Released 20/12/2018
Canberra and the surrounding region will be even better protected this bushfire season with two specialist helicopters to be stationed at the ACT Rural Fire Service (RFS) Helibase.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mick Gentleman today joined the ACT Emergency Services Agency Commissioner Dominic Lane to announce that a light helicopter with cutting edge Specialist Intelligence Gathering (SIG) capabilities will be available to the RFS for the first time this summer.
The ACT Government, through the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC), has contracted the light helicopter along with a medium helicopter to provide aerial firefighting services to the ACT.
The SIG capable light helicopter will allow for live video streaming and spatial data collection of fires. A new infrared camera will provide critical fire line and hot spot information to the ESA Incident Management Teams in real time.
Both helicopters are invaluable assets to the ACT community and are one of the many initiatives the ACT Government has funded to protect Canberrans throughout the bushfire season, adding to the recently announced Fire Bombing Air Base and Large Air Tanker.
It is important for ACT residents not to be complacent, particularly those in bushfire prone areas. I encourage Canberrans to be bushfire ready and to ensure you have a bushfire survival plan in place. Start your plan on the ESA website.
- Statement ends -
Mick Gentleman, MLA | Media Releases
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