[LINK] No cash for phone alert system

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

>> What can we realistically do, if anything(?) to help prevent dozens
>> of people being burnt to death (eg Kinglake) in bed through lack of 
>> communications? Seems we can & should learn from this and do some
>> thing, whatever it is?


Here's how Brian Naylor and his wife died .. it sounds an extreme case
but your suggestion Tom (CB alarm) just might have saved them as might
an sms or phone call. But, it would have to be quick. NO delay between
fire detection/assessment and clearly responsible public alarm signals.

--
TV LEGEND Brian Naylor and his wife Moiree were never going to make it.

Such was the lie of their land, they couldn't even see the fireballs 
coming.

Coombs Rd bore the brunt of the Kinglake West fire disaster. Bang, bang, 
bang the houses went down. 

Within minutes many people were dead along the ridge-top road. 

The Naylors may have seen the smoke and embers coming, but not the 
flames. 

Their immaculate brick home was about 80m below the ridge line and facing 
away from the firestorm. 

It gave terrific views of the city the former newsreader loved so much. 

Come Saturday, it was facing the wrong way. 

Joe Ropar lives on the other side of the road, just up the hill. 

Unlike the Naylors, he saw the fire coming. He said it was like a horror 
show in IMAX that cost him 20 friends. 

Mr Ropar, sobbing at times, said it took just two minutes for the flames 
to travel 20km, roar up the Sherwin Ranges and explode over the top. 

"The fire was jumping like a big-foot giant. Giant steps," Mr Ropar said. 

The Naylor property was so fire-ready that it looked dressed and poised 
to star in a CFA brochure. There were bulldozers and other earth-moving 
equipment. 

Unlike most other properties, the Naylors were not surrounded by bush. 

They had created a significant firebreak. 

But, as Mr Ropar said, he was up against it: "There was no hope. No 
hope." 

Testament to that was a Mercedes 4WD backed up to the ruins -- unmarked 
by the fire, but for blistering at the back; teddy bears in the boot; 
firefighting equipment attached to a trailer. 
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25031886-5012974,00.html
--


Tom sensibly suggests always-on emergency CB home units .. and do agree
if multi-purpose .. eg, direct connection of smoke and personal alarms,
and reliable 2way multi-service comms, eg across all essential services.

> 
> Stephen, you asked for a solution - Throwing away my Geek badge - and as
> much as I hate to say it - possibly it should be mandatory to have a
> working CB radio set to the emergency channel 24/7 (in silent telemetry
> mode) if you have a rural address.
> 
> The cost is $80.00 per unit.
> Range in Victoria with the Repeaters all operating is approximately 68%
> terrestrial coverage.
> (NSW is almost 94%). But with Skip - 100% for both states - Skip means
> that signals can bounce of water (ocean, lake, water vapour - clouds,
> and travel several hundreds of kilometres.
> 
> http://www.cbradioaustralia.com.au/uploaded/Australian_UHF_Radio_Repeate
> r_Locations.pdf
> 
> The advantage would be the always on Telemetry only mode that could be
> coupled to a small in house siren or low voltage bell. Total cost -
> under $100.
> 
> It sounds simple - and it is - that's the advantage. When the Telemetry
> turns on the siren - you change to the emnergency channel to hear whats
> up. You leave it tuned there for updates.
> 
> I am sure that if the Australian Government asked a manufacturer to
> place the siren inside the unit - they would do it.
> 
> If the Government then: 
> 1.	subsidised the units via a 100% taxation initaitive, 
> 2.	introduced a rural levy of 1% to anyone in a rural area that
> didn't claim the subsidy via a valid serial number.
> 
> take-up should be ubiquitous.   
> 
> Sample "Deal" for 2 radios from CBRadios Australia.
>  
> * Two TX650 Transceivers
> * Two Ear Microphones
> * Two Neck Lanyards
> * AC Adaptor
> * Desktop Charger
> * 750 mAh Li-Ion Battery packs
> SKU 	TX650
> Qty 	Price	$159.00
> 
> http://www.cbradioaustralia.com.au/product/TX650
> 
> Folks - its cheap - and it works now.
> 
> Putting my Geek badge back-on - we played with something like this in
> 1998 with Highway Road warning signs. Imagine if we added bluetooth to
> the telemetry receive option.
> 
> Tom

Chers, Tom
Stephen Loosley
Victoria Australia