Private copters emergency saviours | Courier Mail
LACK of air support has emerged as a key issue in the flood inquiry as a regional police officer revealed he relied on privately owned choppers on at least two occasion to do his job during the deluge.
The inquiry moved to Dalby yesterday to examine disaster management in the bush after thousands of residents suffered inundation on the Darling Downs in the dying days of 2010.
Blurred lines between police and emergency services boundaries were examined, along with problems with flood warning systems.
Farmer Glen Taylor, who lives outside the tiny town of Condamine, used the forum to blast bureaucracy which he believes has overburdened localised disaster management with petty rules.
"Regulation is just about choking all these people," he said.
The rift between city and country was also evident in the inquiry, as one police officer noted flood information was available on a website.
"We're not always on computers," declared a voice from the public gallery.
Police Sergeant Ben Wiltshire, officer in charge of the Miles police station, highlighted one of the most serious problems of regional flooding when he told of hitching rides on choppers to help out in the flood.
At 11am on December 30, he was phoned by a resident of Condamine who advised water was knee-deep in the pub and large parts of the town were in danger of inundation.
Sgt Wiltshire was told a chopper from M1 Helicopters in Roma had landed in Miles to refuel and asked if he could hitch a lift.
"I spoke with the manager, Peter Clatworthy, who approved travel to Condamine without charge," he said.
Sgt Wiltshire said without the generosity of Mr Clatworthy, the subsequent evacuation of the entire town of Condamine, which he helped manage, would have been more difficult and dangerous. During the evacuation he relied exclusively on private or military owned choppers, and could not communicate directly with the pilots nor issue instructions.On another occasion during the floods, Sgt Wiltshire said a privately owned chopper landed near him and the pilot walked over and advised him he had 20 minutes of fuel left if a chopper was needed for flood work. Sgt Wiltshire used the time to check on people in vulnerable areas.
"But it was just luck," he said.
Sgt Wiltshire said dedicated police choppers were needed to address the issue.
The inquiry resumes in Toowoomba next Wednesday.