Backup for fire comes from on high

The pilot of an Airbus AS350 helicopter water bomber, Mr Karis is one of several pilots based at Shepparton Airport as part of a contract between Microflite and the Victorian Government.

Mr Karis and his colleagues are based in Shepparton on a 12- to 14-week contract and rotate in on a 10-day roster.

Their zone of responsibility includes the area between Cobram in the north, Echuca and Rochester to the west, Dookie to the east and near Euroa in the south.

Should a fire break out, Mr Karis will be up in the air and responding within 15 minutes.

He and his fellow pilots work a pre-determined despatch system in which they fly straight to the fire and make contact with the fire crew, who then decide if the water bomber is needed.

So far this season Mr Karis has been called to three fires, including one at Barmah that was caused by lightning.

His helicopter can carry 1000 litres of water.

Asked where he would source water, Mr Karis said basically anywhere.

“Any suitable access point as close to the fire as possible,” he said.

“A lot of the channels in the area we can access quite comfortably. Alternatively, we can possibly access private or public dams.”

Despite the tumultuous weather the region has been experiencing, Mr Karis is cautiously optimistic that this fire season might not be too bad.

“(It’s) pretty quiet, the forecast is for a mild season,” he said.

He said as the temperature approaches 40 degrees, “the ground can dry out quickly. The higher risk is for grassfires”.

During winter Mr Karis’s helicopter is based at Moorabbin Airport.