NSW bush fire fighting resources have been boosted with the arrival of the first of the State’s two Air Crane heavy firefighting helicopters, ‘Isabelle’.

The Air Cranes had only arrived in Australia in the past few days, with Isabelle quickly assembled in Melbourne before heading to Sydney to add its capability to the fire fighting effort.

The Air Crane will be put straight to work fighting fires wherever it is needed. A second Air Crane will arrive early next month.

The Air Cranes, imported from the USA and to be based at Bankstown Airport, will again be an integral part of the State’s bush fire fighting efforts this summer, supporting the hard work of our firefighters on the ground.

Carrying up to 9,000 litres of water, the Air-Cranes are especially useful along the urban bushland interface in populated areas like Greater Sydney. They can drop a large amount of water in a short time, reducing the intensity of fires and helping firefighters to control the flames.

This will be the eighth bush fire season in which we have used an Air Crane like Isabelle - essentially the same type of aircraft as the well-known Elvis.

The cost of standing charges for the Air Cranes will be jointly met by the NSW and Commonwealth governments. NSW will meet the operational costs – the hourly rate charged when the helicopter actually flies.

In addition to the two Air Cranes, the RFS would have access to more than 120 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters this summer.

The State Government has increased RFS aerial fire resources with a $6 million boost this summer to deploy additional aircraft to the State’s north, south and Greater Sydney regions.

The extra aircraft will be used for rapid aerial attack, reconnaissance and firespotting and to deploy Remote Area Firefighting Teams to inaccessible locations.

The Air Cranes, are in addition to more than 100 other aircraft available across the State, during bush fires.

The threat of fire to homes on the bush-urban fringe is very dangerous in the current conditions and people should call Triple Zero (000) if they feel their life is in danger.