An amazing "eye-in-the-sky" helicopter is now being deployed over the ACT to spot the smallest fires so they can be extinguished before they spread beyond relatively easy control.
The Firebird 100 is equipped with six GPS devices plus ultra-sophisticated systems of cameras and lasers that can identify the exact position of a fire, down to a single tree in the deepest bush.
And it can relay that information live back to screens in control centres, giving instantaneous maps showing fires in relation to already burnt-out areas devoid of fuel and potential new fire areas.
The information can be relayed immediately to crews on the ground to give them an aerial view in otherwise confused situations.
The infra-red cameras can even detect patches of ground which are warm compared to nearby plots in shadow.
The aircraft has been hired by the ACT government's Emergency Services Agency for the bushfire season.
The aircraft can stay in the air for just over three hours but it can land a refuel wherever a tanker on the ground can reach.
The cost is more than $800,000 for the basic hire of the machine plus unspecified extra fees depending on usage. How long it stays in the ACT depends on how long the fire season lasts.
Fire chiefs said that it will be particularly useful when lightning strikes. The Emergency Services Agency can buy information about the broader region of the strikes, put the chopper up and then identify exactly where a tiny fire might have started.
It can give us the latitude and longitude which then allows us to determine the best strategy to combat the incident.
ACT RFS Acting Chief Officer Rohan Scott
"The high definition camera means we can accurately pinpoint where an incident is," said ACT RFS Acting Chief Officer, Rohan Scott.
"It can give us the latitude and longitude which then allows us to determine the best strategy to combat the incident, whether we drive vehicles in or whether we use our 'remote area fire team' which is a team of five or six firefighters who are winched in by helicopter."
An earlier version of the helicopter and its system was deployed in the ACT last year. Officers in the RFS said that it detected fires which were so remote that they wouldn't have been seen until the next day, by which time they would have taken much more effort and resource to control.
"We do know that seven of these fires were not reported by any other means," ACT ESA manager Steve Forbes said.
The ACT's Minister for Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman, said the helicopter was "an invaluable asset".
The cost had come out of the ESA's budget, but the minister couldn't put a top figure on it.
Mr Gentleman said his government was putting in place other measures "including recent recruitment of 20 new ACT Fire and Rescue firefighters" to counter what is expected to be a longer and tougher fire season.
The authorities are also look at other measures like more "strategic grazing" where cattle are used to clear fuel for fires.
"This is a timely reminder for all Canberrans to be bushfire ready," Mr Gentleman said.
