Thread: All 2019/20 bushfire comments here.

When the modern world falls apart. Interesting to see that when the mobile phone system, and the internet, dropped out, tourists had to line up to make a phone call to the outside world, at an old fashioned phone box, in southern NSW. Also, in Batemans Bay, petrol stations were refusing to let customers fill up, unless they had cash, the ATM's were down. A cashless society, only when all is well.

Originally Posted by NavyDiver

Fire fighting training on a 20m oil fire pit on Garden Island got me. 2 large high pressure hosed one on spray to stop 9 of us 4 and 5 on each hose from frying. Not a chance in hell of putting the fire with just water really. Add AFFF ( yep the cancer causing one) and it was almost easy with foam. AFFF hose had one person carrying the drum of AFFF.

Volunteer fire fighters on trucks have much smaller hoses. It is bloody scary fighting any out of control fire. The heat from the 10m oil pits we used in training was significant but insignificant compared to may bush fires toss.

Honestly think anyone assuming they can stay and protect with a garden hose or two are often sadly Darwin Award candidates

Did you visit the practical fire fighting facility set up at Nowra? It was set up during my tenure as the fire fighting instructor, RAN. [ there was only one official instructor, at that time. It was taken as a given Senior Sailors of the Engineering branch would fulfill the role at sea. ] We used to task students to extinguish large pans of oil on fire with a hand held water extinguisher. Doable, with the correct technique. There was a mockup of a ships superstructure, where students with breathing apparatus had to extinguish various fires, A B & C class, and recover " bodies ". Designed to give a basic grounding on fighting ship board fires, it was pretty basic, but nonetheless gave them something to move forward with. You can talk all you want in a classroom, but put them in a dark and smoky compartment, with flames and the rest, moving by touch, organising boundary cooling , made it more real.

From memory, there were only a very few major fires on RAN ships around that time. One was on a DDG, when stokers failed to secure the oil filter assembly correctly, and fuel oil under pressure sprayed out over steam pipes, another was on another DDG, when a dockyard worker left a BIC gas lighter up near the relief valves on a boiler. When the boiler was flashed up, the Lighter heated up, and went off like a bomb. The most tragic fire was on the fleet oiler, Westralia ? I think. During refit of the main engine, the fuel lines to the injectors were replaced by non spec lines. They burst, a couple of sailors lost their lives. They nearly lost the ship, but good work by the fire parties prevailed. Fire at sea is a sailors nightmare.

Originally Posted by goingbush

Its an absolute waste of time & effort trying to extinguish these type of fires with water . Even a 737 dump of water will basically evaporate before it hits the ground, and what does just boils off, mightaswell be ****ing on the fire. Phoscheck or similar retardant is good for stopping flame but embers still jump a fire break. I was under the impression the operation was to save life only .

Which fire were you looking at? A lot of fires, over a huge area. Not all were in desperate circumstances, like that one in NSW.

This might be a recent pic of the oil pond we used for training at HMAS Stirling WA. Wen we used it in the 80s fire was well over 20m high when it flashed up. Fire fuel was all old engine sump oil and diesel.
I wonder how they seem to have reduced the fire so much unless of course it was just starting

HMAS Choules is in Mallacoota now. 4000 odd people to move is interesting. Deck loading perhaps to Eden?


https://cometbaycollege.wa.edu.au/wp...2/IMG_9019.jpg

Originally Posted by goingbush

Its an absolute waste of time & effort trying to extinguish these type of fires with water . Even a 737 dump of water will basically evaporate before it hits the ground, and what does just boils off, mightaswell be ****ing on the fire. Phoscheck or similar retardant is good for stopping flame but embers still jump a fire break. I was under the impression the operation was to save life only .

Water bombing only seeks to supress to protect individual threatened assets. My cousin was saved by a helo a couple of weeks ago when he got himself into a spot of bother attempting to protect a house. It appeared out if knowhere and quenched the fire just enough to save the dozer and him.

The fire commissioners have been saying for weeks now that the fires are so big that the firies can't extinguish these blazes, only sustained rain can do that. All they can do is to contain, suppress spot fires and save lives.

Sent from my A1601 using AULRO mobile app

HMAS Choules is off to Welshpool or westernport at 8am tomorrow apparently. Loading Civilians at 7am for a nice trip.

Non Compulsory evacuation for places and" Batlow residents told town 'will not be defendable'" tomorrow or saturday -Yikes

Bet there is not a shortage of Non Compulsory volunteers for evacuation
AS usual some think there cars are more important "Deputy Emergency Management Commissioner Chris Stephenson said a number of people wanted to stay behind to get their cars and caravans out of town.
With roads blocked and fires still raging, he warned it "could be two or three weeks" before that was able to happen."

Bushfires relief arrives in Mallacoota as navy ship awaits evacuation process - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

“HMAS Choules and MV Sycamore (a multi-role aviation training vessel contracted by the Navy) will begin relief operations in Mallacoota this morning, including supporting the relocation of vulnerable and high-priority people to Westernport,” the Australian Defence Force said. But Gippsland MP and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Darren Chester took to Twitter today to decribe the conditions off Mallacoota as “s..thouse”.“HMAS Choules barely visible as CO (commanding officer) Scott Houlihan leads a liaison team to meet with community leaders in town. Hoping to get people on board this arvo,” he said.
Weather looks poor for our Fire fighters for Saturday with 41 and reasonably strong winds.

It is compulsory in some areas

As authorities race to prepare for horror bushfire conditions along the NSW South Coast on Saturday, the message being sent to tourists stranded in the area since New Year's Eve is clear: get out now.
Key points:

• Fuel shortages have caused delays, but more is being shipped in to help people get on the road
• People planning to head north from Batemans Bay are being urged to delay their departure, due to road closures
• Follow NSW Live Traffic for the latest road updates

A "tourist leave zone" has been designated from Batemans Bay down to the Victorian Border, and a state of emergency will be in force from tomorrow.
"We don't take these decisions lightly but we also want to make sure we're taking every single precaution to be prepared for what could be a horrible day on Saturday," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said, urging anybody who could leave the area to do so as soon as possible.
NSW bushfires are forcing people out of South Coast 'leave zone' — here's what you need to know - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)