Bushfires in NSW

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Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#2352370 12-Nov-2019 16:40

xpd:

The amount of people online complaining about the AU govt couldve stopped the fires etc with climate BS...

I don't think anybody is seriously arguing that the Au govt could have stopped climate change - even if the present govt over there are amongst the most opposed to climate change action on the planet. IOW, they're dishonest and stupid denialists in the pocket of the coal industry.

From my friends who are volunteer fire-fighters, they're not happy with the level of support and equipment provided and inaction over the years, despite years of warnings that what was going to happen, if not today then probably not far in the future.

For example, the state rural fire chiefs in Aus have wanted to meet with Scomo, and have been repeatedly turned down as ScoMo is "too busy". IIRC firefighting planes - I don't know what type but the large tankers being spoken about by my firefighter friend, Australia has one for the entire country and IIRC California has 18 for their state alone. They'd wanted to get some on loan from California to deal with the present situation - but IIRC could only borrow one - so they've got two for now, the rest needed back in California to deal with their own fires.

Meanwhile, out of Port Stephens the other day, there was a constant rumble of FA18s in the sky and they've ordered 72 F-35s (at a cost of about AU$10 billion). To protect them from China presumably, yet paid for by exports of coal to China - lol.

Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek

#2352410 12-Nov-2019 19:01

The fire near our friend's place is now code red. She's on duty at the local RFS HQ, he's at home with stay and defend strategy. Been talking to them, so far so good.

I hope they looked at RFS predicted path for the fire near them. I think they made a prediction based on wind now - not forecast, as if they can't get it under control it'll head south of them, but when the southerly buster hits soon it'll head straight for them. OTOH, I don't know the weather patterns there - and they do. At least if it comes from the South, the escape route is to the North and should be clear so long as you can outrun it.

So far there's about 16 code red alerts - about the same as the worst last week. Fingers crossed.

Oblivian

7296 posts

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#2352502 12-Nov-2019 20:40

Fred99:

IIRC firefighting planes - I don't know what type but the large tankers being spoken about by my firefighter friend, Australia has one for the entire country and IIRC California has 18 for their state alone. They'd wanted to get some on loan from California to deal with the present situation - but IIRC could only borrow one - so they've got two for now, the rest needed back in California to deal with their own fires.

Traditionally, nearly the entire Coulson fleet comes across. That's a 737NG (they now have one permanently in NSW), 2-3 RJ85s (whisperjet). Small local fert bombers (in coulson colours) called on, and a couple of C130s. Along with a fleet of sikorskys and local heli.

As you point out, a number of those are in the US still due to their late season run. But if you watch flightradar you can see then numerous LJ35 (learjet that leads the way for the 737/RJs and scans for heat maps) firescan123. A RJ85, visiting blackhawk (N9FH), some Hueys and 'Birddog' spotters.

Heaps there, just may not be the same impact without the C130s or 737 featuring on news

SaltyNZ

8218 posts

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2degrees

Lifetime subscriber

#2352578 13-Nov-2019 06:45

Fred99:

I don't think anybody is seriously arguing that the Au govt could have stopped climate change - even if the present govt over there are amongst the most opposed to climate change action on the planet. IOW, they're dishonest and stupid denialists in the pocket of the coal industry.

No, nobody thinks that ScoMo changing his mind and becoming a climate change evangelist would have stopped these fires from happening. But anybody with their eyes open can see that the trend is that every year, they start earlier, go for longer, and are worse in extent. As do the droughts. And the only way we can hope to arrest that trend - not reverse it, we're way past that already - is to stop doing the things that make it worse.

You also have to keep in mind that in New Zealand, the Green Party has mostly gotten rid of the true loonies and is now a bunch of people who are smart and articulate that also still want to make the changes we need. In Australia ... not as much. They still have their loonies; they still have policies against preventive burns - burns which are small and controlled and help save not only people stuff but also the bush itself. Animals can escape from small fires, trees need small fires to seed. But the catastrophic thousand-hectare-wide firestorms destroy everything in their path. Anyway, the point is the Australian Greens hurt their cause far more than they help it. They make it really easy for the climate change deniers to dismiss them.

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floydbloke

3522 posts

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#2352579 13-Nov-2019 07:13

SaltyNZ:

... the Green Party has mostly gotten rid of the true loonies and is now a bunch of people who are smart and articulate ...

Wrong thread to discuss this, but that's debatable.😁

Did Eric Clapton really think she looked wonderful...or was it after the 15th outfit she tried on and he just wanted to get to the party and get a drink?

msukiwi

2417 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#2405432 23-Jan-2020 17:20

Now reports of a C-130 acting as a large air tanker has crashed.

Sad.

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/canberra-airport-shut-down-as-fire-danger-ramps-up-across-nsw-and-act/live-coverage/d0d4191fbc875efb73ce9d8abb2a19d2

The NSW Rural Fire Service is investigating reports of a "serious incident" involving an air tanker helping fight fires in southern NSW.

"Contact was lost with a Large Air Tanker which was working in the Snowy Monaro area," the RFS said in a statement.

"Local ground crews indicate the aircraft may have crashed."

A number of helicopters are now carrying out a search of the area.

Oblivian

7296 posts

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#2405446 23-Jan-2020 17:57

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N134CG

Track log has been narrowed down by the known aircraft there. Not looking good with the last contact slowing down but descending rapidly. As if it was dropping in for a first run and had an issue

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Kilack

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#2405521 23-Jan-2020 21:00

My sister lives in Canberra. She said it is the first time in the 18 years she has been there that she has seriously considered moving out of the SE Australia.

(Unfortunately she is tied to Government)

She owns a house in Canberra, a second holiday house/shed on the south coast, the shed was nearly burned to the ground, 12 metres away everything is burned.

Fairies bulldozed the land around her house and drained her tanks.

She left for Bali to escape the smoke for a couple of weeks, meanwhile Canberra nailed with killer hail storm just a day ago, one of the worst in 50 years.. and now the fires are now back on the fringes on Canberra again and sydney with vengeance.

I love Australia, but I am not sure it is the "lucky country" these days.

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