Goulburn's Andrew Divall makes submission to Bushfire Royal Commission

Andy Divall, of Divall's Earthmoving and Bulk Haulage, made the suggestion in a submission to the NSW Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster.

The deputy captain of Towrang RFS brigade stressed that he wasn't criticising efforts but making suggestions for improvement.

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Divalls supplied equipment and personnel to help fight the Green Wattle Creek, Morton National Park, North Black Range, Lake George and Currowan blazes over December and January's catastrophic fire season.

But he said there were instances where insufficient resources were thrown at them in the first critical hour.

"We found that..the RFS and local government (not Goulburn Mulwaree) often withheld resource allocation 'to see how the fire progressed'," Mr Divall wrote.

"All fires, which occur on an extreme or catastrophic day, have the same powers as a section 44 fire.This would allow resources to be allocated quickly and likely get the fire under control (rapidly) and prevent escalation."

A section 44 declaration allows the NSW fire commissioner to declare a localised state of emergency and call on statewide resources.

Mr Divall told The Post that this approach could cost $100,000 on day one but would save millions of dollars if blazes were left to burn, "as occurred in 2019/20."

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He said his team worked "day and night" across the fire grounds, including on Christmas Day around the back of Bundanoon.

"It played out how the National Parks guys thought it would 10 days later," Mr Divall said.

Embers from the Currowan fire caught hold and destroyed homes around the town and at Wingello.

Mr Divall said his firm worked well with National Parks staff. He suggested that private enterprise could have a formalised relationship with NPWS personnel who had specialised expertise.

"When coupled with private enterprise, they are able to work together to accomplish outstanding results," he wrote.

"Without the knowledge and skills of these staff, the teams utilised would not have the knowledge behind them to complete their tasks."

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He also recommended that private 'first response' teams could be placed on a retainer on severe and catastrophic fire days, ready to act if needed. They would comprise a local operator, bulldozer, grader and helicopters to facilitate easy management of blazes.

Mr Divall argued this would save "a large amount of disorganisation and wasted resources regarding plant and machinery." In addition, it would stop private firms profiteering from section 44 declarations.

"Once it becomes a section 44, no-one seems to care about the cost and the resources come from everywhere. By then it's too late," he told The Post.

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He also recommended funding for and training of heavy plant teams to better prepare them and ensure fires were managed to the highest standard.

Divalls and other private operators on the fire grounds are paid for their work.

Mr Divall himself has volunteered with the RFS for the past 35 years. His father, John, was a member for 45 years. Other family members are also involved.

He said it was the worst and busiest fire season he'd lived through and praised his team for their work in securing homes and preventing further environmental degradation.

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"I sincerely hope my experience and suggestions can assist the Royal Commission into addressing the areas of concern noted, which I believe, are held by a large number of the public," Mr Divall wrote.

"...When not properly controlled, the fires can have devastating impacts to many families who are helpless to protect their homes."

An RFS spokesperson said there were several inquiries underway into the bushfires, including the Royal Commission and it was "inappropriate" to comment on them at this stage.

"The NSW RFS awaits the findings and will consider preliminary recommendations made and look at how they could be implemented to improve the emergency response and operation of the Service," he said.

Mr Divall's was one of six submissions lodged from the Goulburn Mulwaree Council area.

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