Former Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley remembers Black Saturday
As Victoria commemorates the 10th anniversary of Black Saturday, former emergency services chief Craig Lapsley is urging people to come together. He shares his thoughts on the worst disaster in the state’s history, and what we’ve learned since.
Outer East
Don't miss out on the headlines from Outer East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With Victoria about to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the worst disaster in the state’s history, the former emergency services chief is urging people to come together.
The Black Saturday fires killed 173 people and injured more than 400.
It also killed more than a million animals, destroyed thousands of homes, and burned through 450,000ha.
CRICKETERS RECALL GRUELLING CONDITIONS ON BLACK SATURDAY
MEMORIES MARK BLACK SATURDAY A DECADE ON
Former Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner and CFA firefighter Craig Lapsley said the anniversary would be difficult for many people in the affected communities.
Mr Lapsley said those towns had vastly changed since the event and the anniversary would be difficult for many people.
“You have to acknowledge it, but what do you say?” Mr Lapsley said.
“It’s never too late to seek help.”
He said the state still experienced the same extreme weather that helped flame the Black Saturday fires.
“The weather last Friday (January 25), temperatures were blistering and the only difference was the gale winds,” Mr Lapsley said.
But while fire continues to be a big threat to larges parts of the state he said there had been a lot of advances in information sharing and technology since 2009.
“(In 2009) there was no ability to get lots of information out,” he said.
There were no apps, the CFA website crashed, and the technology was not set up to deal with a vast amount of information, he said.
But he said the community now had the ability to access the information and choose how they used it.
“It’s about safety and empowering people to make their own decisions, about where to go and what to do.”
Mr Lapsley said the safety messaging has also changed from defending your property to “leave and live”.
On that fateful Saturday, Healesville CFA captain Graeme Bates was at the fire station directing crews who were fighting the flames.
“It was pretty stressful because you’re there answering the phone, people are screaming for help, you’re trying to get more help, more trucks, more helicopter support,” Mr Bates said.
“I try to treat it as just another fire, so it doesn’t get to you.”
He said since the fires some people had become complacent.
“For a couple of years everyone kept their houses nice and clear, but because we haven’t had fires for so long, you can tell people soon forget,” Mr Bates said.
He said there were a lot of newer “tree-change” residents but for others who went through the fires, they would never do it again.
They won’t stay, they’ll just leave,” he said.
Kinglake CFA volunteer Craig Lawless was the brigade’s first lieutenant at the time, and shortly after, the captain.
Mr Lawless said every year the brigade caught up at the pub on February 7.
“The hill the fire came up from Strathewen and Arthurs Creek was so steep. For every 10 degrees of slope, fire doubles in speed,” Mr Lawless said.
“It was the perfect worst-case scenario for Kinglake.”
Black Saturday Bushfires
by former Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley
The months of January and February 2009 were very hot periods with significant impact on the community, the landscape, the state’s infrastructure, and our reliance on each other.
The weather forecast was very clear — Saturday, February 7, 2009 was to be an extreme weather day with very high temperatures, very low humidity coupled to a strong wind change that would move across Victoria later in the day.
There were hundreds of fires reported on that day and the majority were controlled by firefighters.
But then there were the major fires that our first responders couldn’t control.
The fires were intense, unpredictable and out of control. 173 people perished in the Black Saturday bushfires, with the destruction of more than 2000 homes leaving 5000 homeless.
A very special thank you goes to the firefighters and community members who fought these fires.
It was beyond belief to see complete towns and schools burnt to the ground, community halls erased and hundreds of thousand hectares of land burnt.
Special recognition must go to the community members and emergency management personnel who provided the relief and recovery services.
Black Saturday is the most significant bushfire in the Australian narrative and is now etched in our history as a day of death, injury and destruction.
It’s time to remember what we lost, and our thoughts are with the families and communities impacted by the 2009 Victorian Black Saturday bushfires.
I say a very special thanks to all who made a contribution to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. As a result, I was appointed to lead the change as the Fire Services Commissioner and later the Emergency Management Commissioner.
We deployed a community-focused approach, and now Victoria is recognised as a world leader in community-based emergency management.
One hopes we do not forget but there is much to remember and some things we need to let go of and others we will hold forever.
MORE NEWS
KINGLAKE COMMUNITY STRONG 10 YEARS AFTER TRAGEDY
More than 300 guests to attend VAFA Awards Night
Guests are ready for all the formal action at the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) Awards Night this week. Check back to see all the glamour, class and pictures.
CCTV chaos: Yarra Ranges security cameras broken, shut off
Security cameras across the Yarra Ranges have been left in disrepair or have been shut off after federal funding dried up, with crime-riddled shop owners asked to pay for the upkeep.