Former Dederang CFA captain Jack Hicks, past Ovens-Eurobin brigade chief Barry Mapley, and retired Forests Commission of Victoria officer Neville Robinson believe returning to fire management systems of the past would be the surest way to protect lives and properties.

The friends, who battled the 2003, 2006 and 2009 North East blazes, say control needs to be returned to the people on the fire ground, greater efforts must be made in the initial attack against a fire and fuel reduction should be reworked to see smaller patches of land being burnt off more frequently.

Mr Robinson, of Porepunkah, said the handling of a fire in its first hours was key to curbing damage.

“We used to say if you didn’t have the fire under control by sunrise on the second day, it was going to take you another seven days,” he said.

“If you didn’t have it controlled in seven days, it would take you months.”

Mr Hicks farms near Dederang and is a member of the Alpine Conservation and Access Group, alongside Mr Robinson.

He said the best way to prevent mega-fires from taking hold was to limit fuel loads by conducting frequent burn-offs in a “mosaic” pattern, targeting smaller sections of land and lighting them only along the ridges.

“And from a safety point of view, it’s important the brigade management takes very particular notice of where fuel reduction work has been done and what year it was done before sending crews in,” Mr Hicks said.

Mr Mapley, of Eurobin, said centralised operational command during bushfires presented an obstacle to those fighting on the ground.

“They have someone who’s 100km away dictating that we can’t do that or they haven’t got the fire plan drawn up,” he said.

“The plan should come from the fire ground, not from 100km away.”

The trio said the royal commission had a chance to implement such changes as a result of its inquiry into the February fires but they wouldn’t hold their breath.

“We’ve been saying the same things since 2003, but no one’s listened,” Mr Robinson said.

The commission will return to Myrtleford for a further public hearing from September 14 to 16.

Editorial — page 12