Again, from a fire fighter's perspective.

While it was proved in 1997 that the Fire Management Plan was a real plus for our State, ** the present fire arrangements are at a cost to the community.

Now there are four fire agencies involved in forests fire management. DSE, Parks Victoria, VicForests and the DPI.

There are now;

Four sets of Administrators,

Four sets of priorities

Four modus operandi

The arrangements failed in 2003, 2005 and 2006. There is no guarantee that this many operators can work together, nor that their equipment can be worked by fire fighters from other groups in an emergency. Fire does not recognise the boundaries of these organisations. It can start in any one of them and spread to one or many of the others with a resultant confusion while there are so many chiefs.

Forest fire fighting in Victoria must take a step backwards to the time subsequent to the Stretton Inquiry, where the Forest Commission and the Country Fire Authority maintained high levels of forest protection measures on public and private land.

Governments must resolve to fund a level of FRB that is commensurate with the Management Plans drawn up for each part of the State of Victoria's National and other Parks. The Annual target must be circa 350,000 ha. They must further resolve, when adverse conditions have not allowed the expected target of FRB to be attained, to ensure that the funds are available to 'catch up' as soon as conditions permit.

This is such an important issue, fair dinkum, if those of us who care don't speak out, who will?

** For a copy of a new book on FRB, including a copy of the Abstract of that Government Report, use the email facility on the right side of this blog to send me an email asking for it. It will be emailed to you withiin hours. I'm fair dinkum.