JANUARY 12, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Firey makes a splash
(Shawn Smits)
In his first month as one of Sunbury’s newest Country Fire Authority recruits, Brennan Walsh has learned to expect the unexpected. The former army officer (pictured) started with Sunbury CFA on December 6 and hit the ground running. “The biggest jobs I’ve been to so far were an illegal burn in a backyard that got out of control during the fire ban and the New Year’s Eve fire in Sunbury that was sparked by fireworks,” Mr Walsh says. The aspect of the job he’s enjoyed most is interacting with people. “It’s much better and more enjoyable than the training,” he says. “You see people on their worst day and you get to help them through it. That’s the best part for me. “I served eight years in the army as a reconnaissance vehicle specialist; being a firefighter is very different to that.” Mr Walsh says the army’s camaraderie is very similar to that of the CFA’s, but now he’s “loving being able to help in the field all the time”. Esther Lauaki
‘Track firebugs with GPS’ The United Firefighters Union is pushing for anyone charged with arson to be fitted with GPS tracking devices. The call comes after Sunbury man, Stuart Dean Robson, 47, faced 13 charges in Melbourne Magistrates Court last week relating to fires lit in the area on December 25, 28 and 29. Police allege that Robson lit a Christmas Day fire that burned through 100 hectares of grassland, moving quickly as it was fanned by winds of more than 55kmh. Five fire-fighting aircraft and 65 Country Fire Authority vehicles were used to battle the blaze.
Robson’s charges include deliberately lighting bushfires that placed lives at risk, and arson. He was remanded in custody with his case due to return to court in March. The court heard last week that Robson was out on bail at the time the fires were lit. He was facing separate arson charges from October last year. United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall is now urging authorities to fit all convicted arsonists and anyone charged with the offence with GPS ankle bracelets for around-the-clock monitoring. “Any mechanism that prevents them engaging in that activity can only be to the
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“We’ll always be talking to Victoria Police about how we can improve ways of dealing with offenders.” Emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley said arson was a mental health issue that needed a mixture of responses. “I believe that Victoria Police are doing the best they can with the powers they’ve got,” he said. In October last year a magistrate granted Robson bail on the condition he be fitted with an ankle bracelet, but present laws only allow tracking devices to be fitted once arsonists have been sentenced and convicted. There is only one arsonist in Victoria fitted with a bracelet.
community’s benefit,” he said. He said placing an ankle tracker on all people charged with arson would free up police surveillance resources. “GPS devices would allow the relevant authorities to identify the location of offenders and enable rapid intervention. “The community needs to be protected.” Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett said the GPS tracking device was relatively new, and she expected courts and parole boards would increasingly put them on people convicted of arson. “There’s been double the number of people charged with arson in the past year,” she said.
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By Esther Lauaki