The idea of an Aerial Drip Torch (ADT) was first conceived in Canada in the 1970s by the legendary forester, firefighter and inventor, John Muraro.
The drip torch was further developed in 1982 by the New Zealand Forest Service and became known as the Ashley Aphid Helitorch.
In February 1987, Forestry Tasmania acquired one of the NZ machines and modified it to meet Australian aviation safety standards. Known as the “Red Dragon” it consisted of a large 135-litre tank containing jellied petrol, a displacement pump, propane ignition system, burner nozzle and fire extinguisher system.
A commercial gelling agent such as Flash-21 was used to thicken unleaded petrol to form a sticky blob-like consistency that dripped and ignited safely without separating. The gelling agent is not made with the same ingredients as napalm as is commonly claimed.
Building on the Tasmanian experience, two Yellow Dragons (ADT-1 & ADT-2) were designed and fabricated at the North Altona workshops by Rocky Marsden in the early 1990s. They were developed in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) in Western Australia.
The dragons on the side of the tanks were painted by Tony Bramwell who was a signwriter and good friend of Rocky Marsden. He now teaches art at Werribee.
In Autumn 1991, the Yellow Dragon was first trialled on regeneration slash burns at Erica and Swifts Creek. It had a dry weight of 160 kg and a capacity of 130 litres which provided about an hour of operations. It was slung about 7 m beneath a light helicopter.
The incendiary machines proved successful, so a third Dragon called Lucifer or “Lucy” was introduced in 1998. It had a larger capacity 200 litre plastic tank but was much lighter with a dry weight of only 68 kg.
The design and safety features of the Aerial Drip Torches continued to evolve and their use for burning operations has now become routine. DEECA/FFMVic currently operates seven machines (6 x 200L and 1 x 400L) – but none have names given to them nowadays.
Over time, all three of the original Dragons were thought to have gone missing, but ADT-1 is now safely in a storage rack at North Altona, while ADT-2 was found at Avalon Airport – a bit worse for wear – and will return to its rightful place in the North Altona museum. The fate of Lucy remains a mystery, but it is believed she was disposed of many years ago.
The Forests Commission and its successors have continuously encouraged bushfire research and innovation. In 1946 a large parcel of industrial land was purchased at North Altona as a fire equipment cache and workshop.
Over the decades, much of Australia’s pioneering fire equipment development was led by some very clever and dedicated inventors at North Altona, often in collaboration with other state and international forestry and bushfire authorities.
The Altona workshop became a hotbed of new technological thingumajigs… a marvellous blend of Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders coupled with Wallace and Gromit’s madcap contraptions… an exhilarating place where lots of gizmos were invented and tested… mostly with astounding results… but nearly always with some head-scratching frustrations… and thankfully not too much explosive mayhem.
The Dragons are just one small example, but the future of in-house fire equipment development at North Altona is currently under a cloud.
https://library.dbca.wa.gov.au/FullTextFiles/000848.pdf
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 