Through Natural Hazards Research Australia, the AFAC National Aerial Firefighting Centre is progressing research to understand how aircraft for firefighting are used in Australia, and where they are most effective based on a range of conditions.
The Why Fly? Assessing the effectiveness of aerial firefighting research project will include both an analysis of data contained in the Arena database, along with carefully chosen case studies that will demonstrate operational decision-making complexities that are not always immediately apparent.
This analysis will consider aerial platforms according to their efficacy (the ability of a system to meet the particular objective), and reliability (the probability that the system performs as required) across different contexts.
This project will provide a knowledge-base to:
- justify the use of resources
- inform future funding requests
- improve operational decisions.
With better information, fire authorities can obtain and deploy the most suitable aerial firefighting aircraft based on the operating environment and the task at hand.
The analysis of the data will also reveal information gaps in reporting, how SOPs might be improved, and help to create a lasting national database that can be applied to risk mitigation models. More information about the Why Fly? Research Project is available at the Natural Hazards Research Australia website: www.naturalhazards.com.au/research/research-projects/why-fly-assessing-effectiveness-aerial-firefighting