Australia on fire🔥😷

goldrush said:

Probably the most balanced post I’ve seen on social media for a while...

”Alright. A lot of people have asked. I'm a Firefighter in Australia. Let's talk about the fires.

First of all does being a firery give me all the insight to this complex issue? Not even close and I need to make that clear. However I've felt a strong need to say something here because I just can't stomach some of the false science and outright lies being peddled on social media as news or facts.

Hazard reduction burns - 

No, the Greenies haven't been stopping hazard reduction burns from taking place. We still do them and yes we should absolutely do more of them. 

Yes, the weather extremes and droughts have significantly reduced the window in which it is safe to perform these burns.

Yes, the state governments need to invest more money in HRB's. NSW for example, as an estimate, would need to increase their budget from $100million to a half billion, a five fold increase and that money needs to come from somewhere. 

Yes, national parks, wildlife and nature reserves need to burn too but are hard to. They are the sanctuary's for Australian fauna who can no longer survive in the farmlands and housing estates we've constructed. Indiscriminate burning of national parks will literally wipe species off the face of the earth as they often have nowhere else to go.

Yes, indigenous people used to manage the land through burning and have a contribution here. However, Australia is a different landscape now, home to 24 million people and so HRB's needs to be managed differently.

Yes, conditions have been so bad this season that fires have still burnt through areas where hazard reduction burns were completed earlier in the year.

Climate change - 

No climate change is not starting fires. Lightening strikes, people, negligence etc.. is starting fires. 

BUT Yes, climate change is contributing to increasing temperatures and increasing drought severity which is creating worsening fire conditions. 

Yes, climate change is contributing to a longer fire season. 

Yes, we should have acted on climate change long ago. All of us. The whole world. Everyone.

No, no one knows exactly how much climate change has contributed to exacerbating the conditions for this year's catastrophic fire season however the best science available and scientific consensus is that there is an undeniable link. 

Aerial firefighting - 

Yes, as the fire season grows longer and northern and southern hemisphere fire seasons overlap more and more, Australia will have to invest in its own aerial firefighting fleet and not rely on leasing from overseas. Perhaps we should have done this earlier. We didn't. 

Politics and the media - 

Yes these fires have been politicised and yes our media is politicised. 

If you're left leaning and read Fairfax newspapers, you're more likely to blame Scomo and the government right now for their response. If you're right leaning and read News Ltd newspapers you're more likely to blame the greens right now for 'stopping' hazard reduction burns. Your social media is politicised in the same way and will show and share media that supports your general position and most likely strengthen your own existing narrative. 

No, a video on FB of a guy in the bush screaming at the greens is not facts about what caused these fires. No, a video of someone shouting at Scomo for not funding the NSW Rural Fire Service (state gov funded) is not facts about what caused these fires. 

Has Scomo done enough? Should he have gone on holidays? If you know me you know I'm left leaning so my answer will naturally contain a bias.

The best solution? A royal commission. Let's let impartial experts tell us what went wrong and how to act in response to it. I think you'll find we're all a little bit right as well as a little bit wrong.

What can you do right now?? Fucking donate!! The Red Cross appeal, the Salvation Army, Wires, Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, your state Rural Fire Service. Whoever. Do your research and donate wisely.

On top of this, once the smoke clears, grab your mates or family, jump in the car and visit these towns, spend money in their shops, stay the night, help get their local economy's back on track. They will need our support. 

Finally, to all of my firefighting brethren back home in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the whole east coast, both career and volunteer, I know you've worked harder in the last 6 weeks than you've ever worked in your entire life and I'm so immensely proud of you all. Stay safe.”

HesCalledDyer said:

Donations sent to Givit and Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park yesterday.  Wish I could send more than I did; I'll never sniff wealth but I had to help even in a small way.  Please stay safe out there, my Aussie friends!