The only thing that is controllable is the fuel load in the bush.
It’s the idioticy of Global Warming/Climate Change and Green ideology, that has cause the intensity of these fires in both Victoria and New South Wales.

The prolong drought, we have been having is also factor as well as the hot dry sirocco winds we are currently having are driving the fires along. The drought and the winds are a result of current weather pattens being driven by two weather causing events well to the South West of Australia and under Africa.   

Many of the fires were lit by man, but also lighting and accidents.

In order for these fires to occur you need three basic ingredients, a source of ignition, Fuel and Oxygen, (remember learning the fire Triangle in School ?). we are never going to be able to prevent all sources of ignition in the bush whether, it an accidental spark, lighting strike, a cigarette butt or a fire bug or a wayward campfire. Oxygen levels are also not controllable, neither does the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere makes any different.

The only thing that is controllable is the fuel load in the bush.

Let’s get a couple of things right, there are two main types of fires in the Australian Bush a cool burn, which consumes the litter on the ground, deal leaves, twigs small branches, bark etc etc but doesn’t affect the trees (they are also great for destroying non-native weeds and other plants). And then there are the Hot Fires which burns the trees and if they get enough heat into the fire it causes the Eucalyptus oils in the gum trees to explode, that will send fireballs many miles ahead of the existing fire front, its type of fire is also known as a crown fire. To get a hot fire you need lots & lots of light fuel on the ground.

In drought years you get drying off of litter on the ground and in wet years you get fast rapid growth, in wet and dry years that litter on the ground will burn.

Research in Western Australia over many years has shown, what farmers and other land owners have always known (but many have forgotten) if you burn off the litter on the ground, deal leaves, twigs small branches, bark, by small regular controlled cold burn fires you will prevent the big hot fire from being able to take hold. Current fire management beliefs is that we need to do more control burns but in saying that they will only reducing the intensity of bush fires, not stop them from occurring.

Current policy’s brought in over the last 40 years now make it near impossible to do regular controlled cool burns.

The reasoning are many, Oh the smoke will inconvenient some. Its may affect the habitat of some animals, blacken ground will spoil the beauty of the bush, Oh we cannot have a fire in a National Park, you are prevent from removing dead and fallen branches from the forest. People are prevent from creating fire breaks though their own property, or removing dead trees from around houses.

We have progressively allowed State Governments to increase the number of National Parks around Australia, without increasing the budget or number of people to manage the said National Parks (in fact majority of National Parks now have NO on site managers or rangers (I recently camp in a popular Victorian National Park for 8 days and never saw a ranger during that time). People actively campaign against any form of improvements in access (or services) to our National Parks. I recently watched people protest against control burns next to one of our national Parks because it might damage the limestone, then the same people light a fire for the evening to sit around.

Before white settlement the aboriginals regularly burnt much of the bush, mainly as a method of hunting, and in some cases to promote the growth of new shoots and bulbs for food but they also used fires to fight the neighbouring tribes. These were mainly cool small fires, they had no concept of fighting fires but knew the terror that a major fire would bring. Despite popular mythology aboriginal fires weren’t using it to manage the land, it was primary a hunting method.
Historical records showed that the time of the first fleet, the entire coastline was smokey from many fires inland and along the coast.

Currently our Bush fire fighters are only trying to protect people and property (townships mainly), there is not enough resources to tackle these types of fires in all of Australia, more water bombers is not the answer either is more volunteer fire fighters or paid fire fighters or more fire trucks. The only thing that will stop these fires is a cool wet change, low winds and rain (Heaps and Heaps of Rain).

What is needed to go back to sensible policies of hazard reduction burns and increased feet on the ground to manage the land, and a reversal of the current management plans of our National Parks.