Extreme and Severe Fire Danger Day

Tue 12th: Rain and 21 degrees. Eugene Dalton of a local Primary School (Our Lady Help of Christians) called and brought me for a coffee and tour of Warnambool. We talked (or should I say I) a lot of shop. It is really interesting to compare and contrast the two systems. For example the recent controversy between the snow closures in Ireland and the local equivalent: Eugene explained that yesterday was an “Extreme and Severe Fire Danger Day” which meant a Code Red Alert. No fires allowed to be lit by anyone anywhere in the area. Within the area there are “Bushfire Danger Schools” i.e. not all schools, usually schools that are not in built up areas. These schools are notified by The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) that they must close. No choice. They do not have to make up the days. So if we were open yesterday we would have been closed! (‘Summer holidays’ don’t finish until the 27th, but I am due in on 18th.) Plenty of advance warning and no discretion.