CFS Aerial Firefighting Capability

CFS has developed an aerial firefighting capability which includes a fleet of aircraft, trained and skilled pilots and aircrews, volunteer airbase support personnel, and associated supporting fixed and mobile infrastructure.

The support tasks provided by aircraft and aircrew personnel during bushfire suppression operations in South Australia include:

Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance  – The gathering of bushfire intelligence information (including mapping) that may be utilised by incident management teams for planning purposes and the development of public safety information and/or emergency warnings.

Supervision and Command – The coordination and control of firebombing aircraft, including the implementation of strategies and tactics and the monitoring of their effectiveness and efficiency. 

Firebombing – The aerial delivery of water and aerial firefighting products to reduce a bushfire's intensity or slow its spread in support of ground firefighting suppression operations. 

Aerial Ignition – The ignition of vegetation fuels (to assist back-burning or burning out operations) by the dropping of incendiary devices or materials from an aircraft (e.g. aerial drip torch or aerial incendiary device). 

Crew Transport – The transport of incident management, firefighting personnel and/or equipment by aircraft.