Heliventures Fire Fighting in action
September 12, 2019
Helicopters have become an essential tool in firefighting and are used not only to fight the flames and reduce the potential spread of a fire, but also to transport equipment as well as workforce to the scene.
About 25 firefighters from Omarama, Kurow and Twizel rushed to the scene in Broken Hut Road, south of Omarama, after a fire erupted about when a large number of hay bales ignited.
However the Heliventures crew helping battle a two hectare blaze at Omarama were temporarily grounded due to reports of a drone being flown in the area.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman confirmed the helicopters were grounded for a short period following reports of a drone near the Broken Hut Road property.
The spokeswoman said no drone was able to be located and both helicopters were back operating as normal about 5pm.
Fire crews were "doing their best to get the fire under control"
in hot and windy conditions.
The helicopters go to the front alongside firefighters and tankers to fight the fire before it ravages everything in its path they are typically used at the edge of the fire to prevent expansion. If any smaller fires exist on the periphery, helicopters can also be used to extinguish them.
Helicopters accomplish their aerial work using equipment designed specifically for firefighting. There are several water bombing techniques. For example, there are two kinds of buckets that attach under the helicopter to dump the water on the fire. Depending on the size and power of the helicopter used, hundreds or even thousands of liters of water can be dropped on each pass. The pilot can fill the bucket either in a lake, a river, or even a pool, when the approach is safe.
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We have a crew of highly experienced pilots and ground crew who are passionate about the services Heliventures have to offer, in particular our agricultural services. Many of our staff have agricultural backgrounds which means they understand exactly what the farmer requires.
Heliventures NZ was engaged by Network Waitaki to string new power lines for Top Energy between Kaikohe and Ngawha substations near Kerikeri, Northland during June and July this year.
This is part of the Ngawha expansion programme to commission a new 31.5MW geothermal power station early next year.
Back in 2018 Heliventures pilot Matt Irving was working over in a mine in the Northern Territory of Australia when he received a call about two travellers stranded in rising flood waters. A local publican had gone down to the McArthur River to check the water level when he discovered the two men trapped on the roof of their vehicle. The two men had attempted to drive their camper van over a bridge to get to the nearby pub, but had stalled after driving into rising floodwaters on the Tablelands Highway. As the water level began to rise, they clambered up onto the roof of their camper van and had been trapped there for 24hours before being spotted. After the police were called, they contacted the mine to see if it had a helicopter available. Mr Irving was then contacted and asked if he could pull the rescue operation off. Matt and John Waerea, a member of the mine’s rescue team worked with the emergency services to plan the rescue. Mr Irving carefully manoeuvred his helicopter between trees and delicately hovered above the camper van. From there, Mr Waerea was able to jump on to the roof of the camper van that was being rocked by the fast flowing river.
Heliventures partnered with Broadspectrum and Kahu helicopters to perform a transmission tower replacement at the Craigieburn Cutting.
An update to let our valued clients know that we are remaining open for essential agricultural services and emergency work as per industry guidance. We will update however if this changes.
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The crew at Heliventures got to team up with Network Waitaki and OceanaGold Macraes recently to help with their power line planning.
Heliventures was able to offer aerial assistance during the planning and re-design of powerlines in the Frasers pit. The current supply conductors were relocated in order to to continue developing and maintaining services for Frasers underground activity.
Heliventures provides a number of pest control application services which aim to assist land managers in the protection of their land and native wildlife from Wallabies and various other types of pests.
The team at Trap and Trigger have perfected their thermal imaging systems which is ideal for aerial surveys. This technology is ideal for detecting animals that live in dense areas of the bush such as wallabies. This makes it possible to locate animals for removal or determine whether a species has been eradicated from an area.
Why a scenic flight in a helicopter should be on your bucket list?
Have you ever taken a private flight on on helicopter? Or has it always been on your list of things to try but you just havn't managed it yet? If no then why not? Taking a private helicopter flight should be on your bucket list, especially if you live in or are traveling in New Zealand.
If you're traveling in New Zealand and can't decide what should top your list of places to go then why not go to them all. With a Scenic flight you can explore some of the most unique landscapes and features of the Waitaki region.
On our Coastal route we will fly you along the beautiful and rugged Waitaki coastline where you can marvel at the ‘Global Must-See’ Moeraki Boulders. These are possibly some of the most photographed rocks and boulders in New Zealand!
Aerial views of the flooding in Gore. Parts of the Southland town was evacuated earlier this week as the Mataura River rose and heavy rain fell. The Eastern Southland town of Gore is in clean up mode after the River flooded causing part of the town to be evacuated on Wednesday 5th February.
Civil Defence and Southland District Council have a huge task ahead, as they try to contact hundreds of urban and rural residents in the aftermath of the week's flooding.