Far South Coast Rural Fire Service in Bega, New South Wales | Medical and health

Far South Coast Rural Fire Service

Locality: Bega, New South Wales

Phone: +61 2 6494 7400

Address: Maher St 2550 Bega, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au

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25.01.2022 Watch and Act - Big Jack Mountain and Border Fire (Bega Valley LGA) There has been an increase in activity with windy conditions and a Very High fire danger for...ecast for the area. People in the areas of Burragate, New Buildings, Devils Hole and Rocky Hall should monitor the conditions. Know what you will do if fire threatens.

25.01.2022 Big Jack and Postmans Fires have moved to patrol status. A band of lightning that moved through the south east corner of NSW on the 22nd of January was always going to be bad news. At first light on the 23rd crews located a fire near the Cathcart Trig station. This fire became known as the Big Jack Mt Rd fire. At the same time crews from the Snowy Monaro found a fire at Creewah and by the 26th of January this fire had spread in to the Bega Valley and became known as the Post...mans Trail fire. Despite the best efforts of all involved both of these fires refused to go out and during the subsequent weeks they effectively joined and caused havoc through areas to the east such as Mt Darragh, Wyndham, Rocky Hall, New Buildings, Devils Hole, Myrtle Mt and Tantawangalo. Building Impact Assessment work continues, but preliminary figures indicate close to 30 homes and 40 sheds have been lost as a result of these fires. A major rainfall event on the 8th and 9th of February finally gave us the opportunity to get on the front foot and attack these fires and they were effectively contained shortly after. Since then it has been a case of actively searching for remaining hot spots and extinguishing them. We are now confident that we have the vast majority of these hot spots sorted and we can now move on to the patrol phase of the operation. Moving to patrol doesnt mean the fires are out, but it does show that we are increasingly confident that we are getting close. We will now mainly be keeping a close eye on these fires to make sure they are safe and that there is no potential for them to spread in to unburnt areas. Hopefully there will be more good news to share in the not too distant future. Bega Valley Shire Council ABC South East NSW

24.01.2022 We are all looking forward to the prospect of rainfall across the Far South Coast, but anyone who has lived here for a while knows how varied these rainfall events can be. With this in mind we continue to develop our plans without assuming we will get the rain where we need it the most. To help us with our planning process we have set up the system below to enable residents to contribute by submitting their rainfall figures. Its all anonymous and will only be used for planni...ng purposes. We really appreciate your assistance with gathering this information. 2EC Power FM Bega Bay Bega District News Merimbula News Weekly Bay Post / Moruya Examiner Narooma News ABC South East NSW Eden Magnet About Regional Eurobodalla Shire Council Bega Valley Shire Council

24.01.2022 ***CLYDE MOUNTAIN FIRE CONTAINED*** After 39 days, the Clyde Mountain Fire has been set to contained. The Clyde Mountain Fire burnt through 98816 hectares, destroyed 396 homes and impacted heavily on parts of the south coast. ... Whilst the fire is contained, a reminder to communities to remain vigilant, the fire is not out, and work will continue over the coming days and weeks.

24.01.2022 A timely reminder on behalf of RFS crews who are currently experiencing a spike in the number of incidents... We as a community endured a very long and severe fire season with a lot of the local area burnt and a significant number of people directly and indirectly affected. There is still a lot of understandable anxiety in the community when the sight and smell of smoke returns. As we head into winter there are a lot of people taking advantage of the end of the statutory bu...Continue reading

22.01.2022 7:00pm Update on fire activity around Nadgee. Fire has spread from the border area to the southern shores of Nadgee Lake, and there has been some renewed activity on the northern side of the lake. Aerial surveillance will continue in the morning and every effort is being made to minimize the impact on the significant environmental and cultural values of this special place. There is no threat to life or property from this fire activity, but the smoke may be visible from areas as far north as Merimbula

22.01.2022 After 60 days of battling the Border fire it is now at Patrol status. This is the first time this year that all fires on the Far South Coast have reached this stage. We have been actively engaged in fire fighting for an entire summer, and providing support to other areas for most of spring as well. Its a commitment to community that has kept us going, and messages of support like the one below from the kids around Towamba have given crews the lift they need to pull the gear on again in the morning. We hope to have more good news to share over coming days. Watch this space...

22.01.2022 We’re hearing that the wind is already strong and gusty in many areas of the Far South Coast and the forecast suggests this will become more widespread throughout the day. Conditions like these can often stir up pile burns that people thought were extinguished. If you have been burning recently please check to make sure it is still safe, and remember that fire permits are now required on the Far South Coast.

21.01.2022 Tuesday the 1st of September is the start of the Bush Fire Danger Period on the Far South Coast and this covers both the Eurobodalla and Bega Valley Shire Council areas. The start of the Bush FIre Danger Period varies across the state, so please check for your location if you are outside of the Far South Coast. From the 1st of September a fire permit will be required for any burning other than fires that are for the purpose of cooking or heating. Permits can requested throug...h your local RFS brigade and were happy to help you get in touch with them. Please call 4474 2855 for brigades in the Eurobodalla Shire or 6494 7400 for Bega Valley brigades. More information can be found at https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au//Bush-fire-hazards/fire-permits

21.01.2022 Cooperative arrangements between Far South Coast Rural Fire Service and Forestry Corporation NSW (Visit NSW State Forests) continues long after the fires are out. Forestry Corporation donated logs to the Eurobodalla Training Centre, for our use in training for Chainsaw Operations. Thanks to the Forestry Team!

20.01.2022 For the first time since early July 2019, there are currently no active bush or grass fires in NSW. Thats more than 240 days of fire activity for the state. Photo: Wolter Peeters. SMH

20.01.2022 Brigades have been in attendance at some pile burns just south of Mogo Primary School. It is likely that there will be a significant amount of smoke around Mogo for some time, but there is currently no risk of the piles spreading.

19.01.2022 Weather conditions on the Far South Coast are being much kinder to our fire fighters today. There are still areas of active fire, and plenty of work to be done, but at present there is no immediate threat to life or property on any of our fire grounds. This is one of those phases where we encourage residents to lower their anxiety levels and take a deep breath. Its important we take the opportunity to do this as were not out of the woods yet. There is a lot of well-founded ...optimism in the forecast for meaningful rainfall over the coming days, but were still working hard to make sure were prepared to deal with even the most pessimistic view of the forecast. Please see below for that latest on todays fire activity. **Clyde Mountain Fire** Small pockets of fire activity well inside the burnt areas continue to flare across the Clyde Mountain Fire. There is currently no threat to life or property and this fire is now listed as contained. **Badja Forest Road, Countegany Fire** There was some fire activity on the western face of Mumbulla Mountain late yesterday, but other than that fire activity on the Badja fire has eased. Crews continue to patrol and mop up along burnt edges to reduce the risk of any further spread of fire. **Big Jack Mountain Fire and Postmans Trail Fire*** These fires have joined. Fire activity has eased today. Fire fighters, supported by water bombing aircraft are working to establish effective control over this fire. **Chalk Hill Road Fire** The Chalk Hill Road fire burning in the Yurammie State Forest is now contained. There is currently no immediate threat to life or property. **Border Fire** The Border Fire continues to burn south of the Rocky Hall and New Buildings areas. Fire activity has eased, however there are still large areas of uncontained fire. Fire fighters, heavy machinery and aircraft continue works to slow the spread of fire. #southcoastfires #nswfires #nswrfs 2EC Power FM Bega Bay Bega District News Merimbula News Weekly Bay Post / Moruya Examiner Narooma News ABC South East NSW Eden Magnet The Beagle Braidwood Bugle About Regional Eurobodalla Shire Council Bega Valley Shire Council See more

19.01.2022 Update on Far South Coast Fires Issued 2 February 2020 We prepared for a challenging day across the Far South Coast on Saturday with a forecast for Severe fire conditions. Whilst conditions north of Bega may not have been quite as bad as forecast, conditions in the south led to a dramatic escalation of fire conditions that saw fires progress significantly in an easterly direction. ... Eurobodalla Across the Clyde Mountain fire, we saw a number of flare-ups in previously burnt areas from the Kings Highway, Nelligen, Batemans Bay through to Moruya. In the Deua Valley, there was increasing activity which saw the Badja and Clyde fires merge, the fire continues to burn in this area. A small tactical backburn was implemented in Western Boundary and Italian Mines Road area in Turlinjah as the fire moved towards the containment line. No impact into the communities across Bodalla, Narooma and Tilba Areas- residents will need to monitor conditions. Active fire remains in the Dignams Creek area, residents need to monitor the situation closely. Bega Valley The Badja fire in the top end of Bega Valley saw some activity in the Dignams Creek area. Active fire remains in the Dignams Creek area, residents need to monitor the situation closely. There was no significant fire activity around the Bermagui to Tanja areas. The rapid escalation of fire activity further south in the Bega Valley associated with the Border, Big Jack Mt and Postmans Trail fires saw moving towards Burragate, New Buildings, Mt Darragh, Wyndham and Rocky Hall areas and surrounds. The areas of Merimbula, Pambula and surrounds are not under any current threat. The Princess Highway remains closed from Imlay Road to the Victorian Border #southcoastfires #nswfires #nswrfs 2EC Power FM Bega Bay Bega District News Merimbula News Weekly Bay Post / Moruya Examiner Narooma News ABC South East NSW Eden Magnet The Beagle Braidwood Bugle About Regional Eurobodalla Shire Council Bega Valley Shire Council

19.01.2022 COMMUNITY RECOVERY CATCH-UPS Mogo + Nerrigundah and Cadgee Chat directly with service agency staff and find out what support is available, how to navigate th...e recovery process, and have a say in village recovery plans - whats working, whats not and whats needed next. Tell your neighbours, especially those whove lost their homes and are living somewhere else at the moment. MOGO Wednesday 19 Feb, at the fire shed on Tomakin Road. Drop-in 12.30-3.30pm, community planning 4-6pm. NERRIGUNDAH AND CADGEE Thursday 20 Feb, at the Nerrigundah fire shed, Gulph Street. Drop-in and community planning 11am-1pm, followed by lunch. See more

19.01.2022 Things are still progressing well on the remaining Far South Coast fires. The ongoing process of seeking and eliminating hot spots continues and the number of spots remaining is diminishing daily. Today was really the first day that has tested our effectiveness since the big rains, and it would appear that the hard work on the ground is paying off. Local crews have been bolstered by the support of colleagues from the Central Coast, Tasmania and New Zealand this week and the w...ork they have completed is a credit to them all. Its also worth mentioning the continued efforts of heavy plant operators who have contributed so much to this campaign from the outset. They are still out there continuing to ensure we have safe access to fireground and provide vital assistance to the crews on the ground. There are way too many to mention, but thanks to each and every one on of you. Another group of individuals that are often overlooked are the members of the Incident Management Team (IMT). This team develop the plans, provide the resources and take care of the logistics that keep the on ground operations running. At present this team is made up the usual assortment NSW fire management authorities and a fantastic team from Canada and the US. The image shows a range of the organisations represented at the Fire Control Centre today. Great bunch of people to work with. Their positive approach and can do attitude have made a huge difference and Im sure that when their time is up they will all be leaving with a richer vocabulary and a more refined palate than they arrived with.

18.01.2022 This season weve seen significant fires since July and on 10 August the first bush fire emergency was declared in the Glen Innes area, with the Bees Nest fire.... 200 days later, Incident Management Teams and firefighters continue to deal with this heightened level of activity, with a Section 44 still in place for the Bega Valley area. Although weve seen a recent reduction in fire activity, due partly to widespread rainfall, its important to remember that there is Very High fire danger for a number of areas today and the risk of fire remains. Know what you and your family will do if fire threatens. We thank our NSW RFS members, partner agencies, those from interstate and overseas for their continued effort to protect the lives and property of NSW.

18.01.2022 2:45pm. People in the southern end of the Far South Coast may see some smoke from fires on the Victorian side of the state border. There are also still some hot spots in the Nadgee Wilderness area. There is no threat to life or property from these fires, but there is an ongoing effort to protect the significant environmental values in the area.

17.01.2022 Well done Central Tilba Public School. Its well worth watching the rest of the videos on the schools page. Great messages delivered by some wonderful young people.

17.01.2022 The 31st of March marks the end of the statutory Bush Fire Danger Period, and it was certainly a season that wont be forgotten. With the Bush Fire Danger Period closing landholders are no longer required to obtain a Fire Permit from the Rural Fire Service however it is still important to check if there are any other constraints. The links below provides some guidance to make sure everything is in place before you light a match. It is also important for all residents to reali...se that there is likely to be a marked increase in the amount of pile burning that will occur over the coming months. While we can understand that this may be a cause of concern for some, as long as burning is conducted according to the guidelines it does not necessarily need to be a cause for concern. Please remember that 000 is there for when a fire is threatening life or property and that in the current environment we need to be mindful of minimising the number of times we respond a brigade to incidents where there is no identifiable risk to life or property. Save 000 calls for when they are needed. https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au//124/BeforeYouLightThatFire.pdf https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au//13323/Standards-for-Pile-Burni

17.01.2022 There has been some renewed fire activity on the western side of Mumbulla Mt, mainly around the power line easement, this afternoon. This may be very visible from some areas but there are crews are on scene and there is no threat to property at this time.

17.01.2022 Residents of the Far South Coast have been doing a great job of keeping us and their neighbors informed if they intend to burn. To make the notification process easier for everyone an online notification system has been developed at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/notify While we are still happy to receive notifications over the phone the online system is the preferred option and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

16.01.2022 Well done Central Tilba Public School. It’s well worth watching the rest of the videos on the schools page. Great messages delivered by some wonderful young people.

16.01.2022 Are you prepared for the bush fire season? Here are some of our amazing volunteers to tell you five simple steps you can take, to help protect you, your family and your home against bush fires. For more infomation, visit www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/getready #nswrfs #getreadyweekend

13.01.2022 Fire activity around New Buildings. Despite receiving over 200mm of rain over recent weeks the Big Jack Mt fire refuses to go away. The latest scans are still showing dozens of hot spots and some of them have become active again today. There is not currently any direct threat to assets from this renewed activity, but it does show why we are still actively working on these fire grounds. We will continue to tackle these remaining hot spots from the air and insert ground crews ...where ever it is safe to do so. It is worth noting how green the open country is now and how much safer those sheds and houses look after the rain.

12.01.2022 Conditions have eased on both the Border and Big Jack Fires and the alert levels are being knocked back to Advice. Both fire grounds were active today, but not as bad as expected. Hopefully there will be some clear air overnight that will give us the ability to get a decent linescan image to give us a better picture of where the active edge has progressed to today. The weather forecast is much kinder for the next few days and will give us a better chance to attack these fires.... Crews have made some great saves today, and most importantly have stayed safe during some dangerous conditions.

12.01.2022 The Far South Coast Team NSW Rural Fire Service extends a thank you to College Jacques BREL from Villers Bretonneux for thinking of our Community and Firefighters during the ongoing fire situation. English Teacher Mrs Karima wrote to us ... "With our pupils, we have decided to write you letters following the dreadful events which are unfortunately taking place in Southern Australia. We are sorry for you and we are hoping things will get better soon. The town of Villers Bretonneux has strong links with Australia so is important for us to show Australian people that we are thinking about you." Our Incident Management Team and Firefighters would like to thank you for your support and beautiful pictures, we have hung them in our Fire Control Centre for all to see. #southcoastfires #nswfires #nswrfs 2EC Power FM Bega Bay Bega District News Merimbula News Weekly Bay Post / Moruya Examiner Narooma News ABC South East NSW Eden Magnet The Beagle Braidwood Bugle About Regional Eurobodalla Shire Council Bega Valley Shire Council

12.01.2022 **Badja fire now at Patrol status*** After 48 days, the Badja Fire is finally at patrol status. Aerial,and ground, surveillance has not shown any evidence of hotspots that are likely to test our containment lines. This surveillance, or patrol work will continue until we are convinced there is no threat left.... The Badja Fire burnt through 315,512 hectares, destroying homes and impacting heavily on large areas of the far south coast. All other fires on the Far South Coast are now contained and we hope to be able to move these to patrol status over coming days as well.

12.01.2022 Fire activity continues on many fire grounds across the Far South Coast. None of these fires are posing an immediate threat to any life or property. Living with a campaign fire means that we will continue to see flare ups, smoke columns and increased fire activity in areas that we may not have for a few days. Please see below for that latest on todays fire activity. ... **Clyde Mountain Fire** Small pockets of fire activity well inside the burnt areas continue to flare across the Clyde Mountain Fire. There is currently no threat to life or property. **Badja Forest Road, Countegany Fire** Back burning operations are occuring on the Badja Forest Fire. These are occuring West of Moruya near the Burra Creek, South of Moruya in the Moruya State Forest and in the Dignams Creek Area. A flare up within burnt ground is being monitored to the West of Potato Point. This activity is not threatening any life or property. **Big Jack Mountain Fire and Postmans Trail Fire*** These fires have joined. Fire activity continues on the eastern extent of these fires in the vicinity of Myrtle Mountain. Fire fighters, supported by water bombing aircraft are working to slow the spread of fire. (Photos attached) **Chalk Hill Road Fire** The Chalk Hill Road fire is burning in the Yurammie State Forest and the plume may be visible from the Merimbula and Pambula. There is currently no immediate threat to life or property. **Border Fire** The Border Fire continues to burn south of the Rocky Hall and New Buildings areas. Fire fighters, supported by water bombing aircraft are working to slow the spread of fire. #southcoastfires #nswfires #nswrfs 2EC Power FM Bega Bay Bega District News Merimbula News Weekly Bay Post / Moruya Examiner Narooma News ABC South East NSW Eden Magnet The Beagle Braidwood Bugle About Regional Eurobodalla Shire Council Bega Valley Shire Council

11.01.2022 ***This post is no longer current, the burn is completed*** Badja Fire Tactical Back Buring 02 Feb 2020 1500hrs Fox Gully & Dwyers Creek Road Wamban... Residents in the Wamban area may see an increase in smoke and fire activity in the Fox Gully & Dwyers Creek Road area. Fire Fighting Crews are conducting a 200m tactical back burn in this area today. Back burning is lit only during fire fighting operations, back against the winds in favourable conditions. . #southcoastfires #nswfires #nswrfs 2EC Power FM Bega Bay Bega District News Merimbula News Weekly Bay Post / Moruya Examiner Narooma News ABC South East NSW Eden Magnet The Beagle Braidwood Bugle About Regional Eurobodalla Shire Council Bega Valley Shire Council

11.01.2022 On the 29th December the southern section of the Currowan fire that had crossed the Kings Hwy became known as the Clyde Mt fire. This fire grew to 99,000 ha and destroyed over 400 homes, countless outbuildings and caused so much grief for all affected. After 49 days we are relieved to finally be able to declare that the Clyde Mt fire is out. Repeated thermal imaging runs have shown that there are no remaining hot spots that could lead to any further spread of this fire. We fully appreciate that declaring a fire out doesnt mean that the ordeal is over. The recovery journey is a challenging pathway that has different twists and turns for all of us, but with patience and compassion we will navigate a way through this over time.

11.01.2022 It would appear that keeping a pile burn under control is not always as easy as people may think. We have had a number of call outs recently to properties where people have either underestimated how easily a pile burn can get away, or perhaps overestimated their ability to contain it. While none of these jobs have created a threat to property it has made it challenging for our volunteers to maintain appropriate social distancing procedures and all the risks associated with t...hat. Please ensure you have everything in place before you strike a match. Check out the guidelines at https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au//13323/Standards-for-Pile-Burni and help keep our volunteers safe.

10.01.2022 Far South Coast Fire update. In many ways the old adage of no news is good news basically holds true at the moment, but its probably important that people understand why there still seems to be a fair bit of fire fighting activity both in the air and on the ground. Our strategy is now basically built around locating hot spots and ensuring they cant cause us any further problems. Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) cameras mounted to aircraft are used to detect heat sources t...hat can range from pockets of ash to hollow trees that are still burning. Our most recent scans have revealed almost 300 hot spots that require attention over a fire edge that adds up to almost 60km. These are predominately on the Border, Big Jack Mt and Postmans Trail fires, with only a couple of minor spots on the Badja fire. The images below give an overview of how spread out the hotspots are, and show that they are not always accessible to vehicle based fire fighters. In many instances we will need to insert crews from the air to enable them to break open logs so that water bucketing operations can make sure the wet stuff gets on the hot stuff. The FLIR images show the type of information we get back and what we are actually dealing with on the ground. Its worth noting that the black and white image provides a guide to the amount of heat that was present when the image was taken. We are feeling increasingly confident that this strategy is going to be successful, but its not going to be quick and its not going to be easy. We know everyone would love to see these fires put out once and for all, but this really is the best option we have now. Hang in there, we are winning and we wont walk away from this until were sure it cant hurt us again.

08.01.2022 The grey skies and and welcome rainfall are providing relief to fire affected communities and landscapes across the Far South Coast this morning. As tempting as it may seem, today is not the day to venture out to see how forested areas have fared. The risk of falling trees can not be overstated and the bush is an extremely hazardous place to be at the moment. Fire, and drought, affected trees are even more likely to fall as the ground softens after rain. Please stay safe.

05.01.2022 Bega Valley Together - 3 oclock conversations, April 7 Weekdays at 3 pm we share information, support and community in the midst of bushfire recovery and COV...ID-19. Today hear from Marty Webster from Far South Coast Rural Fire Service, plus Tony King and Nina Vox from Bermagui based Beautifully Mad play a tune for us. See more

04.01.2022 Even though most of the Far South Coast has received some welcome rainfall today, some areas closer to the Victorian border havent been so fortunate. The Nadgee Nature Reserve still has large areas of active fire, especially in the south east corner. There is little in the way of built assets in this area (and what is there is well protected) but there are significant environmental assets throughout the reserve. Considerable effort is being put in to protect these irreplaceable assets and the easing of conditions elsewhere has made more resources available to slow the spread, and reduce the intensity, of the fire in this area. Hopefully some meaningful rainfall will arrive in this area by tomorrow.

04.01.2022 Were hearing that the wind is already strong and gusty in many areas of the Far South Coast and the forecast suggests this will become more widespread throughout the day. Conditions like these can often stir up pile burns that people thought were extinguished. If you have been burning recently please check to make sure it is still safe, and remember that fire permits are now required on the Far South Coast.

03.01.2022 Towamba Valley fire overview for Friday 7th February *Border fire* South and west of Burragate... There has been some active fire in this area, but it is all within identified control lines. Backburning operations are having the desired result and providing a defendable edge to work from around the Sheepskin property. New Buildings and Rocky Hall area There are still numerous hot spots in this area, but much less active edge. The main activity has been around the southern end of Cemetery Road and Sunnyside Rd. Crews will continue to patrol areas that can be accessed safely and aircraft have been used to slow the progress of fire. *Big Jack Mountain Fire.* Rocky Hall area. There has been some activity in around the picnic ground at the bottom of the Big Jack. Crews have been supported by aircraft and have managed to keep the fire on the northern side the road to date. Stanton Rock Fire has progressed up the western facing slopes of Stanton Rock and is now near the top of Stanton Rock itself. The fire has become very visible from areas to the east of Wyndham but does not currently pose a direct threat to private property. Aircraft have been used effectively to slow the progress of fire and this will continue tomorrow. Myrtle Mountain Crews have undertaken some backburning operations on the western side of Myrtle Mt Rd to the south of Myrtle Rd. The objective is to halt the northern progression of this area of fire. The back burn will be very visible and residents will see a noticeable increase in fire activity, but this is a planned and resourced operation and residents should not be alarmed. On the western side of Myrtle Mountain Rd. The fire has crossed to the north of the Wolumla Peak Trail just to the east of Yurramie Link trail. There is no current threat to properties and crews will continue to work to slow the progression of fire in this area. Aircraft have had some good results this afternoon, but this area will require further attention in the morning and it will be very visible from many locations. The forecast for Saturday suggests that we should start to see decent rainfall at last and this should continue on Sunday. While we are hoping for the best we continue to develop plans and strategies that can be implemented if we dont get all we hoped for.

02.01.2022 It is with an enormous sense of relief that we can finally declare that all the fires that have impacted so heavily on the Far South Coast are now out. Over the summer of 2019/20 the Clyde Mt, Araluen Rd, Badja, Postmans Trail, Big Jack Mt, Werri Berri and Border fires have burnt through more than 635,000ha between them. Almost 1000 homes have been destroyed, lives have been lost and much of natural landscape will bear the scars for years to come. The tragic impact that thes...e fires have had on livestock and native animals alike has been heartbreaking. Hopefully, finally being confident that these fires are completely extinguished will bring some closure to this phase of the event. We would like to acknowledge all of those involved in this mammoth effort but there are simply too many to list. Support has come from far and wide, from all levels of Government and from the international fire fighting community, but most importantly it has come from you the community we strive to protect. To see the way the community responded to our advice and warnings on the worst of days was a huge relief to those actively engaged in the fire fight. Any loss of life is tragic, but this event could have been so much worse. Many images like those below have been shared recently as they tell a story of a country that has evolved with fire, a country that has adapted to fire and a country that is resilient to the impacts of fire. Just as our natural environment has found different ways of recovering, we will too. It will be easier for some than others and it will look completely different for many, but just as we pulled together during those worst days Im sure we can pull together again through the recovery process.