PROVIDERS of bushfire protection services

PROVIDERS of protection services include: – Fire authorities, Government land managers, Government land use regulators, Research institutions, Suppliers of equipment and materials, Suppliers of advice and legal and technical services, Insurers and Professional associations.

This list demonstrates our point that there is no provider in the industry who aims to protect the individual house as we do. It indicates how their roles and interests are specialised and narrow. In no way is this to be seen as a criticism of these providers. It is simply how things work.

Fire authorities            Their role is to provide fire suppression services where able to do so in safety. Their focus is on delivering a service, not on the fate of an individual house in the town during a bushfire attack. They cannot be reasonably expected to protect the individual house. Eg, there are 1800 CFA tankers in Victoria and 1 million houses in CFA territory.  To protect a house under ember attack may require 1/3 to ½ tanker and to extinguish a burning house may require 5 tankers. In a bushfire situation, they might focus on the individual house only when they are close by and have been released from perimeter suppression duties. During an evacuation order, their concern is to carry out the order, not the fate of the houses. We believe senior officials and politicians reluctantly accept house loss as inevitable collateral damage. Another role is to prepare fire plans. Their focus is on delivering a plan, not on the fate of an individual house in the town during a bushfire attack.

Government land managers    Their role is to provide protection by fuel management to nearby towns and settlements within their own land boundaries. Their focus is on their work, not on the fate of an individual house in the town during a bushfire attack. 

Government land use regulators         Their role is limited to new houses. They limit where houses can be built, and they specify design standards for new houses. Their focus is on their rules and regulations, not on the fate of an individual house during a bushfire attack. 

Research institutions               Their role is to investigate specific issues in detail, some of which may have benefit for houses sometime in the future, eg, fire behaviour or performance of materials under heat. Their focus is on their investigation and findings, not on the fate of an individual house during a bushfire attack. 

Suppliers of equipment and materials             Their role is to deliver specific purchases requested by the house owner. Their focus is on their business policies and customer satisfaction, not on the fate of an individual house during a bushfire attack. 

Suppliers of advice and legal and technical services              Their role is to deliver specific services requested by the house owner. Their focus is on their business policies and customer satisfaction, not on the fate of an individual house during a bushfire attack. 

Insurers           Their role is to provide financial protection for bushfire damaged houses when a claim is made. Their focus is on their business policies and customer satisfaction, not on the fate of an individual house during a bushfire attack. 

Professional associations         Their role is to facilitate communication with membership – to update, inform, share ideas. Their focus is on their members, not on the fate of an individual house during a bushfire attack.