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Air tractor Fire boss

Air Tractor Fire Boss: How An Air Attack Can Fight Fires

In Australia, bushfires can be a terrifying reality. It’s vital to our survival that we have the firefighting services necessary to keep bushfires at bay. Aircraft firefighting services in Australia are an invaluable aid in the firefighting industry. At Kennedy Air, we’re proud to partner with government and volunteer firefighting services to help provide an air attack on fires whenever necessary.

An air attack is when a fire is attacked by planes (like the air tactor fire boss) using several different methods of firefighting. At Kennedy Air, we use standard planes as well as helicopters to aid us in our firefighting efforts. Helicopters typically dump water onto fires from the air. This is an ideal method in remote areas that have access to a large body of water. Helicopters that are designed for firefighting with an air attack can fill up at a local body of water, such as a lake, river, or ocean, and then dump the water directly onto the fire from the air. Advanced technology in the helicopter allows an experienced pilot to make informed, educated decisions about the perfect altitude to drop the water.

Standard aeroplanes can also be a great asset during an air attack. Many aeroplanes fight fires using chemical suppression methods. This means dumping chemicals that stop the fire’s ability to grow from the air onto the fire. Chemical fire suppression works in two ways: first, it stops the fire from moving any further. Secondly, it puts out the existing fire. This combination, especially when mixed with water bombing from a helicopter, creates an air attack that can put out any fire.

 

While planes and helicopters are conducting aerial spraying, they can also survey the land from a unique viewpoint to understand more about where the fire is going to go. From the ground, it can be tough to tell how far a fire has spread, or which direction it’s moving. Firefighters on the ground may struggle to communicate with one another in a way that lets them figure out which way a fire is headed. For firefighters in the air, there’s no question as to how fast a fire is growing and where it’s about to go. This allows aerial spraying to take place not only over the fire but also onto the area to which the fire is headed.

If you’re a part of a government, volunteer, or private agency that works to help Australia stop bushfires, and you want to find aircraft firefighting services in Australia; we want to work with you. Call Kennedy Air today to learn more about our air attack fire extinguishing and prevention services.

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