With summer now in full swing in Australia it was only a matter of time before one the countries states known for intense and large fires was to repeat this yet again.
A day of total fire ban was called on 20th of December across the northern parts of the state where a large fire was already burning thanks to lightning strikes in the National Park a week prior. Emergency services said the fire could burn for weeks due to the hot and dry terrain, and the very little rain forecast for the Grampians national park.
The fire quickly grew and consumed over 74,000 hectares by late December. Victoria’s fleet of rotary and fixed wing helicopters and aircraft were mobilised to combat this fire and two others burning within the state. Stretching the states fleet between the three separate fires.
On Christmas day the entire state was placed on total fire ban again ahead of the Boxing day with the Emergency services urging people to reconsider travel plans to minimise the risk.
The two Large Air Tankers (LATs) on contract to Victoria, Bomber 390 and Bomber 391 (Dash-8 Q400s operated by Field Air and Conair) were actively flown to drop retardant lines in order to build buffers and minimise the fire spreading outside containment lines. They were backed up by the National LAT the Coulson operated C-130H Bomber 132 again dropping on the Grampians fire and the fire in Bullengarook just north of the Melbourne CBD.
The states contracted Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) were kept busy operating from both Stawell and Hamilton firebases in order to build and drop retardant in areas that weren’t suitable to LATS. Local operators AgAir, Field Air and Alpine Airwork providing both Air Tractor and Dromaders on this work. Birddog operations were conducted by RAM aviation providing an Aero Commander, Pays’s Aviation a Cessna Caravan, Wrights Air a Cessna Caravan, AgAir Cessna CJ1 Citation and Cessna 337. Air Affairs provided a King Air 200 for Firescan duties.
Rotary assets included and were not limited to Heli Carrier/Paton air bringing their S-61 and Puma. This was the first season the Puma was in Australia from the operators. Touchdown Helicopters providing their EH-60A, Kestrel Aviation providing their Bell 212s, Puma and UH-60A Blackhawks. McDemott Aviation Bell 214Bs, Microflight flying EC-135 and AS350s for fire overwatch operations . Another edition as further support was Aerotech who brought one of their UH-60s over from South Australia.
Together with a huge contingent of ground personal, many of whom is must be noted are volunteers in local fire brigades and State Emergency Services (SES). Supported with personal from Department of Forest Fore management, and Police and Emergency Management Victoria.
Again due to extremely high temperatures on Boxing day (Dec 26th) another day of total fire ban was called across the state. More reinforcements were flown in ahead of what was expected to be the worst day in the state since the Black Saturday event. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service flew their CH-47 into Avalon Airport to support operation in the centre of the state, and the second Coulson C-130H Bomber 131 was repositioned to Albury airport ahead of any fires in the North of the state.
Thankfully the predictions turned into a non-event due to weather change which came earlier then expected. This kept temperatures much lower than the predicted 40 plus.
This massing of assets on one large fire saw other call when needed aircraft and helicopters mobilised to support other fire bases should the need for more mud to be moved. Pay’s repositioned some of their Fireboss’s to Moorabbin in case they were needed on the eastern side of the state. Black Edge Aviation moved their UH-60s from NSW to the Eastern side of Victoria again to bolster assets should they be needed.
With the cooler conditions came the chance to get on top of things.
