On that day

Said Bryan Rees, Manager Aviation Training & Safety of the State Aircraft Unit Victoria (SAUV), a joint unit combining the state’s Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to provide aviation resources for aerial fire fighting, fire fighting standards, procedures and training in Victoria. The State Air Desk is the deploying arm of the SAUV which prepares, deploys and monitors the aircraft involved in fire operations.

“After black Saturday we got the South Australian air crane as they didn’t have a threat immediately after the black Saturday fires so we were able to get their crane for a few days but it then had to go back because the state’s threat levels went up again in South Australia.”