Call to save kids from fire danger

By Tania Martin
A SENIOR Belgrave police officer has warned hills parents to make an escape plan for their children in the lead-up to the fire season.
Senior Sergeant Doug Berglund said although it was a parent’s right to defend their home, children had no place in the middle of a fire.
He addressed more than 250 people from across the Dandenongs and parts of the Yarra Valley at a fire meeting on 21 September.
Sen Sgt Berglund said the Black Saturday fires left many young children traumatised.
He said the best option was to find a safe place for them off the mountain.
Sen Sgt Berglund warned residents to make a plan to evacuate or stay and fight now, before it was too late.
But he said one of the best options was to ‘get off the mountain’.
Sen Sgt Berglund also said it could be near-impossible to escape a fire in the hills in time.
“If you are going to go, you need to be off the mountain by 10am on Total Fire Ban days,” he said.
He warned residents they would have less than 15 minutes to evacuate if a blaze took hold.
“Houses and the bush are close together up here and it doesn’t take long to impact on people,” he said.
“And once smoke starts generating, you can’t see three foot in front of you and it’s possible you will run into someone who is just as scared as you.”
Sen Sgt Berglund said recent wind storms had shown just how bad it could be in the Dandenongs.
“We had trees falling across the roads blocking access and that’s what it will be like in a fire,” he said.
He said people panicking in a bid to get out would intensify the situation.
“You have to remember at one stage you have to make a decision to stay or go,” he said.
“The best option is to move yourself off the hill and protect yourself because life is the best asset you have.”