Second contingent of Kiwi firefighters return home from Canada

2 Mahuru 2024

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has welcomed back its second contingent of firefighters from Canada today. This contingent was made up of 20 firefighters and an agency representative.

National Commander Russell Wood says the four arduous firefighting crews and the agency representative faced challenging conditions supporting the efforts to control hundreds of wildfires across British Columbia and Alberta over the last five weeks.

"The work was tough, with high heat warnings across western Canada contributing to the rapid spread and increased intensity of wildfires." Russell Wood says.

"I want to thank our people and the five Department of Conservation staff who were part of Bravo for working so hard to support our Canadian colleagues in their time of need."

Team members supported firefighting efforts for several wildfires across Alberta during their deployment, including a 12,000-hectare fire north of Worsley and an 80-hectare fire west of Worsley, as well as a 15-hectare fire straddling the border of British Columbia. Once all three fires were classed as ‘under control’, Bravo redeployed to fight a 160-hectare fire near Grande Prairie.

"The Bravo team operated to a high standard and received praise from several operational managers in Alberta.

"We’d like to thank the whānau and friends of our Bravo team," Russell Wood says.

"Their support at home means our people can answer the call when it comes in, and support other countries when they need it."

New Zealand has reciprocal emergency service agreements with several countries. International deployments provide valuable experience for personnel that help build their capability to manage large wildfires at home.

Bravo left New Zealand on Tuesday 30 July and arrived home on Monday 2 September.

Their return follows the recent return of Alpha, the first contingent of incident management specialists deployed to assist with firefighting efforts across wildfires in British Columbia and Alberta. Zulu, another contingent of incident management specialists, is currently working in the United States’ Pacific Northwest.

No further requests for assistance have been received from Canada or the United States.