Five firefighters from the Barwon South West region have left the country to help fight the bushfires in Canada.
Forest Fire Management Victoria’s (FFMVic) firefighters departed Australia on Thursday, August 1, for a month on the fireline in British Columbia, the most western province in Canada.
Deputy chief fire officer Mark Mellington said Sarah Pedrazzi, Samantha Shepherd, Chrissy Noble, Tim Bennett, and Harrison Veale were among 62 FFMVic personnel supporting the wildfire response.
“While providing much-needed relief to our Canadian counterparts, these deployments offer invaluable opportunities for FFMVic staff,” he said.
“Including International Liaison Officer, Air Operations Manager, liaison and planning officers, Air Base Manager, Air Attack Supervisor and Strike Team Leaders.
“Our arduous firefighters are well-prepared to face the challenging and remote terrain of Canada, bringing specialist skills in tree-felling and dry firefighting techniques.
“FFMVic staff bring extensive emergency management experience taking on specialist roles…and these efforts involve hard work, dedication and a commitment to making a positive impact.
“(Helping) to expand their bushfire knowledge and operational experience in different environments, allowing them to apply what they learn to manage large-scale bushfires at home.”
One task force member was deployed to Canada as a fire behaviour analyst, while another will be a helicase manager in Alberta (Canadian province) during a 35-day deployment.
Canadian firefighters supported Victorian firefighting efforts in 2019-20, with FFMVic staff being part of multiple deployments to Canada since then to help battle the past two fire seasons.
FFMVic is recruiting many project firefighters to bolster its permanent firefighting staff as the state prepares for the upcoming bushfire season. Visit jobs.careers.vic.gov.au/pff for more information.
