A record number of aircraft are to fly the Victorian skies this summer to help fight fires and keep communities safe.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Lisa Neville said the 51 strong aircraft fleet included a mix of water bombing aircraft, air supervision and air intelligence-gathering aircraft.
“Victoria’s aerial firefighting fleet will return bigger than ever to support our hard-working firefighters and ensure that Victoria has the strongest possible fire response, both in the air and on the ground, as we head into fire season,” Ms Neville said.
“Last fire season we saw just how critical aircraft were in responding to fires and protecting life and property – not just in remote areas, but right across the state,” she said.
“Aircraft will provide an immediate response across the State, allowing water bombing aircraft to respond to fires at the same time as fire trucks.”
Ms Neville said two large Air Tankers capable of carrying up to 15,000 litres of water, foam or retardant, and two 7,500-litre Aircranes would contribute to the aircraft in the core-fleet.
“The fleet includes a number of specialist night vision-enabled aircraft, which can conduct firebombing and intelligence operations after dark and has a surge capacity of up to 100 that can support the Victorian core fleet and be called upon when needed,” she said.
She said Victoria’s emergency services were preparing for a normal fire season however, the location, timing and amount of spring rainfall was likely to affect fire potential in the western half of the State.
