Fire proofing Palmy - IF appropriate

Bruce from Takaro

- Sorry to post this at Christmas, but the constant fire news is waking me up to local family concerns far beyond shopping and nice dinners. This photo looked exactly like our Esplanade, 'was what triggered this...
- 'Just saw a hot, tired 18-years-service Aussie fire captain in uniform saying that the fires are "unprecedented", and that the govt should be preventing them in all the usual ways. Carbon reduction, different spending to protect environment, etc.
- The fires are gale-force-wind-driven, throwing burning embers up hundreds of metres in a high shower ahead, igniting the grass and vegetation and houses.
- I rang the PNCC civil defence person, Stuart someone I think, to ask bout Palmy's vulnerability. 'Wasn't called back.
- My questions are...
○ In view of many droughts I've experienced in my last 19 years here, how vulnerable is Palmy, the city where my home is, to being overrun by fires like the Aussies are getting? Note: We've even had small tornadoes in Manawatu, and generally the windstorms in the world are increasing because there's more energy in the atmosphere from global warming.
○ If there's significant chance of it (even small chance of such a dreadful damage) might the community agree to...
• Conserve water in our dam? On request by the authorities, we could water our lawns and shrubs etc. to keep them basically green. In a big, wind-blown fire we'd have emergency hose water and barrels of water to douse starting fires.
• Have public education (meeting, leaflet, online) so people learn about aluminium shielding vulnerable items (as some Aussies have successfully done to save their homes burning down), and sprinkers system options, evacuation options.