Over and out for the fire helicopter this season

The helicopter, which is from Melbourne and is able to carry 1000 litres of water at a time, has been based in Shepparton for the summer for the past several years to allow for aerial firefighting support to be close by during the fire season.

It not only covers Shepparton, but takes in an area bounded by Cobram in the north, Echuca and Rochester to the west, Dookie to the east and near Euroa in the south.

CFA District 22 commander Rohan Taylor said while the helicopter was not as busy this fire season as it was the previous one, it was still an important tool available for fighting fires in the region.

“It was deployed to a large number of fires,” he said.

“There was a lot of bombing activity.

“The aircraft was integral in keeping the number of fires to a smaller size.”

Mr Taylor said the helicopter was now set to ‘pre-determined dispatch’, which meant that when a brigade was activated to a fire, the aircraft was also activated.

If the ‘fire behaviour index level’ – which includes information about weather conditions on the day — was also met, the aircraft would fly as soon as brigades were called, Mr Taylor said.

“Our aircraft and firefighting crew work together. It’s an advantage,” he said.

One of the biggest fires the helicopter was used at this year was a grass and scrub fire near Molka, near Longwood, where it worked in conjunction with other aircraft and ground crews, Mr Taylor said.

He said the October 2022 floods in the region had impacted this year’s fire danger period, making it a shorter one.

However, he said that while the fire helicopter had finished its time in Shepparton, the fire danger period was not yet over.

“Although we’ve had some rain, it’s still warm,” Mr Taylor said.

“And the grasslands are still dry.

“There’s still a heightened risk of grassland fire.”