Project Leader Jim Gould, Ensis (the joint forces of CSIRO & SCION)

Considerable attention has been given in recent years to aerial suppression programs as a result of rising suppression costs, limited budgets and the general interest of the public and media in the use of large water-bombing aircraft.

The Bushfire CRC’s suppression project investigates the effectiveness of aerial fire bombing for suppressing bushfires. CRC’s objective in this project is to help fire agencies to optimise the effectiveness and efficiency of aircraft use in fire fighting operations.

To reach this objective the project will produce guidelines that identify the most effective combination of suppression resources for minimising the impacts of wildfires. This data collection involves direct measurement of fire bombing effectiveness in the field as well as surveys and interviews with operational personnel from both ground and air attack crews.

The outcomes of the project will see the production of guidelines that identify the most effective combination of suppression resources for minimising the impacts of wildfires.