Qld Fire Minister Nikki Boyd and Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith with the aerial firetanker at Bundaberg Airport. Picture: Qld Government
A 10,000-litre Canadian-owned aerial firetanker has touched down at Bundaberg Airport for the new bushfire season.
From its base in Bundaberg, the Large Air Tanker or LAT, aircraft will be able readily respond in coastal and inland areas across Queensland.
The Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft is owned by Canadian-based Conair Aerial Firefighting and its crew is Canadian. The Queensland Fire Department (QFD) says it has been contracted to them for three months then for three months with their Victorian counterparts.
It arrived flew into Bundaberg on September 1 from Victoria, where it has a winter base for maintenance, the QFD says.
A Eurocopter and waterbombing Blackhawk helicopter are joining the aerial firetanker in Bundaberg, to supporting Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) and Queensland Fire & Rescue (QFR) personnel.
On standby at Toowoomba Airport for the fire season are two Bell 214B helicopters, two AirTractor AT-802 fixed-wing bombers and a specialist intelligence gathering light helicopter.
Fire and Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd says Rural Fire Service Queensland crews, volunteers and QFD personnel are “well-prepared”.
“The aerial firefighting response fleet of 13 includes the LAT and delivers an extra layer of support for firefighters and peace-of-mind for Queenslanders,” she says.
“But even with an aerial firefighting capability, there’s no room for complacency when it comes to preparing a Bushfire Survival Plan and being bushfire aware.”
Queensland Fire Department Commissioner Steve Smith explains that the aircraft are a major support service for ground crews during major bushfires and for mapping, intelligence and planning.
“As part of RFSQ’s preparations for each bushfire season, air operations personnel from RFSQ and QFR undertake training to sharpen their skills ahead of the season,” he says.
“Although we work closely with landholders and other agencies to conduct major mitigation work in the lead-up to bushfire season, it is so important that everyone’s properties are ready. It can make all the difference if the worst were to happen.”
RFSQ Chief Officer Ben Millington says the biggest risk this season is expected to be grass fires after “significant” fuel loads built up over the past two years due to rainfall.
“We are already starting to see fire activity and we are keeping a close eye on conditions,” he says.
“QFD’s aerial firefighting fleet will continue to provide significant support to ground crews as we see fire activity increase over the coming months.”
The government says this brings the Queensland Fire Department’s (QFD) contracted aerial fleet to 13 aircraft with a total waterbombing capacity of more than 32,000 litres.
QFD has access to about 150 other aircraft on call.
The aircraft fleet is co-ordinated by QFD’s State Air Desk, ensuring the best possible combination of aircraft, personnel and resources for major bushfires.
For advice on Bushfire Survival Plans, preparing property and bushfire season information, visit: fire.qld.gov.au/prepare/bushfires or getready.qld.gov.au
