Word drop welcome

By Kath Gannaway
YARRA Ranges and Dandenongs Tourism has welcomed the decision to remove the word ‘catastrophic’ from fire warnings.
The government announced last week that the highest fire danger warning would now be identified as ‘Code Red’.
Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC), along with Tourism Alliance Victoria (TAV), had strongly advocated on behalf of rural and regional tourism for the removal of ‘catastrophic’ after it became clear the connotations of the word were having detrimental effects on visitor numbers.
YR&DT CEO Mark Challis said they had voiced their concerns about the terminology to CFA, DSE and Tourism Victoria.
“Feedback from our industry was that the word was literally catastrophic for their businesses and the fact they have removed it is in our view a very sound decision,” Mr Challis said.
“Most importantly, there was also a change to what constitutes a code red day.
“If we get conditions like those experienced on Black Saturday, or Ash Wednesday, that would be the only time code red would be implemented.”
VTIC chairman Jeremy Johnson said while industry organisations recognised how important Fire Danger Ratings were for the community’s safety, they had argued long and hard that the word ‘catastrophic’ was unnecessary.
He said the ‘Code Red’ warning served the purpose of cautioning the public without confusing people as to the severity of the risk.