AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2009
Vic: Communcations breakdown delayed fire response
It's been revealed a communications breakdown prevented firefighters attacking the
Murrindindi blaze before it developed into an unstoppable fireball that consumed the Victorian
township of Marysville on Black Saturday.
Fire authorities say crucial minutes slipped by as jammed phone lines frustrated attempts
to send crews to the fire.
Public warnings also lagged behind the fire front as it roared towards Marysville ..
and locals say lives could have been saved if residents were forcibly evacuated.
In a story to be aired on the ABC's Four Corners program tonight .. Country Fire Authority
volunteer PETER RICE .. who was deputy incident controller on Black Saturday .. tells
how he sent a strike team to Wandong just before he heard about the Murrindindi Mill outbreak.
He says the telephone system was congested .. and the two-way radio system was heavily
overloaded .. and it took more than 10 minutes for him to get permission to divert the
strike team.
Mr RICE says on a day like Black Saturday it was crucial to hit a fire quickly .. while
it was smaller than about half a hectare.
He also tells how he tried to get the emergency siren broadcast on the radio to alert
people .. but he couldn't get it through the official channels.
AAP RTV cmb/gfr/crh/psm/
KEYWORD: BUSHFIRES VIC WARNING (MELBOURNE)
2009 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.
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