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Three “invaluable” firefighting helicopters have arrived in the ACT to help protect the territory during the bushfire season. Fire conditions look favourable this season and it is hoped the helicopters won’t be used for firefighting purposes. But the Emergency Services Agency deputy commissioner Ray Johnson said the helicopters would be able to assist with grass fires, which is these is an increased chance of. “We’re likely to see more grass fires and these assets will help us fight those fires if and when they occur,” he said. “We are hopeful that it doesn’t. “We can make decisions through the incident management team much better and much more efficient as a result of the intel, in which we gain from that helicopter.” The helicopters include two medium-sized helicopters, a Helitac 274 and 275, and a Firebird 100 Specialised Intelligence Gathering helicopter. The three will be stationed at the ACT Rural Fire Service Hume helicopter base until late March but this could be extended should there be a fire risk. The three helicopters stationed at Hume stand in stark contrast to last season when there were 16. ACT Emergency Services minister Mick Gentleman said the helicopters would also be able to assist firefighting operations in NSW. “Last bushfire season, these helicopters were invaluable and played an integral role in firefighting operations in our region,” he said. The ACT doesn’t own the helicopters, they are on loan from the National Aerial Firefighting Service. Mr Gentleman said the territory had no plans to acquire its own. “The budget is $1.6 million that we provide each year through our ESA resourcing and that gives us this service,” Mr Gentleman said. “The advice to me is it’s much better to purchase the arrangement, we have specialised skills within the teams that actually fly the helicopters.” The two medium-sized helicopters arrived from Canada and the Firebird is from Victoria. IN OTHER NEWS: ACT RFS acting chief officer Rohan Scott said the helicopters would also assist with intelligence. “These three resources will assist our crews on the ground to not only detect fires… but it will also give them real time intelligence but the medium machines will actually assist us with inserting our remote fire teams into remote locations.” he said. “The machines also have 1500 litres of water which they can drop over the fire at any given time so they assist the ground crews and then do their final work to extinguish any incidents that do occur. “The resources are here until the end of the fire season and as we know we do have three months of that fire season to go… hopefully we won’t have anything too large for the ACT.” But the helicopters are able to assist with missions other than fires. Mr Scott said the Firebird helped with a missing person search in Kambah last week. “The Firebird picked up the missing person quite quickly after activation and was able to return that person quite quickly to their family members,” he said.
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Three “invaluable” firefighting helicopters have arrived in the ACT to help protect the territory during the bushfire season.
Fire conditions look favourable this season and it is hoped the helicopters won’t be used for firefighting purposes.
But the Emergency Services Agency deputy commissioner Ray Johnson said the helicopters would be able to assist with grass fires, which is these is an increased chance of.
“We’re likely to see more grass fires and these assets will help us fight those fires if and when they occur,” he said.
“We are hopeful that it doesn’t.
“We can make decisions through the incident management team much better and much more efficient as a result of the intel, in which we gain from that helicopter.”
The helicopters include two medium-sized helicopters, a Helitac 274 and 275, and a Firebird 100 Specialised Intelligence Gathering helicopter.
The three will be stationed at the ACT Rural Fire Service Hume helicopter base until late March but this could be extended should there be a fire risk.
The three helicopters stationed at Hume stand in stark contrast to last season when there were 16.
ACT Emergency Services minister Mick Gentleman said the helicopters would also be able to assist firefighting operations in NSW.
“Last bushfire season, these helicopters were invaluable and played an integral role in firefighting operations in our region,” he said.
Minister Emergency Services Mick Gentleman, ESA deputy commissioner, Ray Johnson and ACT RFS chief officer Rohan Scott inspecting the helicopters. Picture: Karleen Minney
The ACT doesn’t own the helicopters, they are on loan from the National Aerial Firefighting Service. Mr Gentleman said the territory had no plans to acquire its own.
“The budget is $1.6 million that we provide each year through our ESA resourcing and that gives us this service,” Mr Gentleman said.
“The advice to me is it’s much better to purchase the arrangement, we have specialised skills within the teams that actually fly the helicopters.”
The two medium-sized helicopters arrived from Canada and the Firebird is from Victoria.
ACT RFS acting chief officer Rohan Scott said the helicopters would also assist with intelligence.
“These three resources will assist our crews on the ground to not only detect fires… but it will also give them real time intelligence but the medium machines will actually assist us with inserting our remote fire teams into remote locations.” he said. “The machines also have 1500 litres of water which they can drop over the fire at any given time so they assist the ground crews and then do their final work to extinguish any incidents that do occur.
“The resources are here until the end of the fire season and as we know we do have three months of that fire season to go… hopefully we won’t have anything too large for the ACT.”
But the helicopters are able to assist with missions other than fires. Mr Scott said the Firebird helped with a missing person search in Kambah last week.
“The Firebird picked up the missing person quite quickly after activation and was able to return that person quite quickly to their family members,” he said.
