CFA Victoria prepare for bushfire season with improved aircraft technology

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Victoria's aerial firefighting fleet is ready to take flight ahead of what's expected to be a hotter than usual summer. But as the state government spruiks the state-of-the-art technology, some regional CFA brigades say under-resourcing on the ground is creating safety problems.

Transcript

00:00Ready to fight fires from the sky.

00:05Victoria's aerial firefighting fleet includes two new fixed-wing aircraft with improved technology

00:11to enable better decision-making ahead of a hot summer.

00:16We've got aircraft that are able to go over fires and have really good mapping capability

00:20to help us understand exactly what needs to be done when we need to defend communities from fires.

00:26This summer, firefighters are concerned about areas that have endured long, dry spells,

00:32including much of the west and southwest of the state, large swathes of the Gippsland region and the Mallee.

00:38Last Thursday and Friday we saw 70 grass and scrub fires across Victoria, in all parts of Victoria,

00:45not just those areas that run under extreme or high fire danger.

00:4954 aircraft make up this year's aerial fleet, including 15 aircraft which are based in Victoria's

00:55regions and started their service last month, and more than 100 aircraft available on request

01:01from the national fleet.

01:04But on the ground, CFA volunteers say their equipment is outdated.

01:08Ned Jeffery drives a decades-old truck.

01:11It doesn't have any of the technology. It doesn't even have a tape deck in it.

01:14It's got the old FM radio where you push it and it jumps across.

01:18He says his brigade in northeast Victoria is losing volunteers over safety concerns.

01:22Our brigade has basically dwindled to no people because no-one wants to risk their own lives

01:29turning out in a truck that's that old.

01:31The state government says it's ready for summer and is urging residents to help by readying themselves.

01:36We have got incredible people on the ground, in the air, defending us.

01:40We also need to take responsibility ourselves, make sure we've got our fire plan.

01:44A Victorian government spokesperson says the state's investing nearly $2 billion into emergency services this year

01:51for more stations, trucks and equipment.

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