Woronora River Rural Fire Service use high-tech boats
Firies are using high-tech boats south of Sydney to bolster firefighting efforts in catastrophic conditons.
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High tech boats at NSW’s most scenic rural fire brigade are out on the water as part of firefighting efforts in catastrophic conditions.
Woronora River Rural Fire Service brigade captain Mitch Giles said their firefighting boats could take on blazes anywhere from Sydney’s south to southwest by river.
“Here in the river valley we have 80-odd houses which have no road access so we use the boat to provide the first response,” Mr Giles said.
“We usually take the boat out then go on foot, on land.”
The new prototype carries all the same equipment as a fire truck and the cabin can be lowered so the boat can travel under bridges.
“Water is very different from land, when a boat is in trouble it doesn’t have a street address, you just have to find it,” Mr Giles said.
“We never run out of water but we do have to dodge the sandbars.”
The boat previously took firefighters to assist with significant fires in Sandy Point in April 2018.
The in-built radar view allows firefighters to see people even when there is low visibility due to fire conditions.