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Bushfire royal commission told coronavirus could stop firefighters helping interstate next fire season Bushfire royal commission told coronavirus could stop firefighters helping interstate next fire season
(about 2 hours later)
Firefighters saw conditions ‘we haven’t seen before’ in 2019-20, Shane Fitzsimmons tells inquiryFirefighters saw conditions ‘we haven’t seen before’ in 2019-20, Shane Fitzsimmons tells inquiry
The bushfires royal commission has been told the ongoing coronavirus crisis could mean firefighters cannot travel interstate to help battle blazes during the next fire season.The bushfires royal commission has been told the ongoing coronavirus crisis could mean firefighters cannot travel interstate to help battle blazes during the next fire season.
The senior counsel assisting the commission, Dominique Hogan-Doran SC, said on Wednesday the extreme conditions experienced during 2019-20 saw resources in impacted states and territories stretched over a long and arduous bushfire season.The senior counsel assisting the commission, Dominique Hogan-Doran SC, said on Wednesday the extreme conditions experienced during 2019-20 saw resources in impacted states and territories stretched over a long and arduous bushfire season.
The states and territories all received help from interstate as well as about 900 international personnel, mainly from New Zealand, Canada and the US.The states and territories all received help from interstate as well as about 900 international personnel, mainly from New Zealand, Canada and the US.
There were close to 200,000 firefighting shifts used to battle 11,000 to 12,000 NSW fires, the commission heard, with 6500 interstate and international firies in total coming to the state’s aid.
Hogan-Doran said a very real consideration was that the coronavirus pandemic may be ongoing during the 2020-21 bushfire season and possibly beyond.Hogan-Doran said a very real consideration was that the coronavirus pandemic may be ongoing during the 2020-21 bushfire season and possibly beyond.
“This may well impact the assistance able to be provided by international and interstate deployments of personnel and assets,” she said.“This may well impact the assistance able to be provided by international and interstate deployments of personnel and assets,” she said.
Separately, the man who led NSW’s response to that state’s devastating blazes in 2019-20 said no one could have predicted the scale of the unprecedented fires.Separately, the man who led NSW’s response to that state’s devastating blazes in 2019-20 said no one could have predicted the scale of the unprecedented fires.
The former NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons described the recent bushfire season as extraordinary in terms of weather, fire behaviour and the widespread damage, destruction and tragedy.The former NSW Rural Fire Service commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons described the recent bushfire season as extraordinary in terms of weather, fire behaviour and the widespread damage, destruction and tragedy.
“We saw an area burnt across NSW like we haven’t seen before, particularly across the forested areas,” Fitzsimmons told the natural disasters royal commission on Wednesday.“We saw an area burnt across NSW like we haven’t seen before, particularly across the forested areas,” Fitzsimmons told the natural disasters royal commission on Wednesday.
“We saw a protracted nature of the fire season without any meaningful interruption from weather.”“We saw a protracted nature of the fire season without any meaningful interruption from weather.”
Fitzsimmons, who now heads up the state’s lead disaster management agency Resilience NSW, said traditionally there would be some reprieve in the weather, but that did not happen last season.Fitzsimmons, who now heads up the state’s lead disaster management agency Resilience NSW, said traditionally there would be some reprieve in the weather, but that did not happen last season.
He noted the outlook for the 2019-20 season had been almost identical to that for 2018-19 in terms of where above-normal fire activity was expected.He noted the outlook for the 2019-20 season had been almost identical to that for 2018-19 in terms of where above-normal fire activity was expected.
“Obviously the indications were for above normal, but no one had the capacity to forecast and predict the extent and the scale to which weather and fire behaviour played out with a stretching of fire literally from the Queensland border all the way through to the Victorian border along the Great Dividing Range.”“Obviously the indications were for above normal, but no one had the capacity to forecast and predict the extent and the scale to which weather and fire behaviour played out with a stretching of fire literally from the Queensland border all the way through to the Victorian border along the Great Dividing Range.”
He said the fire behaviour and fire spread well and truly exceeded the worst-case scenario on a number of occasions.He said the fire behaviour and fire spread well and truly exceeded the worst-case scenario on a number of occasions.
“We saw fire behaviour at 2, 3 or 4am in the morning the likes of which you might normally expect at 2, 3 or 4pm in the afternoon where traditional conditions are at their worst.”“We saw fire behaviour at 2, 3 or 4am in the morning the likes of which you might normally expect at 2, 3 or 4pm in the afternoon where traditional conditions are at their worst.”
In NSW, 50 local government areas were affected by the bushfires, which burnt 5.5m hectares and destroyed 2,476 houses, 284 facilities and 5,559 outbuildings and led to 26 deaths.In NSW, 50 local government areas were affected by the bushfires, which burnt 5.5m hectares and destroyed 2,476 houses, 284 facilities and 5,559 outbuildings and led to 26 deaths.
“Throughout the season we saw an unprecedented toll for NSW when it came to damage, destruction, despair and tragedy,” Fitzsimmons said.“Throughout the season we saw an unprecedented toll for NSW when it came to damage, destruction, despair and tragedy,” Fitzsimmons said.