A further 21 New Zealanders will head to Canada tomorrow to join firefighters battling more than 800 wildfires across the country. Phil Muldoon from the Lake Ōkāreka Volunteer Fire Brigade heads to Canada as the Task Force Leader of the Bravo Deployment. Fire and Emergency New Zealand are sending four five-person crews, including five people from the Department of Conservation, and one liaison, to help fight the wildfires burning across the western part of the country.
The Task Force will be based in Alberta, where extreme heat is contributing to the rapid spread and increased intensity of the wildfires. They will be doing arduous firefighting in challenging conditions, where 134 fires are burning in the province.
The firefighters are additional to the seven specialist firefighting personnel who landed in British Columbia from New Zealand last week. Fire and Emergency's National Commander, Russell Wood, said it will be difficult work. "They'll be firefighting in tough conditions, working hard to keep the communities of Alberta safe," Wood said. "Given the scale of the emergency in western Canada, it's likely we'll receive further requests for support". The deployment is expected to last at least five weeks, Wood said Fire and Emergency takes the responsibility of providing international firefighting support seriously, but there is also value in using it to improve firefighters' skills.
"These deployments are extremely valuable for our firefighters and firefighting specialists. It gives them experience in different environments that they can bring back home."
The Task Force will be based in Alberta, where extreme heat is contributing to the rapid spread and increased intensity of the wildfires. They will be doing arduous firefighting in challenging conditions, where 134 fires are burning in the province.
The firefighters are additional to the seven specialist firefighting personnel who landed in British Columbia from New Zealand last week. Fire and Emergency's National Commander, Russell Wood, said it will be difficult work. "They'll be firefighting in tough conditions, working hard to keep the communities of Alberta safe," Wood said. "Given the scale of the emergency in western Canada, it's likely we'll receive further requests for support". The deployment is expected to last at least five weeks, Wood said Fire and Emergency takes the responsibility of providing international firefighting support seriously, but there is also value in using it to improve firefighters' skills.
"These deployments are extremely valuable for our firefighters and firefighting specialists. It gives them experience in different environments that they can bring back home."
In this 24 July, 2024, image obtained from the Jasper National Park in Canada, smoke rises from a wildfire burning in the park. Photo: Handout / Jasper National Park / AFP
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