ANALYSIS
At 4.45pm on February 1, Canberrans were given reason to breathe a collective sign of relief.
The Orroral Valley fire, which had been raging for five days in Namadgi National Park, was downgraded from "emergency" to "watch and act" level, as conditions eased across the ACT's southern outskirts.
The massive fire was slowly brought under control until it was officially declared "out" on February 27 - a month to the day after it was ignited by the heat of a Defence helicopter's landing light.
The blaze scorched more than a third of the ACT's land mass, causing untold ecological damage.
Yet no homes or lives were lost - a remarkable outcome given that on January 31, Canberrans had been told to prepare for the ACT's worst fire day since 2003.
The community duly heaped praised on those charged with steering the response, the Emergency Services Agency and its commissioner Georgeina Whelan.
Exclusive: A leaked internal review into Canberra's bushfire season has detailed explosive claims about the Emergency Service Agency's handling of the crisis, the behaviour of its commissioner and the discontent with the ACT RFS https://t.co/F0k8OouSJY via @canberratimes
— Dan Jervis-Bardy (@D_JervisBardy) June 1, 2020
If the agency's mission was to keep Canberrans safe and informed, it was extremely successful.
But the final outcome, as welcome as it was, mustn't be allowed to become a shield against the interrogation of the very real and very serious concerns about the agency's handling of the crisis.
Some of the feedback provided by ACT Rural Fire Service staff and volunteers to the agency's "after action review" of the fire season is frankly alarming.
Such as the allegations that "blame and shame behaviour" was prevalent inside the agency's headquarters, which led to "decision-making paralysis" at all but the most senior levels of command. Or that firefighting planes flew dangerously close to the ground because it would look good for the cameras.
How can there be no policy to manage weary firefighters? How can thousands of dollars worth of equipment go missing and funds be mismanaged, as staff alleged in the review?
Was the public messaging "overstated" at the height of the crisis, as volunteers claim?
READ MORE:
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Public messaging 'overstated' during height of summer emergency
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'Intensely frustrated' volunteers considered walking off Orroral Valley fireground
The agency has defended its actions, as have Emergency Services Minister Mick Gentleman and Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Nobody is commenting on the specific allegations, saying that would be inappropriate given reviews into the fire season are ongoing.
Those review, once finalised, cannot ignore the concerns raised so far. Lessons must be learnt.
It goes without saying, but it is worth repeating.
It could be a matter of life or death.
