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The Border Watch : January 8th 2015
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NEWS tIPS newsroom@tbw.com.au NEWS Extra 7 Fire bombers help battle blaze Team of pilots complete 110 missions over Tantanoola bushfire RADEMEYER PS newsroom@tbw.com.au NEWS Extra 7 Fire bombers help battle blaze Team of pilots complete 110 missions over Tantanoola bushfire RADEMEYER .com.au .com.au FIRE bombers and their ground support staff had a hectic start to summer as they battled the raging Tantanoola bushfire, preventing flames from engulfing homesteads and livestock on the outskirts of Mount Gambier. A team of nine pilots from Mount Gambier, Adelaide and Victoria flew a staggering 110 missions on Friday and Saturday, dropping more than 314,000 litres of water, foam and gel combinations on the raging flames below. The pilots were supported by a team of firefighters on the ground as well as 16 people at air bases in the area responsible for refilling bombers as they touched down momentarily. The bases were at Mount Gambier, Millicent, Coonawarra, Lucindale, Naracoorte and Robe. The Air Tractor AT-802 bombers that were utilised have a 3200 litre water carrying capacity and were refilled in under two minutes to be back in the air in less than five minutes. “The refilling capacity of our ground staff coupled with our cross-border support were crucial as it enabled us to continue our efforts without slowing down or stopping,” Country Fire Service air attack supervisor Phil Richards said. “Teamwork is critical to our success since we operate in a very stressful environment flying at low altitude in low visibility where the air is often very unstable, to say the least.” Mr Richards said the Lower South East Air Operations Team typically followed a five-tiered approach in combating bush fires. The first step is to gather FIRE BOMBERS: Pilots Peter Allomes, Anthony Connor, Harley McKillop and Ty Davies were part of the air operations team that flew 110 missions on Friday and Saturday to halt the Tantanoola bushfire on the outskirts of Mount Gambier. Pictures: LEON RADEMEYER intelligence about the fire and the second to establish an air and ground strategy to coordinate the bombing attack in order to achieve the desired outcomes. During the third and fourth phases the strategy is activated with bombers attacking their targets, while being supported by an incident management team on the ground, typically firefighters and those responsible for filling and fuelling the bombers. Targets are not attacked indiscriminately, but at specific places where chances of success are the highest. The strategy means bombers do not necessarily drop their loads on the most fiercely burning areas, where the impact could be limited. Last but not least is the logistics function responsible for organising everything from water and foam to refill the aircraft, to food and accommodation for firefighters and other team members. The Tantanoola fire was especially dangerous because of its spot fire distance of more than 2km in front of the main fire. “Because of the spot fire distance the fire grew rapidly and had to be contained as a matter of urgency, prompting us to implement a non-stop approach to our firefighting efforts,” Mr Richards said. The air attack team remains on standby in Mount Gambier. FIRE SPOTTERS: Phil Richards with spotter plane pilots Jason Law, Karen Barnes and Kym Redman, who played an instrumental role in fighting the raging Tantanoola bushfire on Friday and Saturday. Family $60 Adult $25 McDonald Park Jubilee Hwy Mount Gambier Gates Open 3:30PM Fully Catered (No BYO) Stuart Bowd Rural Contracting LYNCH FINANCIAL GROUP Keatley NBT Contracting Rentsch Rural Quality Inn Presidential Mount Gambier CoCky’s The Border Watch, Thursday, January 8, 2015 - 7 Pensioner $15 Children (U15) $10 662133
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