Another suggested discussion point for the Bushfire Royal Commission

One thing that is clear is that our current fire fighting techniques and brigade system do not have the necessary equipment to get in quickly and extinguish fires before they really get hold.

One of the early strategies used in the US, which has been relaxed of late but is back on the table, is to extinguish all fires as quickly as possible. Some call this ‘The 10am’ rule.

So if we take this strategy from the US and then look at France –where the fire brigade is part of the military– the logical conclusion is to fund the Royal Australian Air force with a number of Elvis-type helicopters, as well as the specially equipped planes, so the states have the ability to call them in early. They can get into the remote and rugged areas quickly, and extinguish the fires before they become the super fires that we are all terrified of.

We already have the pilots and crews, and flying these aircraft would only hone their skills for war while providing an invaluable service to the country in keeping us safe from bushfire.

I am sure that if this is thought through, there will be a place for the Australian Army, and we saw some great work by the Royal Australian Navy, particularly in evacuations.

Such an approach, would take pressure of the existing fire services –particularly the volunteers–, reduce the risk to fire fighters on the ground, greatly decrease the loss of wildlife that we witnessed this summer, and of course protect our beautiful and increasingly important bush habitats.

This does mean some major changes to the way we do things now and, while it is to me a sensible approach, I fear that those at the top of their own little fiefdoms will put ego and power above the good of the nation. I would be more than happy to eat my words on this one.

I am sure that I am not the only person that thinks this is the way to go, and it may well be that this is why the Royal Commission has been called and why insurance has not made the cut.

What we have to know is that with different agencies, even within the one state, with volunteers and paid officers, with the organisations and individuals often having different agendas, it is not the most efficient way to tackle this growing problem of bush fires in a country where the temperatures are rising. To be honest, I do not think it has been for quite some time.

Having said this, there is a role for the existing brigade set up, perhaps focusing on structure fires and the like, but still with the ability to bring in the military for massive fires like we saw at Coode Island, and some of the recent recycling fires.

I would like remark that is that not one single strategy the solution for this problem: I mentioned last week the need for improved fire separation. There are no doubt other things need to be done, and hopefully some good will come out of the Royal Commission.