FIREFIGHTING

Bubblz (helicopter ER-MHH) is presently in western Turkey to provide aerial firefighting services during the northern hemisphere summer.

Bubblz got its name because it can suck up water into its Bambi Bucket and blow water/bubbles/foam onto wildfires to extinguish them.

Fire Fighting Equipment:

• HL5000 Bambi Bucket - 5000 litre capacity - fresh, salt or brackish water
• Torrentula Valve - multi drop + variable flow
• PowerFill pump system - bucket fills in 45 seconds from as little as 18 inch water source. Also able to pump fill bucket with retardant
• Sacksafoam Foam Injection
• 30m long line - enables bucket access to obscured water sources
• Hino 8 x 4 Jet-A1 fuel tanker - 18,000 litre capacity
• Long range internal fuel tanks (enables rapid response to position long distances under own power)
• Custom-built shipping rig for ocean freighting of helicopter (for long distance deployments)
• Spare dip-fill HL5000 Bambi Bucket

Video footage of Bubblz at work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq8DbitFXm0

2009 Firefighting - Turkey: 

Bubblz was shipped from Auckland, New Zealand to the port of Mersin, Turkey. From Mersin, Bubblz was road transported to Adana airport where it was reassembled and readied for flight. The helicopter was on contract to fight fires during the northern hemisphere summer (July - Oct 2009). The helicopter was flown and supported by its New Zealand crew in Turkey.

2009 Firefighting - VIC, Australia:

The severity of February's firestorms was such that we were called at short notice to provide assistance in VIC.  From receiving the call on the evening of Monday 09 February, the Heli Harvest team prepared the helicopter by fitting its long-range fuel tanks, loading the Bambi-Bucket, longline and all other ancilliary equipment to make the dash across the Tasman.  The helicopter departed Taupo the next afternoon.  We were on duty within four days of the call-up.

The flight route was Taupo - Ardmore - Kerikeri (overnight stop) - Norfolk Island - Lord Howe Island (overnight stop) - Taree, NSW - Moorabbin, VIC.

Fighting fires with helicopters in New Zealand:

Every year the issue of forest fires comes to the fore as warm temperatures and reduced rainfall over the summer months increases fire danger levels. Helicopters are an effective firefighting tool. They use under-slung buckets to drop water on the fire from above.

Fire-fighting - Tauranga, New Zealand In the summer of 1998-1999, we were called upon to fight forest fires in the Tauranga area.	Fire-fighting - Hatepe, New Zealand On Waitangi Day 2003, the Rural Fire Service requested our assistance to help in the fight against fire at Hatepe (just south of Taupo).
Fire-fighting - Nelson, New Zealand In December 2004, we provided aerial firefighting on a forest fire 30km south of Nelson.	Fire-fighting - Canvastown, New Zealand On 9, 10 and 11 March 2006, we provided aerial firefighting on a forest fire in a commercial block 1km east of Canvastown.