This week, fires raged across eastern Australia.
The media reported some pilots saying aerial water bombing would struggle with turbines.
And the following email was sent by a New South Wales country resident to a government department.
Dear Sir,
Further to the previous two emails sent over the Christmas period, please note this update. I refer to my earlier reports regarding faulty turbines at the local wind farm.
The dangers of a turbine operating in misalignment in windy conditions could cause the wind turbine to go into overspin more easily, aside from the unquantified impacts of increased structural loading and vibration.
Yesterday, there was a large fire in this region. Over 30 plus brigades, including our local brigade, attended.
Two men were severely burned attending this fire when their fire truck ran out of water and the fire surrounded them. The fire truck was completely destroyed and the men were flown to a specialist burns unit in Sydney. We await news of their condition.
The fire was burning out of control despite the number of fire units attending.
It was only with the arrival of two water bombing aircraft that the fire was stopped – before it reached densely forested areas.
The water bombing aircraft used a red-colored fire retardant mixed with the water, which was very effective.
However, this fire retardant is highly acidic and the attending fire units had to be washed down upon their return (very late last night, past midnight) due to its corrosive nature.
Should this fire have started near the turbines, water bombing aircraft could not have been utilized, as the Department of Planning is already aware. Water bombing aircraft deploying large volumes of water and impacting wind turbines would bring the turbines down with the force of the water.
We have already informed you that previous to these turbines being erected a bad fire in this area was controlled by water bombing aircraft. This saved our lives, livestock and homes.
But this vitally important resource is no longer available to us because a former planning minister has approved industrial wind turbines in zoned rural and semi rural areas without providing additional resources suited to a now dangerous industrialized environment.
Further, no wind turbine automated fire extinguishing systems were installed despite our objections and expertise of our environment.
We also remind you that when a wild fire is burning we would be unable to see the status of the wind turbines because of the smoke. We would be unaware if debris or fireballs were to fall from the turbines.
The proximity of the wind turbines to the public roads at elevation within 250 m and 300 m would make it impossible to use the public roads in safety despite one of these roads being a major freeway.
It is very difficult to see how the precautionary principle was used in the above example or indeed how residents or the environment were protected despite the “Protection of the Environment Act”.
Our community is experienced fire fighters. My husband is a foundation member of the NSW Rural Fire Brigade, my brother-in-law is the fire captain for our area.
Having experienced numerous wild fires, we are all deeply concerned about the real and present increased additional dangers the industrial wind turbines have imposed on our community with decreased fire protections.
Yours sincerely,
STOP THESE THINGS 
Australian Industrial Wind Turbine Awareness Group
14th January 2013
Media Release
“Communities Burned by Turbines”
The past weeks extreme weather conditions and high fire dangers across the nation, especially eastern Australia, have once again heightened awareness of the dangers and difficulties of fighting fires in close proximity of industrial wind energy developments.
Lake Bonney Wind Farm SA
Over the last week aerial water bombing has been critical in containing fires in many areas of proposed wind turbine developments. If the wind turbine developments had already been in existence aerial water bombing would not have been able to be utilized and fire would likely have continued to spread out of control, destroying life, more homes, property and livestock.
As stated by the NSW Rural Fire Service: “Aircraft are one of the most essential tools of the Rural Fire Service. http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/dsp_content.cfm?cat_id=1120
Aircraft support firefighting efforts not only by water bombing, but by supporting back burning and hazard reduction operations, reconnaissance flights, air attack supervision and conducting medical evacuations.
Fires can strike quickly and be incredibly dangerous.
Aggressive initial attack is the key strategic principal that most fire authorities now pursue. The utilizing of fire fighting aircraft in this initial attack is an important strategic approach as they have the capacity to react quickly and decisively to fires in most terrains, which also assists ground crews in containing fires.
Aerial bombing
Whilst each wind turbine development and situation would have varying operating implications, it is very clear that wind turbine developments impose significant threats to the ability to safely operate aircraft in the vicinity of the turbines, especially under the extreme conditions associated with bush fires in Australia.
The pilots operating the water bombing aircraft are highly qualified and will always consider the degree of risk associated with infrastructure, and the conditions in which they are flying. They will always put the safety of themselves and their aircraft first.
Heavily laden fire or spray aircraft have imposed limits on their manoeuvering ability and must be operated very conservatively. Along with the increased risk of accidents and collisions given the height of the turbines, turbulence and visibility due to smoke and the known interference wind turbines produce on hampering radio reception, no professional pilot would take the risk of flying within what they deem a safe distance of the development, as it would be a threat to legal aviation activities.
Essentially fires that burn near industrial wind turbine developments can only be fought by ground crews and aerial support when the fire has travelled a safe distance from the turbines. That may include having to let the fires burn through turbine clusters, increasing the ferocity of the fire and making its containment on the downwind side of the cluster all the more difficult and dangerous.
A sad fact is that we know that aerial fire bombing is essential to fight fires in our harsh climate and landscape and can prevent the loss of life, home, property and livestock and yet some pilots who perform aerial fire bombing have privately told concerned rural residents that they are not allowed to speak out about the increased risk wind turbines pose.
Aerial fire fighting clearly will be constrained because of pilot safety issues and pilots who are not bound by their contractual or employment constraints from speaking out have said so. David Anderson, the pilot quoted in the following recent news report from South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, where locals are concerned about the impact the CERES Project will have on the safety of families and homes within this large wind development, has made this point clearly. (David Anderson actually OWNS & is Chief pilot for Australian Helicopters, who are contracted to fly the MedVac rescue helicopters, so is well placed to give a professional opinion in this matter)
Link to story: http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/latest/15786582/bushfire-fears-over-wind-turbines/
Until now the fire authorities have asserted publically that wind turbines would pose no greater risk than any other elevated hazard such as power lines. However, in a letter dated 9th January 2013 the South Australian CFS Chief Greg Nettleton wrote that “in some circumstances aircraft will not be utilised because risks caused by vertical obstructions exceed safe operating conditions.” In specific relation to the proposed Ceres Development, he writes that the CFS would “adopt a position that it is unlikely water bombing aircraft would operate in the immediate vicinity of the wind turbine farm if the risk exceeds safe operating conditions (and we) would consider the wind turbines’ effect on safe aircraft operations when combating a fire in or adjacent to the wind turbine farm.
David Pearce, Manager of the South Australian CFS Aviation Service, has stated that “visibility in the vicinity of a fire is generally poor due to the smoke” and that any obstacle in the airspace where we’re running aircraft is a problem for aircraft obviously.”
The Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia state in their Windfarm Policy “Windfarms and their preconstruction wind monitoring towers are a direct threat to aviation safety.”
Hart Aviation in their Assessment for the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm for Wind Prospect state: “Helicopter or fixed wing aircraft operations within the confines of any wind farm and below the top of the wind turbines are potentially hazardous and not recommended.”
Government planning authorities are approving inappropriate industrial wind turbine developments in some of the most fire prone areas in the world where there is an inability to use effective fire fighting procedures. The lack of aerial support in amongst turbine clusters are putting ground crews that may follow wind turbine access trails normally along ridge lines at extreme risk.
Wind developers state that the roads that are built throughout wind turbines projects allow greater access for vehicles in the event of fires. The grim reality is that these roads would become death traps for fire fighters given they would not receive aerial support due to the obstruction posed by the turbines for pilots.
Wind energy developments are continuing to be built in fire prone areas with a total disregard for extra fire protection requirements that should be in place due to the increased fire risks from wind energy developments
• Each turbine is a potential incendiary device, with up to 800 litres of highly flammable gear box oil in the nacelle.
• Fire can start from turbine operation or lightning strike to the turbine.
• Turbines are continuing to operate on days of high fire danger (when other potential sources of fire ignition must cease operating e.g. harvester, grain trucks, etc)
• Burning spinning turbines have the potential to spread burning flying debris over a wide area increasing the danger to life and property and spreading of fire.
• Rural fire brigades are not equipped to extinguish fires in 150m high burning turbines and must wait for the turbine to collapse before they can safely extinguish the fire.
In November 2010 a turbine at Starfish Hill, South Australia ignited. On arrival, CFS officers could do little but watch the blaze from half a kilometre away, as the situation was deemed too dangerous to approach. “There was not a damn thing you could do about it,” said Mr Crawford (Group Officer for the Southern Fleurieu CFS) of the turbine fire. When Work Safe arrived to the scene, CFS officers were told to retreat a further 500 metres away from the fire, as the blades continued to spin. “There were tips of the blades flying some distance,” said Mr Crawford. “You could go no closer than a kilometre away. https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/11/20/cant-fight-the-fire/
Current fire fighting strategies are inadequate to protect people living in the vicinity of wind energy developments from raging fires in our often hostile Australian climate.
It is only a matter of time before there is going to be a catastrophic fire that could have been avoided, because proper due diligence by all responsible authorities has been ignored.
Planning authorities MUST NOT site wind turbines in areas where there is a high fire danger and risk to life and property.
Fire authorities MUST ensure that wind turbines DO NOT OPERATE on days of high fire danger and must put strategic policies in place for wind energy development zones, recognising that aerial bombing is severely constrained in these areas.
Links to the reality of turbine fires:
http://www.turbinesonfire.org
http://www.windaction.org/pictures/1527
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/burning-wind-turbine-starts-fires/story-e6freol3-1111118739534
http://www.windaction.org/pictures/1527
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/02/04/2482542.htm
http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/11/20/cant-fight-the-fire/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-08/approval-sought-for-major-wind-farm/4457230
Links to Wake turbulence caused by wind turbines:
http://www.wind-watch.org/documents/how-much-efficiency-is-lost-by-putting-hawts-near-one-another-in-a-wind-farm/
http://www.arising.com.au/aviation/windturbines/index.html
Under the section 266 of the Criminal Code – it is the duty of …
‘everyone who has in their charge or under his control anything, whether living or inanimate, or who erects makes or maintains anything whatever, who in the absence of precaution or care may endanger human life, is under a legal duty to take responsible precautions against and use reasonable care to avoid such danger, and is criminally responsible for the consequences of omitting without lawful excuse to perform such duty’.
‘R v Pacino: Extending the criminal Negligence?’ (accessed 11 December 2007)
Contact: Patina Schneider 0405 127 189 Email: aiwtan@hotmail.com.au
Star Fish Hill, Australia
In my opinion during periods of extreme fire danger the turbines should be turned off. they should be subjected to what everyone else is. no grinders pumps slashers etc. so why should the turbines be allowed to turn with the potential for them to start a fire. its time to act instead of waiting for the inevitable. take action now and turn of the turbines in extreme fire days. commonsense should prevail and this should be mandatory. if they are allowed to turn then the neighbouring properties should be given fire equipment so they can protect their property and stock.
Thanks very much for that Sir, much appreciated.
Thanks Ma’am, understood. As I am a property owner in close proximity and down wind of where a monitoring tower has already been put it, I might have to start pushing the company in question to:
a. Seal all dirt roads within the area, and ensure each road exits onto at least two major roadways, (to aid in evac pers when containable fires approach); and
b. Install tanks, pumps and roof mounted sprinklers on all buildings within or close to the expected no-fly zone.
That should be relatively cheap for them huh…..
Why are wind turbines not made to stop operating on days of total fire ban? Its clear that they start fires on a regular basis as has happened in SA. Per capita of wind turbines the fire rate is very high if compared to other items of machinery in operation such as harvestors and tractors that operate regulary over the summer.
The majority of farmers will not operate machinery on hot windy days, but those in the wind industry insist its ok for them to operate machinery that clearly starts more fires than our farmers on these days. What a snub of rural australians that they would do this in the persuit of higher profits earned from the taxpayer.
Very interesting post and comments. We live on property between Bungendore and Braidwood NSW and were about 10km from one of the larlger fires on Tueday (that closed the Kings Hwy). We watched with ‘mild concern’ the aerial attach on the fire over two days, the whole time wondering if they would be able to be used so effectively if the ‘yet to be proposed’ windfarm goes ahead across this valley.
I am very much of the opinion that in order to win the fight against inappropriate positioning of industrial turbines we have to be squeaky clean with our information, so we deny the ‘industry’ the ability to dismiss us as crackpots etc. Therefore, I have a couple of questions of those that have left comments.
Firstly, Mr Coleman, you mention that “farmers are asked not to use any equipment which could cause a fire i.e. tractors ride on mowers, chainsaws, welders etc”. I take it you are talking about farmers who host the turbines? Who asks them, the wind company? Do you have any evidence of that, ie in a contract or similar?
Secondly, Dr Laurie, Ma’am you mention aerial water bombing around turbines. Do you have anyone (that actually fly these missions or is involved in the planning of them) willing to state what the rules are in relation to both turning and non-turning blades, and/or a copy of any official order to that effect?
Also Ma’am, you mention the turbine fires and allude to a ‘per-turbine rate’. Has anyone run up a per-farm and/or per-age statistic for fire risk? This is something that we could then use in approaching insurance companies that insure rural farms etc, which might get them to start putting pressure on Govn and the industry. (We have started a similar approach with the banking sector – asking them to comment on potential loss of property values if someone were to default on loan repayments in proximity to host properties. Basically asking them how they plan on getting their money back if they can’t onsell a property. Interestingly they also mentioned that any property that hosts turbines that is mortgaged as ‘for private use’ – ie not a business loan – could be seen as being in breach of contract if they sign up for turbines…..
Thanks very much in advance, have a great new year guys …. and chin up, this fight can be won…
Re “farmers are asked not to use equipment which could start a fire..”
Nothing to to with turbine companies- this is the general fire-prevention rule which applies on days of total fire ban. Applies to anyone in the landscape- landowners, tradesmen etc.
The Chepstowe fire which destroyed historic Carngham Station last week, and 8 other houses, was started by a ute driving through paddock grass. Probably a hot exhaust.
Hot logging machinery also caused 9 fires near Beaufort a week or two ago. Plantation companies are notorious(as are farmers) for negligen tuse of machinery in dangerous conditions- not only total fire ban days.
Wind turbines typically contain 400 litres of oil…lots of moving parts, hot days…it’s a recipe for wildfire. As turbines age, expect many more turbine fires.
Gov, I completely agree with you about the importance of dealing with facts. My sources are impeccable for what I have posted above. There is one pilot (who is independent of the CFS) who has come out recently in the media and stated the obvious, that flying through poor visibility and turbulence such as bushfires create, will create a hazard to flying if there are turbines and wind monitoring masts in the vicinity of fires and this is regardless of whether or not the turbines are turning at the time (see http://au.news.yahoo.com/sa/latest/a/-/article/15786582/bushfire-fears-over-wind-turbines/ )
Pilots in Australia who work for the fire services as yet have not been prepared to say anything publicly but rural communities are close knit, have many fire fighting volunteers in their ranks, and people talk with each other. Turbine hosts are also starting to realise the risk for them as well as their neighbours that the reduced ability to fight fires in a wind development poses, especially if they live in amongst the wind turbines as some do. We would all love it if there was a whistleblower but recognise the difficulties for the individual that can pose.
I am aware that in at least two state fire authorities have denied there is an increased risk of fire and no change to aerial fire fighting capabilities, both of which are clearly untrue.
We applaud Hart Aviation for being honest about the problems which clearly exist for aerial fire fighting activities in the vicinity of wind developments, whether helicopters or fixed wing aircraft are used.
The following extract is taken directly from the report prepared by Hart Aviation with respect to the Crudine Ridge Wind Development in NSW, in their section on page 18, section 3.4.6. (which will be available on http://www.turbinesonfire.org shortly)
“Aerial fire fighting activities
Some concern is often raised about the potential adverse impact on the possible need for aerial fire fighting services, should such be needed in the vicinity of wind farms.
Aerial fire fighting activities can be separated into two elements – those using helicopters and those using fixed wing aircraft.
HART Aviation is of the opinion that any operations of fixed wing aircraft for fire fighting purposes within the confines of the proposed Crudine Ridge Wind Farm would be hazardous and are not recommended. This is a position held in respect of all wind farms. Indeed, the area on which the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm is planned to be located has few open spaces making it not conducive to fixed wing aircraft operations anyway.
The operation of helicopters within the confines of the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm is perhaps possible.
It is also possible that aerial fire fighting could be undertaken above the level of the wind turbines (i.e., above 500 ft), but dropping water or retardant from this height would reduce the fire fighting effectiveness. This is a matter for the expert fire fighting operators to assess.
The position in respect of the proposed Crudine Ridge Wind Farm is no different from any other wind farm.
Helicopter or fixed wing aircraft operations within the confines of any wind farm and below the top of the wind turbines are potentially hazardous and not recommended.”
This issue is of vital importance – thank you for publicising it.
The health consequences of bushfires are well known in Australia. They are both immediate and long term, from burns and asthma to post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression for some. The devastating bushfires in Victoria a few years ago together with the current fires across south eastern Australia are a recent reminder that much of our country is at particular risk of fires, and this is not new.
What IS new, with the growing number of industrial wind turbine developments in rural areas, is the loss of the existing ability to fight them in the most effective way – with aerial fire fighting support.
It has been of great concern to the Waubra Foundation for some time that the ADDITIONAL risks of placing large industrial wind turbines in bushfire prone areas, and the serious consequences of the loss of air fire fighting support are being denied or ignored by all relevant authorities and responsible officials.
Turbines, whether turning or not, pose a hazard to aviation in conditions of poor visibility, such as bushfires. This means that there is a consequent LOSS of existing aerial fire fighting capacity which is not being acknowledged publicly, and is not therefore being reflected in planning policy decisions about the siting of these developments.
At a time when bushfires are raging across parts of South Eastern Australia, we need an honest and thorough risk assessment about the serious and potentially life threatening issues relating to bushfires for many rural residents where wind turbines are built. Planning decisions about the siting of these industrial wind developments MUST take these risks properly into account, and rules and regulations MUST be changed to minimise the additional risks.
We have a situation currently in Australia where the wonderful pilots who fly these water bombing aircraft are saving countless lives and properties. They CANNOT do this within and near a wind development under conditions of poor visibility, such as a raging bushfire, because they cannot see the wind turbines or the associated infrastructure such as the wind monitoring masts, and the transmission “lines and poles” required which are nearby.
Yet the wind developers and the responsible authorities (fire and planning) and some state government ministers claim there is no additional risk from placing wind turbines in bushfire risk areas, and that there is “no change” to current fire fighting practices with the installation of these turbines. This is clearly untrue, and pilots fighting these fires are increasingly concerned about the implications, as are the rural residents.
Denial and ignorance of the additional risks by the responsible authorities is not acceptable. It is directly putting the lives of rural residents at ADDITIONAL risk.
In addition to altered fire fighting practices with ordinary fires, (eg grass, lightening, car exhausts, and arson) the turbines themselves pose a fire risk, which the wind industry rarely publicly acknowledge, yet are well aware of. There have been three known wind turbine caused fires in South Australia alone – at Cathedral Rocks, at Lake Bonney, and at Starfish Hill near Cape Jervis. In the two latter fires, volunteer fire fighters who fought those fires have told me that but for a timely wind change, things could have been very different and the damage much greater.
I have been advised by a former industry employee that few of the installed wind turbines in Australia have automatic fire extinguishing equipment, despite the fact that wind turbines can and do catch fire, and are impossible to put out once alight. An independent audit would soon determine if this is correct, and such fire extinguishers should be made mandatory for all new turbines, and installed retrospectively for all turbines which do not currently have them, and regularly checked.
Each wind turbine has significant quantities of highly flammable oil in the nacelle, providing the fuel for these fires to keep burning, until the burning spinning blades and parts of the turbines start flying off and causing spot fires on the ground (see http://www.turbinesonfire.org for more information and examples). Wind developers such as Acciona at Waubra have at least been honest in one press report from Ballarat and admitted they can do nothing except watch the turbines burn. This has been confirmed to me by rural fire fighting volunteers. Fire fighters in Australia have been ordered to stand back at least 1km in South Australia because of the risk to their safety. There is little they can do to protect those people between them and the turbines under such circumstances.
Another concern is the fact that despite this increased risk of fire from the turbines themselves, the loss of effective aerial support in fighting any fire in the vicinity of the wind turbines regardless of the cause, and the lack of installed fire fighting suppression systems, there are currently no restrictions on the operation of the wind turbines on days of severe, extreme or catastrophic fire danger, thus exponentially increasing the risk of a fire rapidly spreading if it occurs under these fire weather conditions.
Also of great concern is the fact that some pilots working for state fire services have privately said they have been gagged from speaking out about this problem. I suspect others who are city based are as yet oblivious to the problems, and they do not yet realise the extent of the planned and approved wind developments in the rural regions where they operate.
Pilots who do not work with the state fire authorities are free to speak out about their concerns, and (of course) they say that flying within the confines of a wind development or near it in poor visibility is dangerous and they will not do it. How anyone can claim otherwise is beyond belief. Poor visibility greatly increases the risk of accidents to these pilots, whether the blades of the wind turbines are spinning or not. (see for example the recent TV interview at http://au.news.yahoo.com/sa/latest/a/-/article/15786582/bushfire-fears-over-wind-turbines/ )
Many of the areas currently impacted by bushfires are in areas across South Eastern Australia where wind developments have been proposed, and many are already approved but not yet built.
It is inevitable and predictable that there will be loss of life and property from the LOSS OF THE CURRENT ABILITY to use aerial fire fighting strategies within and around wind developments.
Some recent relevant examples from three states of South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales include the following:
The recent fire on Yorke Peninsula occurred in the vicinity of the proposed RePower/Suzlon Ceres wind project – properties (and lives) were saved from aerial bombing. In South Australia the Coronial inquest into the previous fires on the Eyre Peninsula a few years ago made it abundantly clear that aerial fire fighting support is crucial in these circumstances. If the CERES wind project goes ahead, in prime agricultural land dotted with farmhouses, the consequences for those residents in and around the wind development as well as those residents downwind of the likely direction of a fire from the wind development (eg to the SE, the E and the NE including places like Pt Julia and Black Point) will be the immediate loss and restriction of a life and property saving method of fighting fires.
The recent fire in late 2012 at Seymour in Victoria occurred in the vicinity of Infigen’s proposed Cherry Tree wind development – again, the use of aerial fire fighting was of paramount importance in protecting those residents and their properties, and limiting the rapid spread of the fire. Rural residents living near wind developments in Victoria such as Macarthur and Glenthompson have experiences of bushfires prior to the industrial wind facility being built next door which make them extremely worried about the ADDITIONAL risk the presence of these turbines results in for them and their families.
The small fire near Crookwell in the vicinity of Bannister Rd just a few days ago was successfully put out by the rapid action of fire bombers who were on the scene within 10 minutes – in the location of the yet to be built Gullen Range wind development (formerly owned by Epuron, current owners are Goldwind). The fires in the last few days in the Bookham region near Yass in New South Wales ripped through the hills and relatively inaccessible country where wind turbines are being proposed and again, without the use of aerial bombing the consequences for the township of Yass could have been very different. Wind turbines have been proposed for much of the land around Yass, putting potentially hundreds of rural citizens lives at risk in this area alone, because of the loss of aerial firefighting support, if these wind developments go ahead.
There is mounting anger in rural communities about this preventable situation, and about the ignorance or dishonesty of responsible authorities, and the intimidation of pilots from speaking out. This is reported to be coming from senior ranks within the fire authorities, some local rural group captains who are also wind turbine hosts, and from the respective state governments who seem reluctant to face up to reality. The wind developers practice of donating money or resources to the local fire service does NOT absolve them from their responsibilities. It may however have helped prevent proper due diligence and independent scrutiny with respect to these issues.
All these responsible individuals would do well to stop and reflect on the provisions in their state’s criminal code and relevant cases such as the following, extracted from a submission from an experienced fire fighter, farmer and local resident at Glenthompson to the Planning Panel in Victoria in 2007:
• Under the section 266 of the Criminal Code – it is the duty of …
[e]veryone who has in their charge or under his control anything, whether living or inanimate, or who erects makes or maintains anything whatever, who in the absence of precaution or care may endanger human life, is under a legal duty to take responsible precautions against and use reasonable care to avoid such danger, and is criminally responsible for the consequences of omitting without lawful excuse to perform such duty.
‘R v Pacino: Extending the criminal Negligence?’ (accessed 11 December 2007)
Dr Sarah Laurie
CEO Waubra Foundation
The Chepstowe fire on Tuesday started near the approved windturbine site, thankgoodness they were not built or the fire would have caused more damage. It was good seeing the water bombers help putting out the fire as well as the fire aircraft reporting on it. The aerial aircraft help save lives and property, along with the community and CFA.
The whole world has gone insane with these ridiculously useless and dangerous industrial machines being placed so close to people and with no regard to their lives, the environment, local wildlife, etc.
How and when will the insanity stop? I’m guessing when the money to bribe governments and ministry officials runs out.
At last, realisation of just how dangerous wind turbines are in this pyrogenic environment. There have been several turbine fires already here. They cannot be fought- too high and too dangerous. Firies are kept 1km away. As turbines age, many more fires can be expected.
Impeding water-bombing is only part of the problem.
We also agree. There is no place for wind turbines in rural NSW and/or Australia. They are a big fire risk and farmers are asked not to use any equipment which could cause a fire i.e. tractors ride on mowers, chainsaws, welders etc. Turbines are also a blight on rural Australia