![ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan leaves court. Picture by Hannah Neale ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan leaves court. Picture by Hannah Neale](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DaHt57RjVSvtvCBUgFzTWj/ffd3fc2d-bce9-4a7b-be7c-ca87137c5519.JPG/r0_213_4000_2462_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The ACT's emergency services boss only found out this week that Defence pilots can make unauthorised landings, after a helicopter stop for a "toilet break" sparked a bushfire which would end up devastating Namadgi National Park.
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ACT Emergency Services Agency commissioner Georgeina Whelan has told an inquiry into the January 2020 Orroral Valley fire that if she had known pilots could make unplanned landings at the time, it "wouldn't have caused me concern, but would have triggered a conversation".
The January 2020 fire is said to have ignited after an army helicopter made an unplanned landing on dry grass because one of the personnel onboard had asked for a toilet and lunch break. The helicopter itself also caught fire.
The bushfire tore through about 80 per cent of the national park over five weeks after it was started by one of the helicopter's lights, which can reach about 500 degrees, during a joint operation with the Australian Army and ACT emergency services.
Giving evidence to the inquiry in the ACT Coroner's Court on Thursday, Ms Whelan said she had only become aware of unscheduled helicopter stops this week but it was "something I would ask about in the future".
![A photograph taken by a crew member moments after the Orroral Valley fire was ignited. Picture Defence A photograph taken by a crew member moments after the Orroral Valley fire was ignited. Picture Defence](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DaHt57RjVSvtvCBUgFzTWj/7c8fcd38-ffc6-4af4-aa45-669985fae6c6.jpg/r0_90_1685_1041_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It wouldn't have caused me concern, but it would have triggered a conversation as it related to the risk associated with making the conscious decision to land an aircraft," she said.
"Tasking in the future, I would make it very clear that if there was a likelihood of landing we would have an ESA person on the aircraft."
When questioned if the helicopter crew, who took 45 minutes to alert the ACT Emergency Services Agency of the fire, should have sent coordinates of the blaze to firefighters, Ms Whelan responded she "didn't think it would make a significant difference".
The ESA had identified the fire within nine minutes, she said.
"Based on information I had at the time, the conditions of the environment in which we were all operating in and the very nature of the fire itself ... it is unlikely that would have made a difference to our response," Ms Whelan told the court.
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"Regardless of point of ignition or cause of ignition what we rely on within ESA is out own internal identification processes.
"My expectation is would be translated in the ESA in a timely manner, I have no opinion on the direct technical ability to do that."
The commissioner told the court she was looking "at many opportunities for improved communication moving forward" between emergency services and Defence.
"In 2019/2020 we had a robust level of engagement within the ADF," Ms Whelan said.
"If we were aware that there was an ignition risk of a consequence of an aircraft landing we would have had a contingency plan in place.
"We would have advised of safe landing zones."
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