Tasmania’s ability to fight bushfires has again been strengthened through the addition of a Specialist Intelligence Gathering (SIG) Aircraft, bolstering our plan to keep Tasmanians safe.
The new SIG helicopter provides fire agencies with the ability to detect fires early following lightning events and provides vital and timely intelligence to assist firefighting teams on the ground.
The aircraft is able to capture video in true color and infrared which is sent back to Tasmania Fire Service operations centers in real-time, providing critical information to bushfire analysts.
It is vitally important that the Tasmania Fire Service has a range of resources on hand to respond to the threat of bushfire, which includes support from the sky.
The Aerial Firefighting Fleet provides Tasmania with a sophisticated and flexible aerial firefighting capability to respond to bushfires, protect communities, and support firefighters on the ground.
Tasmania has received 11 aircraft this bushfire season as part of the fleet, which is an increase of four since last season.
The Tasmanian Government is committed to keeping Tasmanians safe from bushfires, and I thank our brave firefighters for the important work they do to protect our community.
