By KATH GANNAWAY
THE Warburton Emergency Planning Group (WEPG) is calling on the State Government to provide Warburton with an electronic Fire Danger Rating Sign (FDRS)
The group has been advised that the Warburton community will need to raise the $70,000 cost of the sign, if they want it before the next fire season.
The matter was raised at the Warburton Valley Bushfire Forum with WEPG spokesman Julian Guess making the point that with the Warburton Valley being identified as the most vulnerable bushfire area in the state, it should be a priority for a sign.
“We’re doing what we can to raise issues, and working on a number of initiatives to help create that additional awareness, but I was a little bit taken aback with the CFA’s response (to the group’s request for a FDRS) which was a suggestion that we should raise $70,000 ourselves.
“I don’t think it is a community responsibility,” he said.
“My immediate reaction was, I don’t think we’re going to do that.”
CFA Operations Officer Don Tomkins distanced himself from the official CFA response, saying there was a sign becoming available and he had earmarked it for Warburton.
He said however, he had been told it would go into a pool with Warburton among a number of places vying for the signs.
“We will continue to push for it, and based on this meeting , will be saying we want the sign here, but it’s not our decision,” he said.
He said the decision would lay with the Emergency Services
In a letter to the Mail this week, Mr Guess made the point that at a fire awareness meeting in December, attended by over 100 people, only a small number of them knew the fire danger rating for that day, despite the fact that there had been fires in the area that day for which advisory notices had been issued.
He reiterated that the group has been told that there is no funding available this financial year unless they raised $70,000.
“We consider that such funding sits clearly with the Victorian Government and have written to the Emergency Services Minister (Ms Jane Garrett) seeking her support and have suggested a lower cost alternative,” Mr Guess wrote.
He said they had urged Ms Garrett to ensure a sign is in place before the next fire season.
