Australian Fire Fighting Contracts - HAA response
An interesting news item in The Australian newspaper, Friday 27 October 2006. What do you think about this debate? What is the HAA's role in this issue?
Article reads:
Imports get a bucketing
By Steve Creedy
Emergencies
As the nation braces for a horror bushfire season, fire services have been accused of importing helicopters while local operators send their machines offshore to find enough work to survive.
The Helicopter Association of Australasia is angry that $800,000 is being spent to import just one helicopter for the NSW Fire Service, and says the situation is similar in other states.
It claims that while this is happening, Australian helicopter operators are sending their expertise offshore to find work to survive.
And it says there needs to be more consultation between the industry and firefighting services over a range of issues.
“Our helicopter industry is geared to fight fires,'' said HAA president Rosemarie McRae. “There are Australian operators with every state and territory with helicopters capable of fighting the fires. So why are we bringing in foreign aircraft and leaving ours sitting on the ground?”
'
Ms McRae said it was critical that aerial firefighters were familiar with Australian rules and regulations. She said the nation had a highly trained and capable industry able to provide big fire-attack helicopters with similar capabilities to the Elvis air-cranes.
The NSW Rural Fire Service did not consult with the industry and a consultative committee needed to be set up to remedy the problem. “What about the economic ramifications to the Australian industry, including pilots, engineers, ground and air crew?”' she said.
NSW Rural Fire Service spokesman Cameron Wade said federal authorities, and not the RFS, handled contracts for overseas machines. “It's nothing to do with us” Mr Wade said. “We're actually given the aircraft we're told we're to have.”
National Aerial Firefighting Centre manager Richard Alder denied claims there were Australian machines that could lift as much water as an air-crane. The NAFC is responsible for letting contracts for bigger helicopters and, where necessary, importing them.
Mr Alder said Australian companies were involved in importing helicopters and the HAA had made no attempt to contact his organisation. He said the NAFC put its contracts out for public tender and picked the solution that offered the best value for money.
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