Valuable lessons learned from Black Saturday fires

VICTORIA’S 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, which cost 173 lives, prompted a drastic shift in Australia’s approach to firefighting.

Close to a decade after the devastation which ravaged numerous communities, injured some 400 people and killed thousands of wildlife, emergency services yesterday paused to remember the nation’s most costly fires.

“We have learnt so much from those fateful fires, and while it is impossible to prevent all fires in our often unpredictable landscape, the community should take comfort in the fact we have some of the best firefighters in the world, ready to protect lives and property,” Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Steve Warrington (pictured) said.

For many people who remember the wildfires, February 7 will be a tough day, Mr Warrington said.

A royal commission looked at the fires and the response of emergency services and subsequently many changes were made, including strengthened relationships between agencies and the community.

The national development of the “emergency alert” enabled warnings to be sent to fixed and mobile phones.

The first in a series of commemorative events was held in Marysville yesterday. A SYDNEY police officer has been spared jail after a “disgraceful” phone call to a Greens senator’s office.

Sean Daniel Murphy, a senior constable with NSW Police, pleaded guilty to making the remarks during a brief call to Senator Sarah HansonYoung’s Adelaide office in July 2018.

In Downing Centre Local Court on Friday, magistrate Megan Greenwood recorded a conviction, fined him $5500 and handed him the federal equivalent of two-year good behaviour bond.

“Your offending was disgraceful,” the magistrate said.