Plea for bushfire safety

By Melissa Meehan
THE push is on to have Upper Yarra townships included in the government’s list of bushfire danger hotspots.
Residents are questioning why, despite being surrounded by forest, not one Upper Yarra township has been included on the state government’s list of 52 locations most at risk this bushfire season.
The CFA has identified the at risk areas which need improved protection over and above the standard municipal fire prevention plans already in place.
Now Labor MP Tammy Lobato has said she will push to have the Premier John Brumby intervene to include the Upper Yarra in the enhanced township protection plans.
The list of towns most at risk was released last week after the State Government received advice from fire agencies which outlined individual township protection plans.
But Ms Lobato said it was important that areas including Don Valley, Yarra Junction, Warburton, Millgrove, Warburton East and Reefton were on the list. “These townships were on high alert for weeks during summer,” she said.
“And many families and aged care facilities evacuated the region.”
She slammed the criteria used to determine the most at risk townships.
“All of the townships in the Upper Yarra have one way in and out,” she said.
“One tree down and up to five townships are trapped.”
Mr Brumby said as part of the royal commission the government was asked to identify the first 50 most at risk areas according to a set of objective criteria.
This took into account location, population, entry ease and exit, population density, bushland, rainfall patterns.
Mr Brumby said this information was then assessed and the 52 towns and areas were identified.
“These are the ones identified as more vulnerable but that’s not to say there is not extensive work being undertaken in towns across the state,” Mr Brumby said.
While disappointed that the CFA administration did not prioritise the Upper Yarra Region, Ms Lobato said she believed that every area throughout the state would be protected.
East Warburton resident Eve Marso joined Ms Lobato in wanting Upper Yarra included on the list.
“I am aghast and dismayed, as are many residents in Warburton and surrounds, that the section of the Yarra Valley from Reefton through to Millgrove, considered to be the most volatile in Victoria, has been excluded from the list,” Ms Marso said.
“Seeing that there has been very little back burning and fire reduction over the last 10 years or so, I would have thought this would have been of the utmost priority.
“Action needs to be taken now before we are told it’s too late.”