & it will be one day, although it won't seem like it to you if you are involved in controlling these fires., what costs will have to be found to get it all back to square one.

If you close Fresh Air makeups with building air conditioning plants for instance to reduce internal smoke buildup, the conditions could be untenable with minimal fresh air that would have to be endured. Some of those affected High Rise are gigantic & contain hundreds or even thousands of employees all breathing this air.. My own recently graduated & admitted to the NSW Bar Grand daughter based in Sydney CBD seems to be right in the middle of all this airborne pollution, so what of her & thousands of others health in future?

From here in the green & moist Adelaide Hills directly behind the city of Adelaide & out of touch with the realities of what is happening interstate, I am amazed at the fortitude of all operational Crews & Staff who are involved with the control of these fires. SA seems to have only a handful of going fires thus far which are mainly well outside of major cities with the active ones being in country areas but as far I can tell are certainly not the size of the NSW fires.

I realise it is early days & Summer has only just begun, but I dips me lid to those involved, I really do.:TakeABow::TakeABow::TakeABow:.

[speleomike]

Hi


How are you with fire activity today Mike? At a meeting of the Regent Honeyeater Recovery group last weekend we were told there are a couple of spots where the fire has crept down into your valley. I hope you're all ok.
Don.
Edit: I'm watching your weather on your weather station.😁

Yep, OK so far. We went to the bush fire meeting last week at Glen Davis. They said when the Wolemi fire comes down the escarpment it will be slower and they have used a bulldozer to widen breaks and they are checking the perimeter with rostered firefighters and volunteers six times a day.

We are about 25 kms away so we get the smoke but its far enough away not to be too worried. But this week a few kms away a neighbour had a hay stack fire that was controlled.

Nice your using our weather station :-) We have heard that pilots from Rylstone Airport use it also as weather, particularly the wind, can vary quite a lot just several kms away and the more stations the better. It's a Davis Vantage Pro.

How are you involved with the Regent Honeyeater Recovery group? We helped out earlier this year with more plantings in the Capertee Valley near Bogee for Regent Honeyeater trees. That was with LROC NSW providing vehicles to do watering of the newly planted small plants. We also have a tree lane on our place that was planted for the Regent Honeyeater and every year or so a person from Birds Australia comes to count numbers.

Mike

[cjc_td5]

Don,

Your place is so green. We'd love that greenness where we are. Our farm with 50 alpacas is about 25-30 km from the Wollemi fires.

155786
Sunset about 6:10 pm, near Mt Marsden

MikeWhere abouts is your property Mike? I lived in Kandos for a few years and my family still has a couple of properties in the Wolgan Valley. The fire has been about 10km from my parents place but hopefully its calmed down a bit now.

[4bee]

What I expected really. Bloody useless.


Should I wear a face mask to protect myself from bushfire smoke? - Health - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-12-03/face-masks-for-bushfire-smoke-haze-pollution/11760618)

[travelrover]

A couple of defenders fighting fires, I think this is around Colo River

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191206/ff1ca390e18cb8b8688dfcf211f42980.jpg

[4bee]

If the crews leave it for a mo or two they won't need that barby. [bigsad]

[DiscoMick]

I was thinking today that so many volunteers have put so much time into these fires that it's going to be way beyond a normal commitment by the end of summer. It would be nice if the funds could be collected from whatever sources to make an ex gratia payment to the volunteers, maybe based on an average daily wage, as thanks. I'd contribute. It wouldn't be much, but it would be something.

[cjc_td5]

I was thinking today that so many volunteers have put so much time into these fires that it's going to be way beyond a normal commitment by the end of summer. It would be nice if the funds could be collected from whatever sources to make an ex gratia payment to the volunteers, maybe based on an average daily wage, as thanks. I'd contribute. It wouldn't be much, but it would be something.Don't forget the employers also who have employees missing for long periods, especially in small businesses.

[Don 130]

Hi





How are you involved with the Regent Honeyeater Recovery group? We helped out earlier this year with more plantings in the Capertee Valley near Bogee for Regent Honeyeater trees. That was with LROC NSW providing vehicles to do watering of the newly planted small plants. We also have a tree lane on our place that was planted for the Regent Honeyeater and every year or so a person from Birds Australia comes to count numbers.

Mike

I've been going to the valley for over 12 years providing vehicle and trailer to assist with the planting of around 3,000 trees in both spring and autumn. I spoke to you both at a mechanical day (remember the coffee machine up on top of the racking)a few months ago and again at the planting site.

Here's a couple of pictures of my 130 on the job156144156145

Don.

[speleomike]

Ah :-)
Now I remember. That was an informative day.
Jill was wondering if yours was the defender that was too heavy to put up on the hoist?

PS. To AULRO members. It was an LROC day where a dozen of us got together and put RR's, Perentie and a Series 2 up on a hoise and had a look at the differences on the underside, suspension, exhaust, damping, sumps etc.

Mike

[DiscoMick]

Don't forget the employers also who have employees missing for long periods, especially in small businesses.Aren't most of those employers public service bodies like councils and hospitals? Good on private employers who do release their staff out of a sense of community spirit - well done!

[V8Ian]

Aren't most of those employers public service bodies like councils and hospitals? Good on private employers who do release their staff out of a sense of community spirit - well done!
In Queensland at least, employers have a legal obligation to not discriminate against EMS volunteers and to release them to respond to emergency situations.
It is my experience that these laws are flaunted by government departments more often than private sector employers.

[Eevo]

I was thinking today that so many volunteers have put so much time into these fires that it's going to be way beyond a normal commitment by the end of summer. It would be nice if the funds could be collected from whatever sources to make an ex gratia payment to the volunteers, maybe based on an average daily wage, as thanks. I'd contribute. It wouldn't be much, but it would be something.


would get expensive quick.
SA has sent 900 firefighters. 5 day deployment
$400per day

1.8mil just for SA firefighters


i personally have a ethical issue with this too.
as soon as you start paying for it, the beancounters come in.
firefighting is a community issue, it effects all of it. we all need to be involved. not just some people who get paid.

[Eevo]

In Queensland at least, employers have a legal obligation to not discriminate against EMS volunteers and to release them to respond to emergency situations.
It is my experience that these laws are flaunted by government departments more often than private sector employers.

is that a law or a guideline for business?
i dont think SA has anything like this, im curious to find out now.

[JDNSW]

Very smokey sunrise here this morning - visibility about 100m. In other words we have an easterly!

[Don 130]

Ah :-)
Now I remember. That was an informative day.
Jill was wondering if yours was the defender that was too heavy to put up on the hoist?

PS. To AULRO members. It was an LROC day where a dozen of us got together and put RR's, Perentie and a Series 2 up on a hoise and had a look at the differences on the underside, suspension, exhaust, damping, sumps etc.

Mike

I didn't offer mine, but it would have been too heavy.
I think we've strayed off topic somewhat🤓
Don.