Busselton SES – LAT Support Operations
With the scorching weather has disappearing Busselton SES Volunteers are back to sweaters and track pants and the only kind of fire they want you see is the warm pot belly in the family room.
And now its time to reflect and review of the SES Large Air Tanker support operation conducted last summer, or as they like to call it the “DFES Weight Loss Challenge”.
So here is some statics on the operation:
- Number of LAT missions flown: 113 over 20 incidents.
- Number of LAT crew on airport duty for 130 days: 19
- Amount of retardant dropped onto fire ground sites: 1,521,320 litres.
- Hottest temp recorded at the airport (tarmac level): 46.23 degrees.
- Number of babies born to members of LAT crew during summer: 1
- Number of Christmas day beers not drunk: unknown (many)
- Approximately 1,275 litres of water and Gatorade drunk.
- Whiteboard pens that got lost we thank you for your service.
- Number of phone calls and texts sent: 238 after that we lost count.
- Number of birthdays had for LAT crew: 2
- Number of man hours spent by crew and support staff: 675.45
- Number of tanti’s had by duty officer: impossible to determine.
We thank all the employers of the SES Volunteer LAT crew for being amazing during the last fire season, somewhere good days others were bigger than Ben Hur. We also of course appreciate the family members and the support network of the team during what turned out to be one of the biggest seasons we have had, and the Crew for their amazing dedication to the service, attitude and humour, teamwork and just being you!!
Busselton SES Team Orange (during summer Team Pink with retardant stains).
SESVA President Greg Cook” We congratulate the Busselton SES Unit on the commitment and dedication and hard work during this firefighting support operations”. He also said” Each SES Volunteer and their support networks are commended on this effort during these large and extended operations”.
