What safety debate was that Malcolm?

"So the debate about safety etc. was little more than a furphy to cover up the lack of willingness by our authorities to change their outmoded mindset."

Having had more than jut a passing interest in all this since my pager went off for the first time on 7 Feb, the only mention of heavy aircraft and safety that I have heard was when the DSE deputy CFO was ambushed in a press conference. If you'd care to revisit his remarks in full rather than the selective soundbites aired you'll note that his comment about safety were in the context of the prevailing weather on the 7th. Would you really want to be flying over the Black Spur in a DC-10 in 100km/h winds and zero visiblity?

"The current enquiry in Victoria has shown nothing much more than a deliberate effort to cover up or excuse the fire management procedures in existence last summer."

If so, the cover up hasn't been very effective, has it? Mind you, "hard questions" Jack has yet to delve into the political fiddling that DSE and CFA have been subjected to in recent years and how quickly they have had to learn to play together.
That is not a criticism of the crews on the ground but of a management system that let everyone down from the fire fighters to the civilians.

"Frankly I would suggest that the public couldn't give a rat's arse about how the fire services are controlled or by whom"

Well maybe they should! It's theire elected officials who have imposed the current regime, one that's unique in the country. Absolutely dismayed how many lay witnesses who described themselves as "ex CFA members" expected a tanker at their front gate, didn't check weather or fire warnings etc. The fringe areas that were so badly impacted were heavily populated by tree changers who still had the suburban mentality of call 000 and a fire truck will magically arrive. Talk to any of the volunteer brigades in those areas about how few peole came to their community meetindgs before the 7th.

"allowing timorous whatif scenarios to prevent trials is the height of stupidity given their demonstrated usefulness in far more mountainous and rugged conditions than we can muster."

Sincerley hope you've waded through the mountain of research by the Bushfire CRC and CSIRO before coming to such a damning conclusion. If not, there's you homework, look forward to a report back.

We have had several summers in a row of bad bushfires and it seems we have taken too long to move into open enquiries and a willingness to trial all available technology. Instead as I said all that has happened is the airing of turf war grievances by the various appropriate authorities. The chap who lost his family and said yesterday at the enquiry that whoever it was or are reponsible for this poor management should be forced to take the blame and if necessary face appropriate legal proceedings. Hiding behind the "just following procedures" excuse went out with the Nuremberg trials