{"id":4690,"date":"2021-10-08T21:24:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T13:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/?p=4690"},"modified":"2022-11-14T20:04:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T12:04:32","slug":"farmer-builds-airstrip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/","title":{"rendered":"Farmer Builds Airstrip : Bushfire Season Approaches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Farmer builds airstrip as bush fires season approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A strip of gravel on Peter Kirchner&#8217;s Munglinup property is easing his nerves about the looming bushfire season.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key points from the Esperance Bushfire Tragedy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li class=\"\">A coroner investigating deadly Esperance fires said water bombers needed better access to the region<\/li><li class=\"\">A farmer at Munglinup has led efforts to ensure water bombers can access more of the region<\/li><li class=\"\">He also says telecommunications upgrades are urgently needed<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The farmer and volunteer bush firefighter said he spent more than $50,000 from his own pocket upgrading the 1.5-kilometre airstrip. This will allow light water bombers to land when the agricultural district between Esperance and Ravensthorpe faces its next fire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was on the ground during&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2020-11-05\/wa-govt-responds-coroner-12-months-after-esperance-fires\/12853360\" target=\"_blank\">the deadly Esperance bushfires of 2015, in which four people died<\/a>. He hopes having the infrastructure to facilitate water bombers would&nbsp;spare the region further devastation in the future.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Efforts to stop the 2015&nbsp;blaze were hampered by the lack of water bombers deployed to fight them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A coroner, who investigated,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-12-07\/esperance-bushfires-2015-inquest-fire-coronial-report-coroner\/11767300\" class=\"ek-link\" target=\"_blank\">recommended that $800,000 be spent on water bombers to service the Wheatbelt and Esperance areas<\/a>.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2019-12-07\/esperance-bushfires-2015-inquest-fire-coronial-report-coroner\/11767300\" class=\"ek-link\" target=\"_blank\"> He also asked that airstrips be reviewed and identified for use in the northwest Esperance Shire<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until earlier this year neither of these ideas, nor&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2020-11-05\/wa-govt-responds-coroner-12-months-after-esperance-fires\/12853360\" target=\"_blank\">many of the coroner&#8217;s&nbsp;other 10&nbsp;recommendations<\/a>, had been enacted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So Mr Kirchner decided to get the ball rolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;Sometimes you&#8217;ve just got to do it yourself,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-default editorskit-no-mobile\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"331\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Esperancefarmerwithwatertank.jpg\" alt=\"Esperance farmer built an airstrip as the fire season approaches - Country Airstrips Australia\" class=\"wp-image-4701\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Esperancefarmerwithwatertank.jpg 500w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Esperancefarmerwithwatertank-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Esperancefarmerwithwatertank-287x190.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption><em>Farmer builds airstrip as the fire season approaches<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Four people lost their lives. That was&nbsp;very scary. We were up there right in the thick of it and it was just terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So [the lack of action on the coroner&#8217;s recommendation&#8217;s] was&nbsp;really disappointing.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Farmer builds an airstrip : Thousands spent on project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The project has been costly for Mr Kirchner, who estimated he spent between $50,000 and $60,000.  Some $22,000 of that jwas just for gravel, upgrading the strip on his farm west of Munglinup.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the&nbsp;WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions said it stumped up&nbsp;$21,000 for tank installation and site works.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The spokesperson also said gravel earthworks would be funded through its bushfire mitigation works. Additional funding opportunities would be pursued for further equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The department would also support and help with the maintenance of the Munglinup airstrip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"331\" data-src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA.jpg\" alt=\"Mr Kirchner added a windsock at the airstrip on his property in Esperance.\" class=\"wp-image-4703 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA.jpg 500w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA-287x190.jpg 287w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/331;\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"331\" src=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA.jpg\" alt=\"Mr Kirchner added a windsock at the airstrip on his property in Esperance.\" class=\"wp-image-4703\" srcset=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA.jpg 500w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperancewindsockWA-287x190.jpg 287w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption><em>Mr Kirchner added a windsock at the airstrip.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But it has also been hard work, with Mr Kirchner and others&nbsp;spending a month carting gravel to the site. He also cleaned out a dam to&nbsp;hold water and carted sand for a pad for a water tank base. The job also required laying pipe to the dam, putting up a windsock, and smoothing the runway.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The configuration will now allow planes to land at either end, depending on the wind. They will then taxi to the water tank in the middle and refill off to the side. This will allow another plane to land at the same time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We are surrounded by millions of hectares&nbsp;of bush,&#8221; Mr Kirchner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;If we have any sort of lightning strikes it&#8217;s always the volunteers who are left to tidy up the bush and be responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Water Bombers will be a lifesaver!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;So to have some assistance from bombers is just going to be a game changer up here.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Phil Longmire, the chief bushfire control officer for the Esperance region, said having the additional infrastructure in the adjacent Ravensthorpe Shire would make the area, particularly to the east of Ravensthorpe, much safer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But Mr Kirchner still hoped to see further action from the government to better fire-proof the region and believed improving&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2021-06-04\/poor-phone-service-putting-lives-at-risk\/100191010\" target=\"_blank\">its notoriously poor telecommunications services<\/a>&nbsp;would be a good place for it, and the service providers, to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although a relief to have the airstrip, Mr Kirchner remains a little jittery about the summer ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a real concern if one does get going, with the current stubble loads,&#8221; he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There are just some amazing crops throughout the whole district and everywhere you drive, I haven&#8217;t seen a bad crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So if one does get going it could turn quite nasty quite quickly.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are flying in the Esperance area, there is an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/listing\/myrup-esperance-western-australia\/\" class=\"ek-link\">airpark in Myrup<\/a><\/strong> which is a great spot to leave your aircraft and explore Esperance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Article courtesy of the ABC<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Farmer builds airstrip as bush fires season approaches. A strip of gravel on Peter Kirchner&#8217;s Munglinup property is easing his nerves about the looming bushfire season.&nbsp; Key points from the Esperance Bushfire Tragedy A coroner investigating deadly Esperance fires said water bombers needed better access to the region A farmer at Munglinup has led efforts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":3,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,139],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Farmer Builds Airstrip : Bushfire Season Approaches | Country Airstrips Australia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Farmer builds airstrip as fire season approaches. The Esperance farmer has enabled water bombers to land, refill and fight fires to save lives\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Farmer Builds Airstrip : Bushfire Season Approaches | Country Airstrips Australia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Farmer builds airstrip as fire season approaches. The Esperance farmer has enabled water bombers to land, refill and fight fires to save lives\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Country Airstrips Australia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-10-08T13:24:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-14T12:04:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperanceFarmer.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"568\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/\",\"name\":\"Country Airstrips Australia\",\"description\":\"Airstrip, Accommodation, Food &amp; Attractions!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/80124d79dedf8684f066a78e14eada5a\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/EsperanceFarmer.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":568,\"caption\":\"Esperance Farmer builds his own Airstrip for water bombers\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/\",\"name\":\"Farmer Builds Airstrip : Bushfire Season Approaches | Country Airstrips Australia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-08T13:24:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-14T12:04:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"Farmer builds airstrip as fire season approaches. The Esperance farmer has enabled water bombers to land, refill and fight fires to save lives\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/80124d79dedf8684f066a78e14eada5a\"},\"headline\":\"Farmer Builds Airstrip : Bushfire Season Approaches\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-10-08T13:24:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-14T12:04:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#webpage\"},\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/80124d79dedf8684f066a78e14eada5a\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#primaryimage\"},\"articleSection\":\"News,Remote Airstrips\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/farmer-builds-airstrip\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#\/schema\/person\/80124d79dedf8684f066a78e14eada5a\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-content\/plugins\/userswp\/assets\/images\/no_profile.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/#personlogo\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4690"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4690"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6830,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4690\/revisions\/6830"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/countryairstrips.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}