Troubling start to fire season
The statutory Bush Fire Danger Period for the 15/16 season across NSW has now commenced. During this time, the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre predicts many areas will likely experience above normal fire conditions. This is based on the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a strong El-Niño weather pattern, particularly over the next three months. Add tothat a wetter than average winter has increased growth, which becomes a hazard as temperatures rise.
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As Acting President of the NSW Rural Fire Service Association, the representative body of all NSW RFS members, I urge the community to assist our rural fire fighters by doing a few simple things:
1. During the Bush Fire Danger Period permits are required for lighting a fire, to ensure it is done safely. These can be obtained by contacting the local NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) Fire Control Centre or your local Brigade permit officer.
2. Make sure your family has an adequate Bush Fire Survival Plan. This helps with making important decisions about what action to take in the event of fire threatening your home or property. Adequate preparation saves lives. The Bush Fire Survival Guide and instructions on how to make a plan, are available from the NSW RFS website or again, by contacting your local Fire Control Centre.
Each and every community across NSW should be proud of the tremendous work the members of their local Rural Fire Brigades do, as they get on with the job of protecting the community. Our NSW RFS volunteers are people like you and me, who give up their time and in many cases income, to help at a time of crisis.
Let's all do our part to help our fire fighters enjoy a safe and hopefully not too busy summer.
Ken Middleton, NSW Rural Fire Service
Association
Petrol rip-off never-ending
Yet again we suffer in the Nowra region through lack of petrol price competition and ridiculous spruiking of prices which have nothing to do with reality or the price of oil.
When will our politicians stick up for us and get prices on an even keel.
Many times Ann Sudmalis, Jo Gash or Shelley Hancock promise to act and nothing happens. If you don't believe me last week E10 was $122.7 per litre at Coles in Nowra - a week later today it is $141.9! Only if we try to shop elsewhere as much as possible and air our concerns strongly will anything get done.
K. King, Bomaderry
No points for poor timing
Hard to tell at the moment due to all the disruption and works, but I expect the finished product will be a winner but whoever is responsible for the decision to start work at the very beginning of the peak summer period … exquisite timing.
Warren Wilson, Woollamia
Join the dots, be safe
Throughout October, safety in the workplace is in the spotlight. National Safe Work Month urges us to ‘be safe’, ‘be healthy’, and think about ‘because…’
For many workers, that ‘dot dot dot’ represents the family and loved ones waiting to welcome them home at the end of the workday.
But for thousands of Australians injured at work, the ‘dot dot dot’ is a reminder their lives will never be the same. And for workers injured in NSW, the ‘dot dot dot’ represents uncertainty about whether they will be fully supported by WorkCover.
Many have been left out-of-pocket and without medical assistance, after the NSW government’s legislative reforms in 2012.
Since then, there have been many positive steps to restore benefits and support schemes, but more needs to be done.
I am hopeful that injured workers’ rights will be fully restored in the future, but until then, I urge workers to; Be Safe. Be Healthy.
