Fire and Other Emergencies

Locating Wildfires

Early detection of wildfires is vital in restricting their spread. The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) detects wildfires using a range of methods. These include spotters in fire towers, detection aircraft, observation by its employees in their normal management of parks and forests, reports from the public and reports initially made to other agencies such as the Country Fire Authority (CFA).

Fire Spotting Towers

Fire Spotting Towers are one of the best means of detecting fires in remote areas. DSE operates an extensive network of fire spotting towers. Towers are located strategically around the State to ensure maximum coverage of Victoria’s parks and forests. These lookouts are staffed during the fire season for varying periods depending on the fire danger index, the likelihood of lightning storms and the presence of going fires. Co-operative arrangements are in place for towers operated by other bodies or where towers are located within another agency's building.

Locations of Fire Spotting Towers in DSE regions in Victoria

Gippsland	South West	North East	North West	East Port Phillip
Maramingo Hill	Mt Arapiles	Mt Mittamatite	West of England	Egg Rock
Mt Waldron	Reeds Lookout	Mt Benambra	Fryers Ridge	Mt Beenak
Mt Bemm (Mt Cann)	Big Hill	Mt Granya	Mt Tarrengower
Mt Raymond	Mt Bepcha	Mt Hotham	One Tree Hill
Mt Buck	Yannac	Mt Porepunkah	Growlers Hill
Mt Delegate	Mt Dundas	Mt Stanley	Mt Brennanah
Mt Nowa Nowa	Annya	Mt Pilot	Mt Ida
Mt Seldom Seen	Balrook	Mt Despair
Mt McLeod	Mt Clay	Pretty Sally Hill
Mt Tara	Chetwynd	Mt Hickey
Mt Little Dick	Corndale	Mt Gordon
Mt Sugarloaf	Peters Hill	Mt Terrible
Mt Sam (Sam Hill)	Crowes Lookout	Eildon
Mt Nugong	Mt Sabine	Mt Buller
Pinnacles	Mt Cowley	Lurg
Mt Moornapa	Mt Porndon	Mt Wombat
Mt Useful	CherryTree Hill
Blackwarry Tower	Mt Lonarch
Mt Tanjil	Mt Bunninyong
Mt Torrongo	Ben Nevis
Mt Matlock	Mt Hollowback
	Mt Anakie
	Mt Blackwood
	Blue Mount
	Mt Macedon
	Mt Franklin

Aerial Fire Detection

Aircraft are used for a variety of purposes in fire management, including fire detection or reconnaissance. Aircraft are dispatched with a pilot and an air observer (fire spotter) during times of high fire danger, after lightning storms or in response to reports of smoke.

Aerial Fire Detection or reconnaissance is the inspection of an area to locate possible wildfires or to monitor wildfire conditions. Aerial Detection using light helicopters or light fixed wing aircraft such as the Cessna 182 can be used to complement DSE’s network of fire towers, providing a cost-effective means of fire detection.

Each summer, DSE contracts a number of aircraft to perform these tasks on both public and, in conjunction with the CFA, on private land. In addition, several local privately-owned aircraft are also hired on a casual basis to assist in fire detection and reconnaissance.

For more information see Aerial Mapping Systems