Bushfire sign a must

WARBURTON has been declared one of the most at-risk townships and areas for bushfires, yet the township does not have a Fire Danger Rating sign.
At a CFA organised public meeting last December, only a small fraction of those attending knew the current Fire Danger Rating for that particular day, even though there were nearby fires.
The Warburton Emergency Planning Group (WEPG) has been working with Yarra Ranges Shire, the CFA and others to help improve community awareness.
As part of that, we have proposed that a Fire Danger Rating sign be placed in Warburton.
However, despite formerly raising this request, the group has been told that there is no funding available this financial year unless we were to raise $70,000 ourselves.
We consider that such funding sits clearly with the Victorian Government and have written to the Emergency Services Minister seeking her support and have suggested a lower cost alternative, and have urged her to ensure a sign is in place before the next fire season.
While it may be the responsibility of all of us to be aware of current emergency information, it is also the responsibility for our governments to provide accessible means to that information.
Julian Guess,
Warburton Emergency Planning Group.