As the Mayor of Armidale Regional Council and also a long-time RFS volunteer, Simon Murray's knowledge about the critical role this region played in combating fires throughout a huge portion of the NSW is better than most.
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Cr Murray said during a prolonged and extensive fire season, the Armidale region had already supplied three and a half million litres of water for aerial firefighting throughout north-eastern NSW.
More than 1150 fixed-wing firefighting sorties and hundreds of helicopter flights were supplied with water at Armidale Regional Airport between September and January, to control multiple blazes between the Queensland border and Taree.
"Many Rural Fire Service and contract aircraft were based at the Armidale airport for several months," he said.
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"The contribution came at a time when the region's town water supplies were faced with an extreme shortage and town water customers were doing so much to curb their water consumption.
"This should be another source of great pride for local residents and businesses. Conservation efforts have done a great deal to prolong our water supplies, while we are also able to provide raw water which was instrumental in managing many, many fires."
Cr Murray said, in his opinion, aerial sorties, and the millions of litres of water supplied by this region had prevented further loss of property, livestock, wildlife and possibly lives.
He said council's recent upgrades to road and drainage infrastructure at the northern end of the airport, and additional RFS facilities at Shand Drive, were also heightening Armidale's role as a regional hub for bushfire and emergency services.
