Aerial firefighting resources will be doubled in the Lower South East for the upcoming fire danger season, proving a massive boost to the Country Fire Service and its volunteers on the ground.
While the start date of this year’s fire danger season is yet to be announced, it has been revealed the Mount Gambier Airport will house three single engine air tankers (SEATs) and a Black Hawk Helitak helicopter to combat any blazes in the region.
CFS State Aviation Operations manager Nik Stanley yesterday told The SE Voice the increased resources would be a huge asset to firefighting in the region.
“We traditionally have had two fixed wing bombers in the South East and this year we will be placing a third SEAT there along with a Black Hawk Helitak helicopter,” he said.
“Each year we review our statistics over previous seasons and we have noticed over the last five years of the contract there was a greater need to support those SEATs with additional SEATs from our state response package.
“So when we put our Cabinet submission together for government we asked for additional funding for additional aircraft and were successful in obtaining additional aircraft for the state.”
Mr Stanley said the addition of the extra bomber and the Black Hawk would more than double the extinguishing capacity of the aerial fleet.
“We have what we call our rapid initial attack philosophy where we try to get as much water onto the fire from the aircraft as possible, so we will be going from an initial dispatch of 6000l to now 13,000l,” he said.
“That will enable us to send more aircraft earlier in the piece to keep those fires smaller until ground crews can arrive and extinguish those fires.
“We will be upping our initial response to try and keep those fires as small as possible.”
Mr Stanley said previous resource allocation had not been a “huge issue”.
“But there are certain days where conditions are such that having additional aircraft response may have helped in the past in keeping those fires small,” he said.
“By all reports we are tracking towards a normal start for the fire season but it will all depend on how much follow up rainfall we get toward the latter part of Spring as to how grassland and crops dry off and become flammable.
“The aircraft is just another tool in our toolbox, they do not actually extinguish fires, they are used to knock the fire down and take the intensity out of it, it is the hard work of the crews on the ground that extinguish those fires.
“Without the work of our volunteers, farm fire units and National Parks resources and the forestry industry brigades we could not do the job that we do.”
The new resource allocation for the Lower South East is part of the largest number of aircraft ever to support South Australia during bushfires.
Five new aircraft will be added to the SA Country Fire Service’s aerial firefighting fleet this season, increasing the number of aircraft from 26 to 31 – significantly enhancing the state’s aerial capability to combat the risk of bushfire.
Two South Australian companies, Aerotech and Helifarm, are amongst those to be awarded contracts to lease the services.
The record $26.m State Government investment will result in quicker response to fires, more support for frontline firefighters and better protection for communities.
Minister for Emergency Services Joe Szakacs said the government was delivering a record investment to ensure firefighters were equipped with the resources they need to protect all South Australians.
“An upgraded aerial firefighting fleet will play a critical role to combat the upcoming bushfire risk and support boots on the ground,” he said.
“More resources in the air, deployed in key regional areas, means frontline crews get help where they need it most and results in safer communities across the state.”
