WITH the devastating spate of fires in the Shoalhaven area, we all received at least three text messages and two spoken recordings, generated from the NSW RFS headquarters, sent to both house phones and personal mobiles.
This act in itself is a marvellous advance in the early warning system of approaching danger from fires, but we have a small problem inherent in this system.
With the warning that is accurately sent to 6 per cent of the state, we also get the same message sent to 94 per cent of the area population that is nowhere near any fire.
This (as I have found) greatly distresses a huge number of elderly and retired locals, who then panic in the belief that they are about to be inundated with an enormous conflagration and contact anyone and everyone in the hope of being rescued.
I wonder if these texts and phone calls could be more accurately distributed to the actual areas that are in peril from an oncoming blaze.
The more accurate distribution of these warning calls could also have a beneficial by-product of reducing the cost of the calls.
R. Stanyer,
Sanctuary Point.