The current fire situation in South Australia around Mallala is yet another chilling reminder of the summer ahead and the impact and devastation of bushfire.
The Mallala fire, fanned by strong winds, is moving with a front of more than 40km and a total fire perimeter of more than 200km. Due to weather conditions, fuel loads, terrain and the sheer size of the fire, containment within the next few days will be challenging. Consequently, the Country Fire Service (CFS) has requested interstate assistance.
Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) has coordinated Victoria’s support and a number of resources will be deployed to South Australia from this afternoon ( 26 November) from CFA, DELWP and SES. From CFA these include two liaison teams, a number of district mechanical officers and six heavy/medium tanker strike teams. Each strike team comprises a command vehicle, five tankers and crews from across the state. DELWP is sending four task forces, for a total of 10 strike teams. The deployment is expected to be four days in duration.
Interstate deployments are always carefully balanced against ensuring we have adequate resources in Victoria to meet service demands.
I wish all our volunteers and staff a safe deployment and acknowledge the work done at every level to coordinate this deployment.
Our thoughts are with our CFS colleagues, impacted communities and the people of South Australia.
I cannot emphasise enough, for people living in bushfire-prone areas, the importance of having a bushfire plan now.
Joe Buffone
Chief Officer
Author: Joe Buffone