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Victoria State Pledges Swift Action on Bushfire Commission Recommendations
Victoria’s Premier John Brumby pledged decisive action as a report into Australia’s worst bushfires found “important deficiencies of leadership” in managing a crisis that left 173 people dead last year.
Brumby told reporters the state government will study the findings of the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission and respond in the coming weeks. The commission found “wanting” the leadership of some officials from the Country Fire Authority, Department of Sustainability and Environment and the state police force as they responded to what’s known as the “Black Saturday” fires on Feb. 7, 2009.
Among the 67 recommendations, the commission said roles at the organizations should be clarified and advised the state to improve the availability of bushfire shelters. It also recommended a comprehensive approach to evacuation, including encouraging and helping vulnerable people to leave endangered areas early.
The bushfires that swept the state covered areas to the north and east of Melbourne as temperatures soared to as high as 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). Fanned by winds as strong as 125 kilometers (78 miles) per hour, the fires gutted more than 2,000 homes.
The fires encompassed an area covering 78 communities, advancing at one point to the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The towns of Marysville and Kinglake were almost destroyed.
‘Stay or Go’
The “stay or go” policy, under which residents decide either to remain at their property and fight the blaze, or leave early enough to evacuate safely, is sound, the commission said.
An interim report released last year said that warning systems were “inadequate,” with emergency telephone services stretched by unprecedented demand.
Extending the broadcasting of official warnings to commercial radio and television, the reintroduction of sirens in some local communities, and the introduction of a national telephone automatic warning system were recommended.
To contact the reporter on this story: Candice Zachariahs in Sydney at czachariahs2@bloomberg.net.
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