Thread: Off to Kangaroo Island for a few days.....

Good luck mate, we were going over at Easter but might have to reevaluate if the accomodation ends up burned.

Keep it safe and good on you lot for helping out.

Originally Posted by dromader driver

Watch the west coast as the fuel load is very high and has not burnt in some places for 65 years. Lots of road kills but mostly small stuff. Didn't see any big skippy's either alive or dead.

Staging area is at Parndana with tent accomodation. Total firefighters yesterday morning was 600.

If you are on a big red truck the logistics are good but the intelligence can be bad due to very high smoke loads. At night can be cold due to maritime influence.

Just be very careful and don't get cut off from an escape route. Weather can bring wind from any direction.

DONT SPEED ON THE DIRT ROADS.
Dromader driver.

Thanks mate, it's nice to have a good 'heads up'. Still not sure if we're using RFS trucks or CFA 3.4D's. Doesn't matter to me cause I'm ex CFA anyway.

14 years and I still get anxious before going to big ones, had some pretty poor experiences back in '97. Biggest concern is out of the 12 going from my district, 7 have less than 2 years experience

amshaw,
Look after yourself buddy, you just don't know when a bad job is going to bring you undone. Good call on giving this deployment a miss
There's always next time....

Thanks to all the well-wishers, it's gonna be a long 5 days

Originally Posted by 4bee

Apparently no Rabbits or Foxes on KI & only 2 species of Snakes. One of those is the Tiger Snake.

A few more snakes than that, I can remember black sankes, red bellied blacks, tigers of various strains and some browns, but I was only a kid when we lived there. Shame to see it burning. I can still remember being in Parndarna when a bush fire surrounded the town.
Not fun.
It is a shame they leave major assistance until it is a disaster and too far gone to control. They have been burning badly for what 10 days now.

The Natural Vegetation crowd will not allow cool burns to keep the rubbish down & on our property can only clear 5m in from the boundary. All the rest gathers fuel & hasn't had a cool fire through it for about 15 years. Country Fire Service say no can do. Council agree.

Cleland Conservation Park & other parks here, have had big planned cool burns so why are they exempt?

They have a lot to answer for.


Re Snakes. Was going by the Parks website. Maybe they ain't been told yet.

Flinders Chase National Park - Natural Attractions

Originally Posted by CraigE

A few more snakes than that, I can remember black sankes, red bellied blacks, tigers of various strains and some browns, but I was only a kid when we lived there. Shame to see it burning. I can still remember being in Parndarna when a bush fire surrounded the town.
Not fun.
It is a shame they leave major assistance until it is a disaster and too far gone to control. They have been burning badly for what 10 days now.

Great! (says the guy with the aversion to snakes......)

They had us on standby to go over since Monday. Allegedly it was 'contained' on Tuesday and on Thursday we were told we could 'stand-down'. Funny enough 0715hrs Friday pagers are going off their nuts again looking for crews for today

If it's any consolation, it happens everywhere

Originally Posted by Treads

Great! (says the guy with the aversion to snakes......)

They had us on standby to go over since Monday. Allegedly it was 'contained' on Tuesday and on Thursday we were told we could 'stand-down'. Funny enough 0715hrs Friday pagers are going off their nuts again looking for crews for today

If it's any consolation, it happens everywhere

Hope all goes well for you guys if you have to go. Not something I envy and we will be on watch for these over here, but has not been a hot start to summer here.
Snakes will be least of your problems, they will only be trying to get away from the fires as well.
And yes you are right it does happen everywhere which is a shame.
Having seen KI burn badly as a kid, brings back some bad memories (75/76 I think). 1 firefighter died in a truck rollover then, I remember that clearly and my old man being the only one to charge through the front to get into Parndarna as all the men were on the other side of the front when it surrounded the town. Scortch marks on the boot of his car.
Take it easy and hope all goes well and they are contained soon. Shame to see the chase burning, lots of fond memories down there and at Karratta Park, Parndarna and Kingscote where we lived.

Originally Posted by 4bee

The Natural Vegetation crowd will not allow cool burns to keep the rubbish down & on our property can only clear 5m in from the boundary. All the rest gathers fuel & hasn't had a cool fire through it for about 15 years. Country Fire Service say no can do. Council agree.

Cleland Conservation Park & other parks here, have had big planned cool burns so why are they exempt?

They have a lot to answer for.


Re Snakes. Was going by the Parks website. Maybe they ain't been told yet.

Flinders Chase National Park - Natural Attractions

Probablly refering to species of snakes not types, Tigers, Blacks, Red Bellied Blacks are all considered Black snakes I think, so one species.

Looks like it's all over bar the shouting (& the mopping up)

They'll all be gone by the end of next week. Until the next time that is.

15 December 2007 - 9:00 AM
Media Release : Dangerous Area Declaration Lifted
Community Information
At 8.50am on Saturday 15 December 2007, South Australia Police lifted the Dangerous Area Declaration on Kangaroo Island which had been issued in response to the bushfires.
People should still take extra care travelling about the Island and turn headlights on when driving through smoke which is still coming from the fireground.
Click on the URL below to go to the full text of the message

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