NEWS DESK
Faulty power lines fuel fire fears David Harrison david@mpnews.com.au FIREFIGHTERS in the Main RidgeRed Hill area are alarmed that the succession of fires starting under powerlines will continue through the next several months, into the drier high-risk fire period. The big fear of some is that the next fire in the sequence of the eight or so blazes in the area so far – blamed on faulty bundled cabling currently now being replaced – will occur in dense bush and not be noticed until it has be-
come a serious menace. “I can’t sleep on these windy nights, when conditions are right to set off the fires,” one veteran said. “So far they have been brought under control quickly. But it’s just been a matter of luck. “How long will our luck last? When will a fire start at night in a remote area and really get going before it’s spotted?” Faulty insulation has been blamed for the fires, which appear to occur when heat from the cables causes the aerial bundled cable (ABC) lines liter-
ally to explode, dumping hot material on the ground and starting the fires. The fire-fighting volunteer, who did not want to be named, said United Energy, responsible for Victoria’s electricity poles and wires, had not responded to fireys’ questions about the outbreaks. Volunteers are now keeping records of these fires in case evidence is required for any subsequent inquiry. The volunteer said no fires had occurred under the old style single strand wiring. “It’s only the bundled stuff, it seems,” he said. “Lots of blokes in the crews replacing it are pretty browned
off – we believe the insulation changes colour from black to grey when it’s exposed to sunlight.” United Energy contractors have been seen using what they have told fireys is a heat-detecting device to examine possibly faulty lines, he said. “But this is a 10-year program and it’s barely under way.” Main Creek residents wrote to United Energy last November about the fires, demanding that the company “maintain and preserve all records in relation to the acquisition and purchase of [the apparently faulty power lines],
and in respect of any fires that might occur as a result of the failure of such power lines”. As previously reported (“No quick fix for power grid”, The News 15/12/15) many of the cables are estimated to be up to 30 years old. It is believed only a fraction of the work will be done by the end of this bushfire season with the remainder being done on a priority basis by 2020. But some bundled cables in the Red Hill area that have gone up in the past four or five years are among the wiring being replaced.
Checks ‘ease risk’ Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au UNITED Energy is increasing inspections to find faulty power lines in a bid to reduce the risk of fires. Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio announced the increased when responding to calls to “urgently replace” faulty aerial bundled cabling (ABC) at Main Ridge and Red Hill. The cabling has already been blamed for a number of fires in the area. Nepean MP Martin Dixon in state parliament in December urged the minister and cable supplier United Energy to install new cables “before this fire season”. On Friday Ms D’Ambrosio said the government “takes the risk of power lines causing fire very seriously”. “In the short term, I am making sure Energy Safe Victoria works closely with United Energy to ensure steps are in place to reduce the risk of vegetation fires this summer,” she said. “This includes activating more sensitive protection settings on local lines, developing and implementing a system to accurately locate line faults faster, and more frequent inspections and patrols of the HV ABC.” Mr Dixon said United Energy had committed to replace wiring to the most at risk locations by September this year. “This is a vast improvement on the fiveyear timeframe initially being quoted,” he said. Under normal circumstances the cabling is bundled together and coated in insulation to mitigate the fire risk. However, it appears a faulty batch was installed in heavily wooded areas of Main Ridge and Red Hill, causing at least six fires before summer. Mr Dixon told The News the Main Ridge CFA Brigade and a number of home owners in the area “have come to me because the insulation around this cabling is melt-
ing away, falling to the ground and starting fires”. “This has happened in winter and spring, so you can imagine in the summer season with high winds … those fires could very quickly get away,” he said. He said identifying priority locations for cable replacement would be based on CFA assessments. United Energy – which owns the peninsula’s poles and wires – had earlier agreed the risk of fires was unacceptable and said it would take 10 years to replace them. “I really think that with the fire season approaching, the lack of rainfall, and the fact that the fires have already been starting as a result of what is a recognised issue, this needs to be addressed urgently,” Mr Dixon said. Mr Dixon’s pleas were prompted by concerned residents who wrote to United Energy stating there “was evidence that the ABC power lines are faulty and explode periodically causing fires”. (The News, 15/12/2015). They said a bushfire on 9 November was “a consequence of a failure of your power lines in Main Creek Rd”. United Energy last week confirmed that the Main Ridge and Red Hill ABC cables were installed in 2006 using cable introduced into Victoria in the 1990s. Described as a heavy duty insulated cable, it was designed to reduce the risk of bushfires being caused by vegetation coming into contact with bare wires in heavily vegetated areas. Samantha Porter, of United Energy, said that although the cabling “has had an extremely low failure rate, UE has noticed an increase in faults in certain areas so has accelerated a program to replace the ABC with a cable of different design”. “The new cable we are using in the replacement program has been designed to eliminate the mode of failure of the existing cable.”
Birthday greetings: Reg Craig, left, with Greg Hunt during a lunch to mark Mr Craig’s 100th birthday.
Birthday treat as MP sings for Magpies AT 100, Reg Craig is still a force to be reckoned with. While celebrating his 100th birthday friends recalled his advocacy work within the community and saw proof of his power when Flinders MP Greg Hunt sang along to the Collingwood Football Club’s theme song. Mr Hunt had popped in to the lunch on 27 December at Rosebud Country Club to congratulate Mr Craig and present him with his certificate. Mr Craig also received a letter from the Queen and the Prime Minister. At the lunch Mr Hunt thanked Mr Craig for his service to the Rosebud community over the past 40 years, especially for his work at Regis The Grange aged care centre, where he now lives.
Mr Craig has been an advocate for residents at the West Rosebud centre for many years and in 2013, at 97, was instrumental in having the community bus stop relocated and ensuring a bus shelter was erected by Mornington Peninsula Shire. Mr Hunt said he was “amazed” at Mr Craig’s fitness and “impressed” by his “ongoing dedication to helping others in the community, even in his twilight years”. Mr Hunt also admitted to the occasion being the first time he had sung along to the Collingwood theme song, a favourite of Mr Craig’s, long-time Magpie supporter.
Southern Peninsula News 12 January 2016
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