Burnside fire climax of summer operations

Aftermath on Monday morning of the Burnside fire. Photo: Gregor Richardson
Aftermath on Monday morning of the Burnside fire. Photo: Gregor Richardson
The two Otago Regional Rescue Helicopters had a very busy time over the summer period, undertaking 85 missions in December and 87 in January.

With the extended period of hot and dry weather, January had everyone on edge. 

The fire risk was extreme and  Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz), which controls the national response to fires, requested  a BK117 helicopter, equipped with a monsoon bucket to be on stand-by (pushed out on our helipad,  ready to go). 

The foresight paid off, as about 5pm on January 31, the call came and we were tasked to the Burnside fire.

With strong winds, we knew this fire was going to be a challenge. 

We sent six helicopters with monsoon buckets, capable of dropping more than 1 tonne (1000 litres) of water each load.

Six helicopters all flying low level, reasonably close to each other and all refilling from the only two water resources available requires some serious organisation, management and skill.When more than three helicopters are working on a fire, it is a national requirement to establish an "aerial observation platform". 

This is a helicopter which circles and hovers above all the other helicopters and carries on-board the Fenz fire attack controller. It is his task to control and direct both the aerial and ground resources as necessary. From his vantage point well above the scene, the controller observes the whole area and also watches the fire’s behaviour. 

It was from this aerial platform that the spot fires were noticed across the motorway in Concord. With the early detection of these small fires the controller can direct an immediate response to extinguish these fires, which were a threat to many homes. Our seventh helicopter was used as the aerial observation platform.

Both Otago Regional Rescue Helicopters were also on stand-by at Taieri airfield should there have been a need for any aerial evacuations.By dark, the threat to homes was over and the fire was contained. 

It was a huge effort by all pilots, ground crew, police, Fenz and its firefighters, all working together with such dedication. Without such a co-ordinated response, the people of Burnside and Concord could have suffered some major devastation.

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