Erickson Heli-tankers headed "Down Under."

[NJFFSA16]

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - The federal government said Friday it
would spend up to 5 million Australian dollars (U.S. dlrs 2.75
million) to lease three helicopters that can gulp water from lakes
and spew it onto flames, to help states cope with the coming fire
season.
Regional Services Minister Wilson Tuckey said the government
would cover up to half the costs of leasing three Erickson
Air-Crane heli-tankers and bringing them to Australia. He did not
say from where.
The helicopters can suck 13,250 liters (3,500 gallons) of water
into their tanks in 45 seconds from a lake or river and then dump
it on fires.
Vast swaths of Australia already are in drought as the nation
heads toward its summer months of December through February. That
has raised fears of a wildfire season similar or even worse than
last year's when fires burned over much of New South Wales state,
destroying scores of homes and scorching forests around the most
populous city, Sydney.
"Already in July and August, New South Wales, Queensland and
South Australia have had severe fires," Tuckey said.
Tuckey said the federal and state governments would try to
develop a long-term plan to fight fires from the air, including
sharing costs and resources.
"There is an obvious need for national arrangements to enable
any state to manage an above-normal fire load and to more
effectively share scarce resources to meet major fire outbreaks,"
he said.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[static]

lol i heard about that today whilst at the station. it will be good to see these helicopters again after they did so well last year with the christmas fires. :p

[smketer]

now how about sending some usfs and others down under?

Stay Safe,

[lutan1]

I love those machines! They sound absolutely incredible as they fly in to dump the water! ;) :)

[NJFFSA16]

Is the cooperative firefighting agreement a mutual type thing, where US FF's could assist "down under?"...Anyone know?

Australia braces for a summer of fires
CANBERRA, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Australia said on Monday it was
bracing for a summer fraught with fires after one of the driest
winters on record, and has plans to boost its aerial
firefighting fleet with three U.S. Sky Crane helicopters.
Officials are hoping to prevent a repeat of the ferocious
bushfires that circled Sydney, Australia's largest city, after
Christmas last year but some fear this season could be far
worse.
"Australia can expect, on all indications, an extremely
difficult and dangerous fire situation this year," Regional
Services Minister Wilson Tuckey told parliament, with the
bushfire season just a month away.
He said many forests were crackling with perfect fuel for
bushfires and the dry season was exacerbated by reduced access
to forests converted into reserves with no industry roads.
Tuckey said fire authorities had presented a long list of
recommendations to the government on how to prepare for the
summer, calling for a huge variety of aerial firefighting
craft.
He said the authorities recommended Australia hire three
giant U.S. Sky Crane helicopters, nicknamed Elvis, which can
dump 9,000 litres (1,980 gallons) or nine tonnes of water at a
time on to fires and were called in at the 11th hour last year.
He said the federal government had pledged to pay half of
the relocation and rental costs, up to a sum of A$5 million
(US$3 million), but the nation's six state governments and two
territories needed to match that amount. The helicopters cost
about A$30 million each to buy.
Last summer's fires, which consumed 770,000 hectares and
destroyed 109 houses around Sydney with a further 20,000 homes
saved, were among the worst ever seen -- even though last year
was normal in terms of temperatures and rainfall.
This year, over 80 percent of the most populous state, New
South Wales, is in the grip of a fierce drought and Sydney has
had its third-driest winter since records began in 1900.
Australia's most deadly fires swept through the states of
Victoria and New South Wales in 1983, killing 76 people.

[static]

to answer the question about ff's coming down under as far as i know it is possible and had happened in the past but we generally get resourses and help from other states within australia when the need arises. BUT if this fire season turns out to be as bad as its been predicted then im sure ill be seeing a few of you down here. It is quite comforting to know that you all wish to lend a hand when the time comes.

thanks :)

p.s. i will endevor to find out more the mutural agreement and ill get back to you all.

[NJFFSA16]

No word on the air tanker assaults!

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Some 70 wildfires burning across
Australia's most populous state were being brought under control
Monday as winds that fanned the flames over the weekend began to
ease, officials said.
The Rural Fire Service said volunteer firefighters and park
rangers had contained around half of the blazes that have burned
thousands of hectares (acres) of scrub and forest in New South
Wales state.
Fire Service spokesman Cameron Wade said firefighters were able
to get some fires under control after the strong winds that had
buffeted the state for days began to ease.
"The wind has been quite good today and in some cases it's
pushing the fire back onto itself," Wade said.
The largest fires were burning along the east coast, north and
south of Sydney, Wade said. No homes have been destroyed in the
latest fires to hit eastern Australia.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press