Early warning plan

By Casey Neill
La Trobe MP Jason Wood last week announced a plan to install more than 66 separate alert units throughout the hills.
The devices are similar to that installed in Ferny Creek following the deadly 1997 blazes.
“After the Coroner’s inquest into the fires it was revealed they had no idea the fire was coming. There was no warning device,” Mr Wood said.
The boxes are capable of live voice streaming and text-to-voice conversion.
Dandenong Ranges Community Bushfire Group (DRCBG) secretary Mel Gajdek said the community sirens would be compatible with the Federal Government’s National Fire Warning System.
They will be able to receive text messages and broadcast them as voice messages in multiple languages.
“The difference between the sirens and this system is that this system is capable of giving you actual information,” she said.
“It can actually tell you ‘there is an incident here. Don’t go up this road, it’s blocked’.”
Mr Wood said the government’s system relied on mobile phones.
“Which is great if you’ve got mobile phone reception, great if you have your mobile phone with you,” he said.
DRCBG recently surveyed Dandenong Ranges residents about a plan to use fire station sirens to alert residents to incidents as well as calling volunteers.
The result was “quite astoundingly positive”, Ms Gajdek said, with 97 per cent of the 3300 respondents in favour.
“So that let us know the community does want this and it is required,” Mr Wood said.
He said feedback from the CFA was also positive.
“I’m now calling on the government to match the commitment,” he said.
La Trobe Labor Party candidate Laura Smyth said she had not seen any detail on the proposal.
“I’m happy to receive some information and consider it,” she said.
“I should also point out that as a government we have committed $26 million to establish a national telephone warning system.”
DRCBG member Jo Hirst said the system would not be running next fire season.
“But we do want an interim measure and we’re still working towards using the CFA sirens as an interim measure,” she said.