Plans are under way to build a new airbase in West Wyalong.
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The Rural Fire Service in West Wyalong/Temora has teamed up with Bland Shire Council to put the plan into motion, which will see aircraft able to refuel and fill up with water to service fires in the area.
The plan will see four 40 foot tanks with a capacity to hold 200,000 liters of water, which can also be used to store equipment able to be loaded into firebombing aircraft for operation.
Brogan Murrie, Operations Officer for Bland/Temora RFS said while a lot of planning still needs to be done, it is set to be a great resource for the town and wider community.
“The airbase should be ready for next fire season. There is still a fair bit of work, but some of the existing infrastructure there will help out,” Mr Murrie said.
“It’s something we’ve been considering for a while, and now Bland Shire Council has made more land available and helped us out at the airport, it’s set to become a reality.”
General Manager of Bland Shire Ray Smith said he was proud to be involved in a project that will provide valuable support for the RFS.
The new facility will help the RFS combat fires like the blazes seen at the end of 2016, when bombing tankers were used to control the fires.
The fire ripped through more than 5500 hectares near West Wyalong, killing 600 sheep, destroyed $500,000 worth of crops and claimed numerous fences.
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Operational Officer for the MIA district Stephen Kada says it is comforting to know the new Airbase is close by, but says the MIA is still prepared.
“At this time it is quiet, but it’s only the end of January now so we have a couple months of warm weather left so we are not out of the woods,” he said.
There is a number of Air Bases throughout the MIA, including Hay, Hillston, Narrandera and the main one in Griffith.
Each of these Air Bases have infrastructure in place to mix and load retardant, gel or water into the aircraft.
“We use water bombers in the MIA quite often.”
“We have three fixed wing bombers based in Griffith, and while the new airbase in West Wyalong is not in our area however, it will be comforting to know another established airbase with state of the art infrastructure is close by just in case we ever need it.”