Fire in the forest

Firefighting helicopters come in when things are really burning

A huge forest fire scenario was practiced by the flight service of the provincial fire brigade association with police and army forces.

(Bild: BFK WT / Stefan Mayer)

In fire disasters like the one on the Rax, the fire is also fought from the air. Police and army helicopters have now been used to tackle a catastrophic forest fire scenario in the Waldviertel.

A small fire near a high-voltage power line on the way to the Predigtstuhl, which is a local recreation area in the district of Waidhofen an der Thaya. The fire department is called out. However, when they arrive, a huge area of the largest regional hill is already on fire. More than 3000 hectares (!) of contiguous forest are under threat.

Just the right disaster scenario for the regional fire department's aerial service. Because when water shortages, storms and flying sparks encourage forest fires, air units are needed - like in 2021 on the Rax, where the day-long blaze destroyed over 100 hectares.

250 emergency crews, tens of thousands of liters of water
Around 250 helpers therefore practiced the disaster scenario with strong air support. Coordination and communication were practiced in particular between ground and air forces - including the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence. A delicacy: normal helicopters transport 550-liter extinguishing water containers by rope. The Black Hawk, on the other hand, flies with 3000 liters to extinguish the fire.