ONE strong point to come from a public meeting held at Harkaway on Monday, 8 May to discuss firefighting resources was that a considerable degree of responsibility for keeping fires to a minimum lay with property owners.
Concerns over fire protection and the untidy state of at least one gully near the village have been simmering for years and it is time these issues were resolved.
Edrington Ward councillor Brian Hetherton told the meeting that more public meetings would be held to work through issues in the area and I believe it is in the interest of Harkaway people to see that this happens.
Cr Hetherton has shown strong leadership in regard to the Harkaway issue and conducted the public meeting well.
This was a breath of fresh air and I believe well received by residents.
But the whole thing is a twoway street which means that residents need to form their own body to watch over their community welfare.
They need to invite the CFA and council to conduct briefings on fire safety and other issues.
Reducing the fire risk and providing support for people was one of the main concerns at the Monday 8 May meeting, but my experience from the CFA briefings makes me think that with the right guidance people can provide their own support network.
We cannot rely on a fire truck turning up to our house if a wild fire is roaring through the area so we must provide our own protection or escape route.
Casey manager of works and operations Alex Michelli was more than a little miffed during the meeting over some of the criticisms he felt were directed his way.
I have seen this officer at work in other fields and I am aware that he is more accustomed to receiving accolades than criticism and I commend him for his stand at the meeting.
Some people said they were forgotten on Ash Wednesday and my guess is that they were forgotten because you had to be there to understand the ferocity of the day.
I seriously wondered whether or not I would get out of it, I was genuinely afraid, and we recall with sadness that many didn’t survive.
The Country Fire Authority, State Emergency Service, and the council have some simple and easytodo ideas on how to stay alive when fire hits.
My view of the information that came from that ‘first’ Harkaway public meeting was that these authorities need to spend quite a few cold nights at Harkaway because the area is a fire bomb ready to explode one hot day.
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