Victoria’s aerial firefighting fleet is prepared for the fire season, with a 50-strong force ready to be deployed across the state.
The latest Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for summer suggests Victoria will experience normal fire potential in the north and west, and below normal for other areas. The risk of grass fires could increase as grass dries out.
The aerial fleet includes two large air tankers, multiple type one helicopters including a Super Puma and an Aircrane, and 14 single engine air tankers.
Entering its second year of operation is the CH47 Chinook, the highest volume helicopter in the fleet capable of holding 11,000 litres of water.
A new addition is the Black Hawk, capable of holding up to 4000 litres of water and can also drop fire retardant and foam.
Victoria also has a surge capacity of up to 100 aircraft on-call that can supplement the core fleet, including support from multiple emergency services workers from across all agencies.
The fleet is jointly funded by more than $30 million from the state and federal governments.
For more information on how to prepare for fires and other emergencies, people can download the VicEmergency app or visit emergency.vic.gov.au.
