Porepunkah Airfield better prepared for future emergencies
Porepunkah Airfield, in Victoria’s Alpine region, now has a helipad funded by the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Program (BSBR) for better preparedness against bushfires and other emergencies.
Preparing Porepunkah Airfield for emergencies
The BSBR funding has enabled the installation of a concrete helipad at the Porepunkah Airfield that will improve emergency operations. For ambulance crews, having this helipad means they can get closer access to patients requiring evacuation and improve outcomes for them in medical emergencies.
In addition to medical evacuations, the pad will meet the needs of Forest Fire Management Victoria as a staging area for crew transport by air to remote emergencies, refuelling and as a base for aerial survey work.
At the opening in mid-September, Porepunkah Airfield Association Secretary, Owen Jourdian told local newspaper, The Alpine Observer that the new helipad provides a safe landing place for helicopters at all times of the year, whereas helicopters previously landing at the Airfield risked becoming bogged.
He said the helipad will help transfer ambulance patients to helicopters and is designed to handle heavy firefighting helicopters, and that it’s also been engineered to be strong enough for all sorts of uses.
Constructing the helipad has a range of benefits that includes increasing preparedness for disasters and emergencies plus medical evacuations, one of which occurred within 4 weeks after completion.
Beyond emergency preparedness
Beyond greater preparedness for when the next bushfire or flood strikes, the airfield attracts many aviation enthusiasts for gliding, para-gliding and radio-controlled model use. The airfield provides a place for social connectedness for these enthusiasts within and outside of the Porepunkah community and the new helipad will extend the aviation services further.
Porepunkah’s airfield and the new helipad are important for bushfire preparedness and as a community meeting place - it is anticipated that it will continue to be a well utilised piece of infrastructure for this Alpine shire.
BSBR funding will also upgrade the entrance to the airfield, including improved signage.
About this project
Who: Porepunkah Airfield Association What: Construction of a concrete helipad guided by CASA CAAP 92-2(2) requirements. Program Funding: Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program Funding received: $ 83,185 Benefits: Funding for this project has enabled the construction of a concrete helipad that provides safer landing conditions for air ambulance crew for all seasons and increases preparedness for disasters and emergencies plus medical evacuations. Estimated project end date: The project was completed in September 2022.
Other BSBR projects:
Workshops support Black Summer bushfire recovery | National Emergency Management Agency