WAFARMERS has called for a government inquiry into the response to the Esperance bushfires and the introduction of a country-based firefighting body.

With fires now extinguished in the Esperance region, locals are now in recovery mode following the devastating bushfires that started on November 15.

Concerns over the lack of back-up in the early firefighting stages and the availability of meteorological information were raised by the organisation.

The question of responsibility given the fires began on Crown land, the threat to local cropdusting pilots about losing their licences if they flew near the blaze and telecommunications problems were also raised.

Photo gallery: Esperance bushfires

WAFarmers President Dale Park said despite actions during the last five years to improve firefighting services in Western Australia, they had not been enough to prevent widespread devastation in Esperance.

“Over the last five or so years, two full scale inquiries were launched into Western Australia’s firefighting processes, there was a complete clean-out at the top of FESA, and it was changed from an authority into a government department,” Mr Park said.

“While it appears that a lot has been done since to effectively manage the state’s bushfires, the Esperance fires have demonstrated that the results have not changed significantly.”

Camera Icon Firefighters and farm response units battling the fire at Grass Patch. Credit: Supplied, Courtesy of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services

While Mr Park recognised the efforts of career and volunteer firefighters, he said a country fire authority would be better placed to manage rural fire emergencies.

“As Senator Chris Buck explained to the Senate in federal Parliament last week, we should not confuse volunteerism with amateurism, because properly trained and resourced volunteers are more than equal when it comes to their work on fire grounds,” Mr Park added.

“Local volunteers, who often have experience in fire brigades, provide expertise in property knowledge and firefighting skills, and their abilities should not be underestimated because they are not paid.

“The establishment of a Western Australian country firefighting authority would be a much better option for regional centres.

“It would have the ability to allocate resources towards mitigation, which is currently the responsibility of the under resourced Department of Parks and Wildlife, in addition to greater firefighting and training capabilities, allowing for the faster distribution of assistance as needed.”