South Australian Country Fire Service Promotions Unit

Raising awareness of the roles, training and activities of CFS Volunteers state-wide


Updates on the Bushfire situation in NSW
Submitted On	Tuesday, January 1, 2002
Submitted By	Ashley Hosking

New South Wales is continuing to experience significant fires in a number of areas, although there have been no confirmed reports of life or property losses in the past 24 hours. The South Australian fire crews remain deployed at the Mt. Hall fire near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. On Tuesday, all current fires, with the exception of one, broke through containment lines with some experiencing significant runs, with these fires still burning out of control. A number of new fires have started, significantly increasing the pressure on all resources. At least ten communities were identified as having a high potential for life and property loss late yesterday and overnight. The NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner complimented all interstate agencies on the tremendous effort, commitment and courage shown by everyone involved in the campaign. The weather predicted across the state for today is again hot, with an expected maximum of 35 degrees and winds of 50-70km/h. The relative humidity is again low, about 9%. The long-term forecast indicates conditions are not expected to ease until the weekend. The South Australian crews have been deployed this morning to continue with a strategic back burns with the NSW RFS resources until 11 am in an effort to bolster containment lines before the weather deteriorates. The expected maximum temperature for Mt Hall is 30 degrees, with winds of 45-65 km/h. Task Force Alpha and Bravo (currently working in NSW) comprise of the following personnel: MFS 45 CFS HQ 19 Region One 94 Region Two 43 Region Three 54 Region Four 31 Region Five 70 Region Six 28 Total: 386 A further 456 firefighters will be sent to Sydney today and tomorrow to help fight the devasting bushfires. These include a replacement crew for the 386 firefighters who comprise Alpha and Bravo Task Force who were deployed since last weekend, as well as an additional 70 firefighters. Task Force Echo and Foxtrot which will depart Adelaide today and tomorrow and arrive in NSW will comprise of: Region One 29 Region Two 8 Region Five 10 MFS 10 R1 Appliance Drivers 13 Total: 70 Task Force Charlie and Delta which will depart Adelaide tomorrow comprises of the following: CFS HQ 15 SA MFS 48 Region One 126 Region Two 62 Region Three 49 Region Four 22 Region Five 42 Region Six 20 OH@S/Stress Prevention 3 Total: 386 A convoy of 5 appliances and 1 command vehicle was mobilised at 8.30am this morning and will travel non-stop to Rosehill Headquarters in NSW for deployment. This takes the total level of support to: 456 firefighting personnel 30 4wd rural fire appliances 5 bulk water carriers 1 MFS mechanical repair vehicle 11 command vehicles 8 liaison personnel from MFS and CFS. Further information about the NSW situation can be found on www.bushfire.nsw.gov.au.

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