MEMBER for Barker Tony Pasin will push for improved mobile phone coverage in rural areas after residents of bushfire affected Sherwood area complained about patchy service during the Saturday blaze.
During a visit to the fire site with Liberal candidate for MacKillop Nick McBride last Tuesday, Mr Pasin met with landowners, businesses and emergency services personnel to discuss property and livestock losses incurred near Keith.
Mr Pasin said residents had called for better service to improve communication and safety during an emergency.
“Everyone we spoke to was concerned about the need for better telecommunications,” he said.
“It will see me doubling my efforts to attract better coverage to these areas.
“During a fire the government radio network functions and firefighters can communicate with each other.
“Intermittent mobile reception means landowners and residents are stuck in a situation where they are stranded.”
Mr Pasin commended the heroic actions of Country Fire Service volunteers in ensuring the fire, which surged through 12,000ha, was contained.
“Clearly this was a fire that had the potential to be catastrophic,” he said.
“What I saw made it absolutely clear that if not for the professionalism and courage of CFS volunteers, losses would have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
“We were shown security camera footage from Saturday and the firefighters brave efforts to save a processing facility and the footage I saw was akin to watching a movie.
“The firefighters were risking their lives and putting themselves between fast moving fire and combustible materials within the manufacturing plant, including gas bullets, diesel storage facilities and other combustible oils.
“It is really humbling to see the selfless and courageous acts firefighters do to protect property because without those efforts, this was a fire with catastrophic potential.
“Thankfully damage was limited to property damage because it could have been so much worse.”
Mr Pasin said he was humbled by the region’s resilience and sense of community, which has seen a raft of donations to fire-affected families.
“As we were leaving, a semi-trailer of donated hay was arriving to one of the landowners,” he said.
“It reminded me of the sense of community and the fact people rise to the challenge after disasters.”
