Chapter 4 - Warnings - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission—Interim Report
4 WARNINGS
RECOMMENDATION 4.5
The State ensure that the Standard Emergency Warning Signal (SEWS) be used in Victoria to precede
each bushfire warning or group of warnings for bushfires that are dangerous or extremely dangerous,
particularly for a fire that is burning out of control and poses a threat to human life, subject to appropriate
limits on the maximum frequency of use.
RECOMMENDATION 4.6
The State invite commercial operators to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), similar to
its MOU with the ABC, on the dissemination of bushfire warning messages and the use of the Standard
Emergency Warning Signal by those operators.
THE USE OF SIRENS AS A BUSHFIRE WARNING
4.206 Sirens are intended as a signal to those in the vicinity to seek further information or take protective action
according to procedures established in the minds of those hearing the siren. 261 When understood correctly
(that is, as a trigger used against the background of an existing procedure for correct response) it is clear
that a siren may have a useful role as part of an overall system of bushfire warnings.
262
4.207 CFA policy is that sirens are not to be used for warning the public. Mr Rhodes expressed the view
that sirens have many limitations. 263 He confirmed that the CFA does not advocate the use of sirens. 264
4.208 The Commission has heard evidence on the use of sirens in some communities in Victoria and South Australia.
Whether the use of a siren is appropriate as a fire danger warning depends on local circumstances, including
a developed community appreciation of its function. There is scope to investigate and develop the use of
sirens in communities that would benefit from such an alert system. In addition, sirens may be useful outdoors,
particularly for travellers and campers. 265
4.209 A small number of lay witnesses who gave evidence before the Commission referred to the use of sirens.
For example, Mr Hull and Dr Fraser spoke of hearing the siren in Marysville sound briefly, but Mr Hull thought
it was a false alarm, given how quickly it stopped. 266 Dr Fraser heard something, but it was not a ‘wail’ and
did not appear to indicate that there was a fire in the area. 267 Ms Barber was waiting to hear the CFA siren
in Kinglake West, but it did not sound. 268
148
Ferny creek — a local solution
4.210 There is compelling evidence before the Commission of the manner in which a siren may be developed
for use by a town to serve its local needs and purposes. In 2001, the OESC facilitated the trial of a siren in
Ferny Creek. That process gave rise to a written report, The Ferny Creek Fire Alert Siren Evaluation Report
— Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner (2001). 269
4.211 The Ferny Creek fire alert siren trial was initiated following the recommendations of the State Coroner’s
inquest into the deaths of three people during the Ferny Creek fire on 21 January 1997. 270 A number of
residents expressed concern that the CFA fire siren could not be heard in their location and, as a result,
they had received little or no warning of the impending fire. This concern prompted a group of residents
to lobby all levels of government for the installation of a CFA-type siren that was audible to all residents
in an identified area in Ferny Creek. 271
4.212 The Ferny Creek trial was conducted by a working group of representatives from the CFA, Victoria Police,
Shire of Yarra Ranges, the OESC and three community resident representatives. 272 The report noted that the
process of reaching consensus about use of a siren involved a ‘shift from antagonism to acceptance’, and
that ‘it is also an example of the emergency services having the courage to move outside their comfort zone
and actively contribute to the trial of a system about which they have strong reservations’. 273