Alan
Glover
Fear and present danger
I joined Ku-Ring-Gai Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade in October 1979. That December Ku-Ring-Gai Municipality, in Sydney’s northern suburbs, experienced its worst fires for twenty plus years. For me, it truly was a baptism of fire.
Seven years later I moved to the Lower Hunter Valley and joined Wollombi Brigade. Big fires happened in 1994. The effort was so great I nearly quit the service. I’d never worked so hard and for so long, without respite.
In 2002, after a year living in London where bushfires seemed non-existent, I returned to my home in the Hunter and joined Laguna Brigade. I continue as a Deputy Captain with that brigade.
So, after more than forty years fighting fires I can say without question that the 2019/20 season brought the most ferocious fires I have ever experienced, and I believe that to be true for everyone. The entire east coast of the country was on fire…
When I joined Ku-Ring-Gai Brigade there was a joke that went, “Well, if the fire gets too big we’ve always got the Great Eastern Firebreak to fall back on.”
“The Great Eastern Firebreak?”
“Yeah, the Pacific Ocean.”
In 2019/20 that joke became reality as residents on the south coast of NSW retreated to the beaches to seek refuge from the fire front. The experiences of bushfire survivors such as myself underline both the terrifying impact of the changing climate and the urgency of action.
When 23 former fire and emergency chiefs from multiple states and territories went to the Prime Minister in April 2019 to forewarn him of the imminent threat of massive bushfires caused by the prolonged drought which was exacerbated by climate change, he didn’t even have the respect to give them a hearing. When their prediction came true six months later the PM was on holiday in Hawaii. That told me all I needed to know about our so-called leader. (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/apr/09/former-fire-chiefs-warn-australia- 1 unprepared-for-escalating-climate-threat)
Today we watch as the world fights unprecedented fires in Canada, the USA, Greece, Italy, Spain, Russia and more. In 2021 we are too late to stop the climate change already causing our ongoing fire nightmare but that doesn’t mean we can’t take action to avoid the total devastation of our natural world. It’s abundantly clear to me that Governments and businesses are deliberately ignoring the dangers of climate change, eg. Morrison’s denial of the bushfire danger in 2019; the Government’s continued approval of coal mining and the continued expansion of coal mines. It truly is essential for “the people” to take charge and demand change from everyone.
Many in my community were prepared for the fire season, yet some ignored the warnings. Firefighters were endangered by properties left unprepared but assisted by community members who took responsibility for their fire safety. Since then our Brigade has had a 30% increase in active numbers and many landholders are more active in preparing for the fire season.
We certainly need to recruit & train more volunteer fire fighters, equip brigades with all they need, procure purpose built fire fighting aircraft and reverse engineer RAAF aircraft as water bombers. We also need to educate the public in fire safety specifically, and in emergency procedures generally.
Climate change is here now and it’s not going away. It is bringing greater floods, droughts, plagues and storms than anybody has ever seen and the entire population must be ready for instant action to deal with power outages, transport disruption, food shortages, medical emergencies, etc.
The threat of climate change is existential and immediate. We must prepare ourselves and our communities while also directly telling our elected leaders that it is their sole purpose to protect their constituents from the impacts of worsening global climate change.
Laguna Brigade received the Commissioner’s Certificate of Commendation (Unit). This award is recognition to the entire Brigade operating as a team.
© Alan Glover 31 Aug 2021