Queensland Fire Department (QFD) has secured an extension to the contract of its Large Air Tanker aircraft until the end of the 2026-27 fire season, with four additional services also made available until the end of the 2028-29 bushfire risk period.
In its final report, the safety watchdog found that the crash of the Rockwell 695A Jetprop Commander light aircraft, registered VH-HPY, on 4 November 2023 was likely due to pilot hypoxia from a faulty pressurisation system of which operator AGAIR had b…
The Queensland-based firm plans to use the Transall C-160 fixed-wing aircraft, which can safely land on small regional airstrips for refilling, to bolster its aerial firefighting capabilities in remote and rugged locations. It aims to have all three op…
This season has seen around 3,000 drops by both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, up from 1,399 hours in the previous period, which the state government has attributed to longer and larger fire incidents.
Greg Mullins argued countries would be unwilling to lend Australia its aircraft if its own fire season lasted all year round, rather than just confined to the summer months.
The announcement of the industrial action was overshadowed by a row over ‘leaked documents’ obtained by the firefighters union, which apparently showed travellers were at high risk. Airservices Australia, which oversees airport firefighting, responded …
The action by the United Firefighters Union of Australia (UFUA), which will take place during the Easter school holidays, comes after more than 90 per cent of members in a ballot this week voted for future action over claims of understaffing.
More than 90 per cent of UFUA members voted for future industrial action, demanding “minimum international staffing levels for safety, better fatigue management, and fair pay rises for emergency workers” as part of enterprise negotiations. Airservices …
The industrial action, which if approved could begin on Thursday 28 March just before Easter, would involve “withdrawal of nation-wide rescue and firefighting services for up to three hours and full work stoppages”, the United Firefighters Union of Aus…