Roadblocks will be a major factor in a review of evacuation issues stemming from February’s Mickleham bushfires.
State government Emergency management inspector-general Tony Pearce has been charged with reviewing road traffic management and access for “appropriate people” into areas affected by fires to ensure animal well-being.
The review comes after last month’s release of emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley’s analysis of the 2013-14 fire season, which lists traffic management as a key area for overhaul.
Recommended changes should be in place before the next fire season.
In the aftermath of the February fires, residents in fire-affected areas were unable to return to their homes for several days because of roadblocks.
Annie Williams, who runs a wildlife shelter from her Darraweit Guim home, said only emergency service people could pass roadblocks for four days after the fires began.
“It was ridiculous. We could leave to get petrol, but we couldn’t get back in,” she said. “We needed to refuel petrol containers to turn fire pumps on again.”
Macedon Ranges highway patrol officer in charge Sergeant Geoff Neil said roadblocks needed to be locally managed.
“Rather than trying to manage traffic from afar, more notice needed to be taken locally,” he said. “It would have run a lot smoother.
Angela Valente
