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Source: Reuters
A modified passenger plane that can douse a bushfire in one hit
will take to Victoria's skies this summer but authorities aren't
convinced it can prevent another Black Saturday.
The US DC-10-30 aircraft arrived in Melbourne on Monday and will be
ready for deployment in early January under a $10 million
Australian-first trial.
But it may not necessarily deliver value for money, with the
Victorian government still unsure how it will adapt to Australian
conditions.
"We've never seen one of these very large tankers used before. I
think it's fair to say that there's mixed views about their
appropriateness in an Australian setting," Premier John Brumby
said.
"Given the circumstances we've been through I think the vast
majority of Victorians would say that this is an investment that's
worth making, worth testing, worth trialling to protect human life
and protect property."
The government was criticised earlier this year for rejecting the
offer of two massive Russian water-bombing planes days after 173
people died in the Black Saturday fires.
At the time Brumby said the planes were unsuitable to operate in
Victorian terrain.
The DC-10-30 has completed 300 water drops in the US in similar
environments to Victoria.
The plane, which is a modified passenger carrier, can hold up to
45,000 litres of water or fire retardant - eight times more than
smaller water bombers.
It can make a fire break 1.2km long by 30 metres wide in a single
drop.
The plane will cost up to $10 million to lease and operate through
to March with the option of being extended on a needs basis.
The federal government has contributed $500,000 to evaluate the
plane's performance, which will determine whether it returns next
summer.
Brumby described the outlay as an insurance policy for the
state.
"This gives us a better armory I think than we've ever had
before.
"The beauty of this is that it can land, it can refill, it can be
back on the job in half an hour."
US flight engineer Brad Pace has completed more than 100 drops,
mostly in the US state of California, and said the aircraft had
saved whole communities.
"That's what I love, when somebody comes up and says thanks for
saving my home," he said.
The extra artillery comes as the Wimmera region in western Victoria
faces an extreme fire warning on Wednesday with temperatures in the
low 40s and winds of 35-40km/h with the potential for
lightning.
Country Fire Authority Russell Rees says it would only take a
slight change in the forecast for conditions to become Code Red
(catastrophic).
