By PETER DOUGLAS
STEELS Creek will next week host a community meeting which will raise concerns over the town’s Emergency Fire Siren.
Members of District 13 CFA (North East Region) will visit the town’s tennis club next Wednesday at 7.30pm to discuss procedures for warnings and advice, including activation of the town’s alarm.
Resident Raelene Gill has raised concerns, after a recent incident during which she believed the alarm should have been activated automatically.
A lighting strike caused a fire on 13 February along Old Kinglake Road.
According to Ms Gill, she thought it fit to alert those nearby and the relevant authorities.
“We live on top of the hill and saw the fire straight away,” she said.
“We contacted our neighbours to let them know, then called triple-zero.
“We thought once you dialled triple-zero the alarm would activate, but it didn’t.”
Ms Gill, who was hit hard in the Black Saturday fires, said this made adhering to a fire plan quite difficult.
Subsequently, she has raised her concerns with the CFA.
“They said the fire wasn’t large enough to warrant activation,” she said.
“But it doesn’t matter how big or small, the alarm needs to be activated.
“We lost everything in Black Saturday.
“We live on top of the hill and we could be easily trapped.”
She also said the alarm was not loud enough.
“When the siren is tested, we can’t hear it and nor can others in our street,” she said.
Ms Gill said she had received much support over her concerns, from among her neighbours and from within the community.
Many of these people have signalled their intention to attend the meeting.
District 13 Operations Officer, Tim Holland, and Community Education co-ordinator, Matt Ahern, will attend.
Ms Gill is encouraging all those concerned to attend next week’s meeting.
