WIMMERA farmers planning to fight property fires might be hit with a crushing six tonnes of water unless they are alert this summer.
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Country Fire Authority District 17 operations manager Dale Russell said for the first time the Wimmera would be serviced by two water-bombers based at Nhill for the harvest period.
He said the bombers covered the area from the South Australian border to Horsham and would dispatch automatically when firefighters were deployed.
Mr Russell said the bombers would dispatch within 15 minutes of a pager going off, travel 260 kilometres an hour and drop 3000 litres of water per load.
He said the bombers were a fantastic resource for the area, but residents fighting fires needed to be aware and back away if they saw the aircraft overhead. “They drop 3000 litres of water each, that’s not what you want on top of a ute,” he said.
“We know a number of farmers have their own private firefighting equipment and might well be attacking the blaze themselves.
“They need to be mindful they’re coming and watch out.
“When they see them they should pull away from the front and allow them to attack.” Mr Russell said the bombers sounded warning sirens on approach but people needed to be careful in case their own water pump drowned out the sound.
He said if firefighters arrived on scene before the aircraft, the bombers would radio ground crews and take direction, but this was not possible with private vehicles.
“There’s a real possibility they could be at a fire before a truck, depending on the location,” Mr Russell said.
“It’s clearly a danger to private units, if an owner is putting out a fire and there is three tonnes of water coming down.
“It’s a safety issue people on the ground need to be aware of.
“A property owner before the brigade arrives might be unaware the aircraft is coming.
“We’re making sure people know they will be coming, unless of course they’re at another fire – so they’re aware and can move away.”
Mr Russell said the bombers would be used throughout the season to ensure small fires remained small.
“They’re stationed at Nhill specifically for the harvest period, that’s never happened in the Wimmera before,” he said
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
Digital journalists with The Border Mail.
