Victoria ready for horror Summer with record firefighting arsenal

Victorian emergency services will use a record-high number of aircraft to combat the state’s upcoming bushfire season.

Victoria will use a record-high number of aircraft to combat the state’s upcoming bushfire season. Picture: AAP

Victorian fire and emergency services will use a record-high number of aircraft to combat the state’s upcoming bushfire season.

Authorities on Wednesday warned of a long, hot summer with high bushfire risk in the east of the sate.

Areas of East Gippsland remain incredibly dry — along with parts of Victoria’s North West — with the CFA this week issuing fire restrictions in the Gippsland region.

It is only the second time fire restrictions have been called this early in Victoria.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Lisa Neville said 50 helicopters and planes across the state would be used to battle fires including a mix of water bombers, air supervision and air intelligence gathering craft.

The fleet will include two large air tankers and two air cranes at the ready throughout the season.

There will also be a surge capacity of up to 100 aircraft, which can be called on when needed.

Overnight waterbombing helicopters will again be deployed following successful trials last summer.

“Obviously (we’ve) seen in parts of Queensland and NSW how ferocious those fires have been and how early they’ve been,” Ms Neville said.

“So Victoria has to be as ready as possible and planned as possible — particularly in light of having to work potentially closely with the other states who may face bushfires as well is really critical.”

The next few months are expected to provide below average rainfall and hotter conditions according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with the warmer weather expected to reach Victoria this week.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp stressed the importance for Victorians to begin their preparations in light of the warmer conditions.

“In some parts of the state it is already dry … so, we’ve got to start thinking about our preparedness,” Mr Crisp said.

Both NSW and Queensland have seen massive bushfires only weeks into the fire season, with blazes razing homes and more than 100,000 hectares of land. Heatwaves, thunderstorm asthma and drownings are also a concern during the season.

Last summer was Victoria’s hottest summer on record.

Additional reporting: AAP