EMERGENCY REPORT
New Dripstone fire tanker
IT’S great to have the best equipment when fighting bushfires, now the Dripstone Rural Fire Service Brigade has the latest and greatest when it comes to Cat 7 tankers.
Emergency Services Minister David Elliot handed the new tanker over to the volunteers on a visit to Dubbo earlier this week.
Goonoo up in smoke
WELL done to everyone who took part in fighting the bushfire blazing in the Goonoo, it was a pretty heroic effort from all indications.
I was in the midst of the worst of it last time there was a big fire there and it not only scared me, many firies from down the coast who aren’t used to this country told me they were pretty worried as well.
I reckon we need a street parade for the volunteers and air-attack personnel this time round, they prevented a disaster of unimaginable magnitude.
Lyndon Wieland is in charge or Orana’s local Rural Fire Service crews and he told Dubbo Photo News he’s never seen fire activity like it in the Goonoo.
“It’s just a fact that the brave firefighters, the volunteers and air attack crews, kept the fire in the box – otherwise it would have gone straight through to Dunedoo,” Superintendent Wieland said.
“If they hadn’t gotten it under control before the bad weather came through, we would have been in real trouble.”
He talked of wattles exploding because they’re so dry. Now, thanks to those gargantuan efforts, the Goonoo’s fireground status is that it’s being patrolled twice a day.
The other flashpoint was the northern edge of the Goobang near Tomingley, also in this area, which also was brought under control before it could get away.
“Last Saturday, thanks to the storms, we had 13 different fires on one day – it’s unprecedented,” Supt Wieland said.
Lightning kills sheep
SO many fires going on at the moment and the country is tinder dry.
Many trees are struggling to survive thanks to an extended dry time and they’re apt to go up in flames more quickly when there’s no moisture in sight.
Some fires across the state, as always, have been started by arson or misadventure but lightning is a major cause of many of the fires currently burning.
Lightning also claimed a couple of woolly victims, striking some sheep on Sam Tourle’s Toongi farm during some recent rough weather.
Fire in the Marshes
A wild blaze in the Ramsar-listed Macquarie Marshes has sparked an emotional debate on social media.
The Macquarie Marshes Environmental Landholders Association posted:
“It’s been a tough year with some parts of the Marshes recording no more than 80mm rain with only 10mm in last five months.
“The Northern Reed-bed located in the Northern Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve caught on fire due to a lightning strike.
“Reportedly this reed-bed is the largest in the Murray Darling Basin – greater than 5000ha.
“Although the reeds have been burnt many times, this time is significant as there is no water that the fire passes over – the majority of the reed-bed will be burnt.
“This makes the reed-bed very vulnerable without follow up flooding.”
One commenter said, “This is what happens when you mess with natural law. Unnatural flooding of the marshes in 2018 in a drought and now the vegetation drying off is a disastrous combination.
Another agreed: “The mindless Greenies are responsible for this.”
But there was also a dissenting voice: “Let’s just talk about messing with natural law – growing cotton in a freaking desert for a start. No greenies there.”
Alleged home invasions
A MAN and a woman have each been assaulted at their homes in Dubbo in what police believe to be the result of an ongoing feud.
Last Saturday evening, October 26, a 24-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man became involved in a verbal altercation at a local pub and later on that night the man and several other people allegedly attended the woman’s home on Gasnier Place where they assaulted the woman.
Officers attached to Orana Mid-western Police District attended, however all persons had fled the scene.
About 5.25 the next morning, several people believed to be associated with the woman attended the 20-year-old man’s home on Birch Avenue at Dubbo where he was allegedly assaulted, with a number of windows being smashed.
Police attended and conducted crime scene examinations, seizing various exhibits including mobile phones and CCTV vision.
Investigations continue.
Walgett fire arrests
THREE teenage boys have been charged after a vehicle was stolen from a commercial premises and destroyed in Walgett.
Police alleged the teenagers – one aged 14 and two 16 – entered a commercial premises on Fox Street at Walgett where they stole a van from within the yard about 1.30am on October 26.
The vehicle was driven within the Walgett township for some time before driving along dirt fairways at a local golf course.
About 5.30am emergency services responded to reports of a vehicle fire on the golf course and on arrival police found the stolen van well alight.
The vehicle was totally destroyed by fire.
Inquiries commenced and a short time later officers attended the home of the youth during which several items were seized.
The three boys were arrested and taken to Walgett Police Station where they were dealt with in accordance with provisions of the Young Offenders Act.
Investigations continue.
Hazmat hazards
IN the midst of all the frantic activity amongst local emergency services, training for all sorts of critical events is still high on the agenda.
On October 28 Fire and Rescue crews from Dubbo (280) and Delroy (284) Stations were faced with a staged drill, a passed out male and a clear liquid that was off gassing.
The crew commenced a snatch and grab then decontamination on the male.
Next step was identifying the substance that gave readings on the gas detector that indicated it was dispersing oxygen and gave an acidic ph level with a litmus paper test.
Crews worked out the soda ash ratio to neutralise and then contain the substance, rendering the area safe.
Showing our firies have a well-developed sense of humour, the chemical used in the exercise was Schweppes lemonade. esafety launch
CRIME STOPPERS and the NSW Police Force have joined forces with the esafety Commissioner to launch a Child Protection campaign to combat child sexual abuse and unwanted contact online.
The campaign will run as a pilot in NSW and is the first time a joint initiative between Crime Stoppers, NSW Police and esafety has taken place.
Aimed at parents and carers, the education and awareness campaign will focus on two key crime areas: child sexual abuse material and unwanted contact online.
With so many kids online and so many parents like me pretty clueless when it comes to digital technology, these sorts of measures aimed at keeping our kids safe are necessary.