Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has welcomed home the team of incident management specialists who have been supporting Canada’s wildfire response for the last five weeks.
Each of the five Fire and Emergency personnel has been working on different fires in British Columbia, filling roles as Divisional Supervisors, Logistics Section Chief, Safety Officer and Helicopter Coordinator. They have been working on extensive and complex fires as members of Canadian Incident Management Teams.
Our International Liaison Officer has been based in Winnipeg, supporting both New Zealand and Australian personnel in Canada.
The team departed for Canada on 6 August and formed the second contingent that Fire and Emergency has deployed to North America since mid July. The other two deployments have been supporting wildfire responses in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Fire and Emergency’s National Commander, Megan Stiffler, says that Canada’s firefighting authorities have appreciated New Zealand’s assistance with their challenging wildfire season. There are around 600 active wildfires burning across several states with many still out of control.
“The people who have just returned from Canada have given of their best and we are very proud of the work they have done to protect communities in British Columbia. Each of them was selected for their competence and experience, as well as their ability to fit in to new teams.”
The third group to deploy to North America is working on fires in Utah and Washington State. The 57 firefighters and incident management specialists include personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force, Department of Conservation and the forestry industry as well as Fire and Emergency.
Megan Stiffler says that the experience gained in the three international deployments will enhance New Zealand’s own readiness for the coming fire season, which is forecast to be longer, drier, hotter and windier than normal in many parts of the country due to El Niño.