BAY OF PLENTY FORESTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 99, 26 February 1947, Page 5

BAY OF PLENTY FORESTS

FIGHTING FIRES FROM THE AIR R.N.Z.A.F. NEW ROLE Three aircraft of the R.N.Z.A.F. with their pilots and ground crews are being used by the State Forest Service to assist in fire fighting this year. This Air Force unit is known as the State Forest Air Patrol and is stationed at the Rotorua Aerodrome.

The unit is commanded by Flight Lieutenant H. M. Eccersail, ' who served as a fighter pilot in the Pacific during the war and as an instructor in New Zealand. The other pilot, Flight Lieutenant M. Scannel also served in the Pacific and completed four tours of operations.

Last year aircraft were used with success during the Taupo fires and this summer they will form a very important part of the fire-fighting organisation in the Rotorua-Taupo areas. Within these boundaries there are approximately 560,000 acres of forest of which 230,000 acres are owned by the State. As each summer passes the trees advance another year towards maturity and their increased value makes fire detection and control more and more important. New Zealand’s exotic forest now represents enormous wealth and the regular use of aircraft for their protection is an important advance in fire fighting methods. How Aircraft Operate

The pilots of the air patrol do not work to a set schedule but are on call at any time of the day. The Forest Service has look-outs on all prominent hilltops with views covering thousands of acres and the observers can cover most of the forest area with their binoculars.

Immediately smoke is seen they communicate by radio with the State Forest headquarters at Kaingaroa and their regional office in Rotorua. This information is then relayed to the Air Patrol which flies over the area with a Forestry Department Officer as observer. The average time taken by the R.N.Z.A.F ground crew to get the machine ready for the take off is under 10 minutes. Planes are also called upon to patrol during dangerous dry periods and when visibility is poor for the ground observers. ' The aircraft carry radios tuned to the same frequency as those of the headquarters at Rotorua and Kaingaroa, the hill spotters, and fire fighters on the ground. The fire fighters carry portable radios. This radio link-up is the most valuable part of the fire fighting equipment as it saves hours on the old communication system, and time saved means thousands of pounds worth of timber saved. The radio operators at Kaingaroa, Mr H. Woods, and Mr D. Bryce an ex R.N.Z.A.F. officer, work in shifts to receive calls day or night. The advantages of aerial observation of forest fires are numerous.. From the air the extent of a fire can be clearly seen and the number of men needed to check it can be reported to the stations on the ground. The forestry officer in the plane is familiar with the 530 miles of roading and 200 miles of fire breaks in the forest area and he can direct the fire fighters on the ground to the exact locality of the fire; his vertical view enables him to pin-point the fire to the nearest road or fire break. Furthermore, he can sometimes see who or what caused the fire..He can cover vast areas in a few minutes and detect fresh outbreaks in the forest and in areas of scrub beyond. While fires are being fought he can keep the men on the ground informed of their progress and direct them to the most effective points of control.

Mr F. J. Perrin, the conservator of forests at Rotorua, acts as observer with the Air Patrol when possible and he has many flying hours to his credit. With summer weather making fire risk great Air Patrol has been called upon to fly many “sorties” already. “Scrub fires, which are regarded as of no importance by the ordinary camper or picnicker,” said Mr Perrin, “are our biggest trouble at the moment as they easily spread to the forest where the damage is done. Now that the critical period is here I would like to emphasise that no matter what machinery we have at our command, and what precautions we take, it is up to the public to see that fires do not start.”