Two helicopters have been approved to fight blazes for up to four hours after dark, providing they have also been fighting the same fire during daylight hours.

The trial will potentially extend the time each day that fires in the region, including Bendigo, Daylesford and Castlemaine, can be fought. 

Emergency Services Commissioner Andrew Crisp visited Ballarat airfield on Tuesday to announce the expansion of the trial which began last summer.

“Because of safety, it is not planned for these helicopters to fly on fires at night unless they have flown on those fires in the afternoon because you can understand the risks involved in flying at night. They will still be used very much in controlled environments over this upcoming summer,” Mr Crisp said.

“Night crews will need to complete reconnaissance flights during the afternoon before water bombing flights during the night. The water bombing helicopter will work with a tactical helicopter which will provide support through direction and intelligence.

The second phase of the trial, based in Ballarat, will determine how night fire-bombing can be integrated in to existing control arrangements and build capability and confidence in operating aircraft after dark using night vision technology.

The trial comes amid an early start to the fire season and a 5-day conference in Bendigo and Castlemaine that aims to hone the skills of bushfire investigators.

Read more: CFA survey shows people underestimate fire risk

“The trial is safety focused and builds on the successful work done in Ballarat during the 2017-18 summer season,” Mr Crisp said.

“The trial includes a range of training scenarios and flights which demonstrate the capability at night to hover above a water source to fill the aircraft before dropping water on a range of targets including fires at designated locations.”

Two water bombing helicopters and two observation helicopters will be part of the trial, with other aircraft also based at Ballarat throughout what is expected to be a high fire risk summer.

“If we can do this effectively, it will give us much greater capability to work with crews on the ground at night time. We’ve heard time again from ground crews that it would be great if the helicopters could fly another couple of hours, and in this phase of the project we will be able to do that,” Mr Crisp said.

“The first phase there were no real surprises … because it’s been so controlled, just flying at night, with very experienced pilots who have been doing that in different settings and different environments for a number of years.”

The night water bombing trial will also run from Mangalore airfield, south of Nagambie.

Fire bombing project operational lead Wayne Rigg said night operations were an important addition to the state’s bushfire fighting capabilities.

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“The aircraft will be available to respond to any fire as long as they can get there and do a daytime recce so they understand where hazards and water supplies are and our crews can, when they go over to night vision goggles, know the landscape they are flying around.”

Dispatch of the aircraft to fires across the state will be determined by the state response controller.

Night firebombing will occur on actual fires where it can add value to fire operations, or in circumstances where the experience can help build or improve the night firebombing capability.

“If a fire starts after dark we will not be bombing that fire. We need to have been on it during daytime so we understand what the hazards are,” Mr Rigg said.

“This is another tool in the toolbox and aircraft are tools in the toolbox no matter whether it’s day or night. Ground crew are the ones who do the hard work to put fires out, but to give them the ability to go in to the night and help try and smash some fires out with night time operations is a key advantage,” Mr Rigg said.

Emergency Management Victoria is partnering with the CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria on the trial, with agencies from across the country also on board and keenly watching the outcome of the Victorian trial.

The outcome of this next phase of the trial will guide the future use of night-time aerial fire-bombing operations in Victoria.

“We’ve got pilots from military backgrounds, police and medical backgrounds who bring a range of experiences with them in to the night environment, then put in to that the fire environment at night and risks around low-level hazards, towers, trees, wires it’s no different to day operations int hat they have a very systematic approach how to go about it and make safety first.

“There are extensive checklists to make sure they satisfy all requirements before they fly. If they do not they will stay on the ground. There will be times during weather or extreme conditions or safety that we will simply have to shut down, which is no different to what we do in the day.”

Pilot Richard Butterworth is one of five from Kestrel Aviation, and similar numbers from Professional Helicopter Services and Coulson Aviation, who will take part in the summer night trial.

“Last season was about achieving the key objectives, to establish our initial operational capability and seek regulatory approval. Now we are developing capability leading in to summer with extensive training,” he said.

Mr Butterworth has flown using night vision goggles for 22 years with 15 years in the military and time flying emergency medical helicopters.

“Night vision goggles allow you to see at night, but there’s a misconception they turn night in to day. They perform differently under different conditions. They magnify light, they don’t see heat, which allows us to interpret terrain and see obstacles to a degree at night and position the helicopter safely to deliver its payload.”

The aircraft involved in the trial are among 49 contracted helicopters and fixed wing aircraft on fire duties over summer, with a further 100 aircraft that can be called on if needed.

Mr Crisp said the heavy hitters of aerial firefighting – the large air tanker and two air cranes – were scheduled to arrive in Victoria in the last week of November and first week of December.

These aircraft are currently involved in the firefight in California where the worst wildfires in the state’s history have killed dozens of people, forced up to 300,000 people to flee their houses and decimated thousands of homes.

“We have asked whether the California fires will delay their arrival but at this stage they are still sticking to the dates they’ve provided,” Mr Crisp said.

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The air tanker will be based at Avalon, and the air cranes at Moorabbin and Essendon. There are three air tankers already in NSW which may be called on if needed in Victoria.District 15 operations officer Brett Boatman said the hot start to the fire danger period in Ballarat, Moorabool and Hepburn shires was a taste of things to come.

“The fire danger periods are in place a few weeks ahead of where they usually are. Things may seem green in patches but on hot, windy days like we’ve been experiencing … things will dry out quickly. In the next few weeks we expect grasslands to be 100 per cent cured, and forests are already dry.”

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