Storms to pose fire risks
Published Date: 23 Jan 2013
Summary
Daily Liberal
STORMS forecast for Dubbo this week have prompted a warning from the Orana team of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) to keep a watch where lightning strikes, not just for hours but days.
Team manager Superintendent Lyndon Wieland issued the warning after telling of a fire from lightning strike outside but "very close to our southern border" that rain did not manage to extinguish.
He said moisture might "quieten down" such a fire but when hot and dry conditions returned it would "come back to bite us".
"They need to be watched for days," Superintendent Wieland said.
The team manager was speaking on a fire-free morning yesterday, a rare occasion since mid-December when hundreds of volunteer firefighters have kept safe residents of the Wellington, Dubbo and Narromine areas.
Superintendent Wieland again praised the RFS volunteers for their "hard and fast" response to an average of three fires a day.
"On Friday night a storm system resulted in 12 incidents in about 60 minutes from Euchareena out to the Bogan River," he said.
"We sent 120 volunteers and 40 tankers to deal with them."
Superintendent Wieland said Orana RFS had been conscious of retaining sufficient resources when sending staff and volunteers to assist with the Coonabarabran blaze.
He said Orana RFS had wanted to help out neighbours.
We would like to think they would do the same for us," Superintendent Wieland said.
"One day we will need them."
Superintendent Wieland also reported yesterday that the pre-emptive Section 44 declaration approved by RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons had been revoked.
It had mobilised Dubbo City Council's firefighting resources to prevent delays in the event of a major fire.
