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Ruby Haouchar
Devastation 7-8th Feburary
Wednesday 11th Feb 09
Where do I start? No doubt you have all turned into ABC 774. Its devastating what has been occurring. I arrived back from Pakenham ICC on Sunday and i cannot remember how i got back as my thoughts were of all the victims and their families, and just the shear devastation of what was occurring.
There are so many people that want to help, and the community spirit is enormous. As my friends would know me quite well, I don't get phased by things very much, (especially with what i do for a job), but this is the first time I have been rattled and can't comprehend what is happening to Victorians!
Day 1- I spent the day studying and received a phone call to report to the Pakenham ICC by 19:00hrs Friday to do 2 night shifts at a staging area. I made a mad dash for my personal belongings, uniform and PPE (personal protection equip). Drove to Pakenham and getting stuck in peak hour traffic along the way. I eventually made it and after some initial confusion I was told that I would be doing the staging area manager day shift at Gembrook staging area. Fantastic people at the ICC got me a room at a local motel. Nerves set in as I have never managed a staging area, but i had volunteered at a few so i was trying to remember my training and past experience.
Day 2- 06:30hrs up and down to the ICC for a briefing on which staging area I was going to. Again, after some initial confusion I managed to get down to Gembrook sporting oval which I was told contained a large number of DSE (Dept Sustainability & Enviro) resources. My arrival was welcomed (thank goodness) from a number of Parks and DSE workers. Also had St Johns volunteers there waiting for further instructions and a briefing from me.
I managed to get myself organised and obtain a briefing from the Operations Officer at the Pakenham ICC. We were expecting 20 DSE firefighters at 13:00hrs and over 60 at 18:00hrs that night. We arranged the staging area so that the catering and logistics staff had an area to work, and organised the St Johns vols to set up in the massage room which had a number of massaged tables, perfect for administering any first aid required.
The day was spent erecting signs for firefighters to ensure they knew where to go to get hydration and welfare with the St Johns room being the first that the firefighters visited. The unfortunate thing was that we didn't have a portable radio so we couldn't tune into the news. We were so busy setting up and organising an area for the logging of vehicles and resources that i completely forgot to tune into what was happening with the fires!
A number of DSE firefighters had turned up at the staging area unexpectedly during the day, they informed me that they had been told to leave the Bunyip area where they were fighting the fire as the fire had gotten out of control.....it was too dangerous.
Once all the crews had been fed someone asked the question 'what don't we have a radio to listen to what’s going on out there?'. The sky was turning grey and we could still see smoke clouds in the distance, yet we didn't even think to put a radio on!
A local dozer operator turned up during our discussion of a radio and he kindly set up his ute so we could listen from where we were working. A number of us were standing around listening to ABC 774, which I think was around 16:00hrs. Our jaws dropped when we heard that a wind change had occurred and there were a number of other fires started that had rapidly moved towards Kinglake, with further reports that it Kinglake was infact burnt to the ground!!!! People were calling into 774 and pleading for people to locate their loved ones or hoping that their loved ones were listening in and that they would ring them to say they were ok.
I was devastated and the look on everyones faces at the staging area was heart breaking. There were a number of them that had family members and friends in the surrounding areas. We were also tuning into the DSE UHF radio and we could hear some of the communications between the Pakenham ICC and the firefighters on the ground.
Some people pulled back (not sure if it was DSE or CFA vols) saying that they were requesting to leave the fire ground to go home and defend their homes. We also received some burning leaves flying into the Gembrook area, which was a little scary.
As we kept listening to the radio we heard more and more terrible news. Marysville and Narbathrong devastation was dominating the news headlines. Relief centres were opening up everywhere, road closures and stories of courage. One gentleman called ABC 774 and started to panic as he said that the fire was getting close and he had to get off the phone. Something out of a movie!
We all sat there quite hopeless, but it was comforting to be surrounded by other people who you could talk to. To take my mind off the current situation, I started to chat with local who set up his vehicle for us to listen to the radio. I asked him what his thoughts were on the extreme weather we are all experiencing throughout the state, his response was quite a surprising one (to me). He believes it is not due to climate change and that 'when mother nature is ready, she is ready'. I really didn't know what to say, and the topic of conversation immediately turned onto other matters.
At 18:00hrs another shift change was due and 3 bus loads of DSE firefighters turned up to have dinner and start their shift. They were freshed faced and ready to receive their briefing from their crew leader. They were fairly quiet but seemed to be in good spirits and ready to tackle anything in their path.
They were unsure of where to go next due to all the changes in the weather pattern and movement of other crews fighting fires. I directed them to where they could locate hydration and ice to fill their eskies and ensure that they had enough to use for their shift.
To be continued......
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