LETTER: ‘Why didn't we use the RAF to tackle huge heath fire?'
In contrast, in Cyprus, they also had a large heath fire. Over there, an RAF Chinook helicopter was deployed from the local RAF base with a large bucket slung underneath, which scooped up water and dropped it on the fire to assist fire crews on the ground.
That Chinook is also on standby 24 hours a day in case of other fires.
Therefore, why would the RAF from nearby RAF Odiham not have done the same here?
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'Young people are the lifeblood of Salisbury and should be able to live in the city''A simple improvement could be implemented at Salisbury's Trief kerb'
In doing so, it could have saved a lot of man-hours and also saved a lot of trees, bushes and grass from being destroyed.
Also, a lot of nature could have been saved, including some endangered species which are essential in this area.
Some will argue that it is too expensive to deploy a helicopter specifically for this. However, they fly daily on training missions, so this could be just one more.
Many countries around the Mediterranean deploy firefighting aircraft to tackle large fires, but as usual, this country lags behind and will not spend the money on this.
Peter Bryant
Gainsborough Close
Salisbury
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