Farmers fired up for reforms

But the long-awaited Ferguson report into the disastrous Yarloop fires earlier this year, released to the public today by Premier Colin Barnett at Harvey, will be the oxygen farmers require to push for major reforms to control country bush fires.

There is already a queue forming to speak with Mr Barnett to urge him to endorse the major recommendation by Victorian Country Fire Authority chief Euan Ferguson, that a separate country fire authority be established.

And Mr Barnett will be told to ignore calls by the United Fire Fighters Union (UFFU) and WA Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson, to allow the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) to take control of volunteer bush fire brigades.

According to Association of Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades of WA president David Gossage, there needs to be a whole cultural change towards bushfires.

"Country communities need to be empowered rather than spending money on bureaucracy," he said.

"I haven't seen the report yet so I can't comment on it specifically but generally, change is needed to ensure volunteers at a local level remain equipped and in charge to fight fires."

In April, Mr Gossage told Farm Weekly, there were about 25,000 volunteer bushfire fighters organised into about 750 brigades in WA.

"A total of 97 per cent of all registered fire fighters in WA are volunteers,' he said.

Volunteer bushfire fighters are more than 10 times larger, in number, than any other emergency services group, and greatly outnumber about 1000 DFES career fire fighters and 90 brigades.

"And those career fire fighters (UFFU members) are not adequately trained to handle bushfires."

WAFarmers Federation president Tony York said he was keen to read the report.

"I think the main issue is all about empowering volunteer fire brigades and allowing them, with government funding, to do the mitigation work that's required to reduce fuel loads," he said.

"If it's true that the report is recommending a separate country fire authority we would endorse that."

Pastoralists and Graziers Association president Tony Seabrook said he would read the report before making specific comments.

"But generally, city-centric control of country bushfires has proven to be an abject failure," he said.

"Clearly there needs to be experienced people in control and not people following bureaucratic protocols.

"In principle we would support a separate country fire authority because volunteers know their stuff and make enormous sacrifices.

"They don't need to be subservient to salaried people and bureaucrats when they fight fires."

Bushfire Front chairman Roger Underwood said he supported any move to form a separate country fire authority.

"But we want to know what the State Government is going to do and whether it also will endorse more fuel reduction burning," he said.

"I want to read the report thoroughly when it becomes available before I can make any more comments."

Meanwhile, a farmer-led report into last year's Esperance fire is gathering pace, with expectations farmers in the district will push for legislative reforms.

This week, Grass Patch farmer Dan Sanderson released a statement to "appease inquiry" from local farmers anxious for the report to be sent to the government.

The statement reads:

The lawyers preparing the report, Pacer Legal, have advised that following on from the release of the NOUS report (written by consultants the NOUS Group) at the end of March, they have made Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and the Department of Parks and Wildlife to obtain information held by them which is referenced in the NOUS report and which relates to various aspects of their response to the fire.

"Under the FOI legislation, the recipients of an FOI request are given a number of weeks to respond and as such, Pacer Legal anticipate their requests being dealt with towards the end of this month/early July.

Once the responses are received and the information reviewed and collated, it will be used in combination with the substantial volume of other materials already gathered for the purposes of preparing the report.

"Further, we have engaged a senior Barrister at Francis Burt Chambers to provide additional legal input on the complex legislative framework governing the preparation for, and response to, bushfires in WA.

"It is anticipated that legislative reform will be a central element of the report.

"Taking into account the above, Pacer Legal expect the report to be finished by the end of July.

"If you would like to discuss any of the above in more detail, please do not hesitate to get in contact with either Dan Sanderson or David Campbell."