More kiwi firefighters to deploy to help battle Canadian wildfires

29 July 2024

A second group of 21 firefighting personnel from Aotearoa New Zealand will leave tomorrow for Alberta, Canada to help fight wildfires burning across the province.

This Bravo contingent consists of 21 personnel, made up of four five-person arduous firefighting crews, including five personnel from the Department of Conservation (DOC), and a liaison.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand National Commander Russell Wood says the second contingent is being deployed in addition to the seven specialist personnel who landed in British Columbia last week.

"We know that this second contingent will deploy for approximately five weeks. They’ll be firefighting in tough conditions, working hard to keep the communities of Alberta safe," he says.

The situation in Canada is significant, with 861 active wildfires burning across the country as of 8am 29 July NZST. 134 of these are burning across Alberta.

The conditions are challenging, with high heat warnings across western Canada contributing to the rapid spread and increased intensity of the wildfires.

"Given the scale of the emergency in western Canada, it’s likely we’ll receive further requests for support," Russell Wood says.

Fire and Emergency takes the responsibility of providing international firefighting support seriously, but there is also value in using it to improve our 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," Russell Wood says.