Chapter 4 - Warnings - 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission—Interim Report
4 WARNINGS
4.223 The CFA siren was activated in Boolarra shortly after 1:00pm that day. A large number of people evacuated
the town. The main street was described as filled with caravans, boats and horse floats hooked up to cars
heading for Churchill. 285
4.224 Mr Sigmund’s direction to use the siren was contrary to CFA policy. Mr Sigmund was aware of the policy
against use of the brigade siren and he was chastised for its use. 286 He attested that he had received
‘nothing but positive feedback from townspeople. They have written letters; rung me and given me nothing
but support for the actions I took’. 287
288
4.225 Mr Sigmund, by his own account, acted on the spur of the moment. He accepted that his decision carried
risks and that if the fire had come from another direction, he might have been sending people into danger. 289
In this context, Mr Sigmund expressed the view that the ‘stay or go’ policy is impossible for ordinary people
to apply, because there are no trigger points to allow the average resident to make a judgement as to their
safety. 290 He said: ‘that is why at the meeting we decided to give them a trigger in the form of a siren’. 291
292
4.226 Twenty nine houses were lost in the fires at Boolarra but no-one died. Despite the siren being used in a
manner that is contrary to CFA policy, it appears to have served a useful purpose in warning townsfolk to
leave. Many appear to have acted on that trigger.
4.227 Mr Rhodes expressed serious reservations about the use of sirens, but he did note that the siren worked
in Boolarra on that occasion because its use was defined at the community meeting and the residents
understood its use. 293
4.228 In addition, Mr Lawson gave evidence that sirens are used in South Australia to alert the community
to the activity of the fire service. The South Australian CFS encourages local brigades to engage with
their communities and to use sirens for purposes determined by the community in consultation with
the brigade. 294 Some brigades use sirens to alert the community to fire, others do not. Mr Lawson said:
‘We leave it to the brigade to make that decision with the community’. 295
USE OF SIRENS AND REFUGES
4.229 There is also evidence before the Commission concerning the use of sirens in a number of communities
in conjunction with the use of refuges. One such community is Walhalla. The town of Walhalla uses the
Long Tunnel Mine as a refuge. 296 The use of this refuge is described in more detail in Chapter 8.
Woods Point also has an established procedure for the use of a siren in conjunction with its refuge. 297
4.230 The Commission also heard evidence about the use of a police car siren as a means of getting people’s
attention in Marysville. 298
Support for a new approach TO THE USE OF SIRENS
4.231 Mr Esplin accepted in evidence that individual communities who support the use of sirens as a means of
taking action to preserve lives and property should be supported by agencies in doing so. 299 Mr Rees also
accepted that the use of sirens should be reconsidered. 300
4.232 There is potential for more communities to attempt a comparable approach as that in use in Ferny Creek,
Walhalla or Woods Point. Not all communities will want to institute a local alert siren. Some communities
will determine to use their siren in different ways for different purposes. The option to pursue local solutions,
including sirens, should be part of Municipal Emergency Response Plans and should also be given more
prominence and assistance in the education campaigns and advice concerning bushfire preparedness.
As Mr Esplin notes in relation to the Ferny Creek fire alert siren:
The community should not be just a passive recipient of services; it should be an active participant
in developing safety strategies that it knows how to apply and is willing to apply, and applies, and
it is involved in a partnership with the emergency services and with local government … and it is
my philosophy that where such a tripartite partnership can be recreated, the safety outcomes are
maximised, but risk is mitigated to the greatest extent. 301
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