Fire meeting heats debate

FORMER Berwick councillor Warwick Glendenning, who sparked vigorous debate over firefighting resources at Harkaway, congratulated Edrington Ward councillor Brian Hetherton for hosting a public meeting on the issue.
Mr Glendenning expressed concern during last fire season over the lack of water points available in the area for firefighting.
He was unrelenting after listening to speakers at the public meeting last week.
Both the Country Fire Authority and the City of Casey said considerable water was available from tanks and dams in the area.
Mr Glendenning said they had been speaking from the aspect of an ideal world.
“We are not in an ideal world when fire hits and these storages will be depleted during summer,” he said.
Mr Glendenning quoted from the May 2006 RACV journal, which stated the local environment was among the most fireprone in the world.
“So, too, have we been once again reminded of the outstanding commitment and efforts that Victoria’s Country Fire Authority and its significant volunteer base provide in these critical times,” the journal stated.
“The CFA is responsible for an area that is home to more than half the state’s population, and this continues to grow with the expansion of metropolitan Melbourne.”
“We have heard about how things are in an ideal world, but what if our brigades are committed elsewhere?” Mr Glendenning asked.
“With one fire we had a brigade come from Noble Park and its members started by asking where the water points were.
“The Harkaway school tanks were empty over Christmas because a pipe burst,” he said.