In the aftermath of Australia Day I, like many others returned to work on a 40 degree day. Glad to be driving home at the end of the day, I noticed a whisp of smoke in the distance. 20 minutes after getting home, I was out the door again taking #2 to cricket training. The whisp of smoke was now a plume and there was another fire starting a little distance away from the first. By the time 5.00pm rolled around, homes and lives were potentially under threat from what could only have been deliberately lit fires.
Not 24 hours after celebrating what it means to be Australian, someone or ones, with total disregard for anybody's safety is trying to burn the place down.
For me, it begs the question "Where is society at?" if this sort of thing continues to happen. Every summer there is an epidemic of arson in and around Perth, and without doubt other parts of the country as well. The potential for disaster is real, and if it wasn't for the dedicated fire fighters, career and volunteer, countless homes and probably lives, would be lost every year to these acts of wanton vandalism, which border on domestic terrorism.
The answer to that question lies in the response to these fires. The fire fighters risk their lives going in to protect those that they don't know, and the aerial responders never cease to amaze me with the precision they attack the fires with. For me, this is where society is at. A community that rallies around its' own to protect it from the few recalcitrants that live in our midst. Recalcitrants that the authorities will continue to hunt and bring them to account.
As I write this, these two fires continue to burn and the fire fighter continue to defend against them.
Not withstanding Rosie Batty's undisputed acknowledgement as "Australian of the Year", the nameless masses of firefighters who risk so much every time they respond to an incident get my vote!
Until next time,
CfB
Not 24 hours after celebrating what it means to be Australian, someone or ones, with total disregard for anybody's safety is trying to burn the place down.
For me, it begs the question "Where is society at?" if this sort of thing continues to happen. Every summer there is an epidemic of arson in and around Perth, and without doubt other parts of the country as well. The potential for disaster is real, and if it wasn't for the dedicated fire fighters, career and volunteer, countless homes and probably lives, would be lost every year to these acts of wanton vandalism, which border on domestic terrorism.
The answer to that question lies in the response to these fires. The fire fighters risk their lives going in to protect those that they don't know, and the aerial responders never cease to amaze me with the precision they attack the fires with. For me, this is where society is at. A community that rallies around its' own to protect it from the few recalcitrants that live in our midst. Recalcitrants that the authorities will continue to hunt and bring them to account.
As I write this, these two fires continue to burn and the fire fighter continue to defend against them.
Not withstanding Rosie Batty's undisputed acknowledgement as "Australian of the Year", the nameless masses of firefighters who risk so much every time they respond to an incident get my vote!
Until next time,
CfB
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