FIREFIGHTERS gathered at Bendigo Airport recently to hone a special set of skills.<\/p>\n
Seven County Fire Authority members joined with colleagues from Fire Forest Management Victoria to practice efficiently reloading air tankers.<\/p>\n
The program is part of airtanker education program roll out across the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got two large airtankers that are in Victoria for this summer,\u201d said Garry Cook, CFA chief officer for operational response and coordination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had crews undertaking the exercise on the Q400, that\u2019s a large capacity airtanker and behind that is the RJ which they also loaded.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially the training is about familiarising yourself with the load points on the large airtankers themselves, as well as operating the pumping systems to get the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe used water for the training, but we could also be using foam here at Bendigo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important to understand that the aircrafts that go out to fires actually need to go back and land, and somebody has to reload them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a whole logistics exercise, it\u2019s not just about the aircrafts dropping on the fire, it\u2019s what makes the whole system work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Firefighter Sara Fitzroy-Moore from the Strathfieldsaye CFA brigade took part in the training.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it would be interesting to do, and a good way for me to support my region and my local fire brigade as well as help others in the process.\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve now learned how to load an aircraft safely that is designed to drop water on fires and discovered how to operate a large pump.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic to see them on the ground, understand how they work, and how we can work with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be better for the state of Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FIREFIGHTERS gathered at Bendigo Airport recently to hone a special set of skills. Seven County Fire Authority members joined with colleagues from Fire Forest Management Victoria to practice efficiently reloading air tankers. The program is part of airtanker education program roll out across the state. \u201cWe\u2019ve got two large airtankers that are in Victoria for […]<\/p>\n