The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said Western Australian firefighters had travelled to Canada to help battle the country’s wildfire disaster.
The DFES said the 17 firefighters formed a special taskforce which would help relieve exhausted Canadian crews battling the country’s worst wildfires in recent years.
The Department said the taskforce, made up of personnel from as far afield as the Kimberley and Great Southern, initially undertook a physical and medical examination last weekend (24-25 July).
The DFES said the firefighters were being deployed to some of the hardest hit areas in Canada, including Ontario and British Columbia, where a State of Emergency had been declared.
It said the taskforce included eight volunteer firefighters, three DFES personnel and six Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Parks and Wildlife Service staff members.
After flying to Sydney on Monday (26 July) they met up with NSW Rural Fire Service personnel who were also travelling to assist in Canada.
Minister for Emergency Services, Reece Whitby said the firefighters brought a range of skills to help battle the challenging fire front, including acting as incident controllers; divisional commanders; fire behaviour analysts; taskforce leaders; operations and planning officers; and aerial firefighting specialists.
Mr Whitby said they had joined firefighters from Mexico and the United States who were also assisting with the frontline response across Canada.
He said the seven-week deployment included two weeks in quarantine when the group arrived back in Australia.
The Minister said having experienced the State’s own bushfire emergency in Wooroloo earlier in the year, the scale of the devastation caused by the wildfires in Canada was terrible to see.
“Australia has benefited from the generosity of Canadian firefighters in recent years and this dedicated group is helping to return that favour by assisting fellow firefighters to protect communities,” Mr Whitby said.
