A letter from Roger Underwood, published with permission. He wrote a lengthy paper on fire control which I also have permission to publish but I cannot transfer the file onto my website and I will have to ask for the paper in a different format
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
In 2009 in the wake of the Black Saturday fires in Victoria, the fires that killed 180 people and burned down two substantial towns, I was invited to come to Melbourne and give a public lecture on the bushfire problem in Australia. My paper was presented to a large audience in an historic building in Collins Street, and then later published on the internet and in a number of journals, including in the USA, Canada and South Africa.
The paper was entitled Australian Bushfire Management: a case study in wisdom versus folly. It identified the problems with the current approach to fire management and pointed to a wiser and more effective approach … but at the same time, drew attention to the barriers to adoption of such a course. These barriers are basically political, and stem from (a) the absence of leadership and (b) the malevolent influence on governments of pressure groups, in particular the environmentalists and academics who oppose the “preventative medicine” of fuel reduction burning in eucalypt bushland.
I was moved to re-read the paper yesterday (copy attached), in the wake of the spate of disastrous bushfires now bedevilling Australia. Another two towns have burned since Christmas, and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on futilely trying to suppress intense fast-moving fires burning in heavy fuels. We all know this is impossible, but it is still attempted. I am reminded of Winston Churchill’s definition of a fanatic: one who, when proven wrong, redoubles his efforts.
Possibly the most dramatic example of the lack of leadership and populist politics is the decision of the Victorian Premier to reject the recommendations of the Black Saturday Royal Commission and to side with the environmental lobby in their opposition to fuel reduction burning. This is a decision based on the desire to attract the green vote in metropolitan Melbourne. To do this, the Premier is prepared to sacrifice rural Victorians and Victorian forests.
In my 2009 paper I quoted Jim Hacker, fictional Minister for Administrative Services in the TV program Yes, Minister on this issue:
“There are times in a politician’s life when he is obliged to take the wrong decision. Wrong economically, wrong industrially, wrong by any standards – except one. It is a curious fact that something which is wrong from every other point of view can be right politically. And something which is right politically does not simply mean that it is the way to get the votes – which it is – but also if a policy gets the votes then it can be argued that that policy is what the people want. And, in a democracy, how can a thing be wrong if it is what the people will vote for?”
And I went on to say:
“The ultimate test for the Victorian government in the wake of the recent fires is whether or not it caves in to green demands on bushfire issues in order to win preference votes and stay in power at the next election. The ‘Yes Minister’ scenario, and past performances, suggests that they will fail this test, and will cave in, unless there is a dramatic outburst of political courage and responsible government.”
In WA, bushfire management went steadily backwards in the years after this paper was written. The fuel reduction program fell away to about a third of what was needed, and day by day the whole business moved closer to the American Approach of reliance on more and bigger water bombers … despite the fact that this approach failed every time it was really needed … and further away from the Australian Approach of investment in prevention, preparedness and damage mitigation, rather than focusing on emergency response.
Where once WA was an international leader we are now just another stumbling jurisdiction, getting closer to the Victorian basket case with every passing day. And those who want change have been described by the Minister for Emergency Services as “self-anointed experts” and by the head of the emergency services department as “armchair Generals”.
I don’t think that there can be much doubt that folly still rules, wisdom is out the window, and (given the rejection of sound advice) things can only get worse.
Roger Underwood is a member of Bush Fire Front. He has over 40 years experience of bushfire management in Australia and overseas. Former General Manager of CALM in WA, a regional and district manager, a research manager and bushfire specialist.
Roger on the fires that ate Dwellingup (WA) in 1961.
UPDATE
In addition to shattering pictures of Dwellingup 1961 at Jo Nova’s site there is a great deal more essential information about the debacle of bushfire control.