Australian and New Zealand emergency service personnel assist Canada
A contingent of 41 Australian and New Zealand personnel are deploying to Canada, following a request for assistance from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
The AFAC National Resource Sharing Centre (NRSC) is coordinating a multi-agency contingent that includes an incident management team, divisional commanders and air attack supervisors, to British Columbia, Canada.
Representatives from ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Country Fire Authority Victoria, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Fire Rescue Victoria, Parks Victoria, Department of Fire and Emergency Services WA, NSW Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Rural Fire Service, NSW State Emergency Service, SA Country Fire Service, and Fire Emergency New Zealand, will deploy to Canada on 6 August.
‘The AFAC NRSC is coordinating a team of specialists from Australia and New Zealand who will be on deployment for 5 weeks’ said Conor McDonald, Manager Collaboration, Supporting Operations, AFAC.
‘Australia, New Zealand and Canada have a longstanding history of supporting one another during times of need' said Sandra Whight, Executive Director, National Capability, AFAC.
'This deployment is a continuation of that enduring partnership and a testament to the value of international cooperation in responding to increasingly complex wildfire events’, she said.
Wildland fire activity is significant in multiple Canadian jurisdictions with a National Preparedness Level 5. Canada currently has 677 active fires, including in British Columbia, Yukon, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia.
Concurrently, the AFAC NRSC is supporting the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) with active deployments in the United States, and the NSW Rural Fire Service has aerial firefighting resources deployed to France.
Contact
For further information, please contact: media@afac.com.au.
About the AFAC National Resource Sharing Centre
The AFAC NRSC is made possible through a collaborative funding arrangement between state and territory fire and emergency services and the Australian Government's National Emergency Management Agency.
The AFAC NRSC coordinates and facilitates international and interstate deployments through its established partnerships and national arrangements as authorised by the Commissioners and Chief Officers Strategic Committee. The AFAC NRSC is recognised as an enabler of national capability for fire and emergency services.
The AFAC NSRC enhances the efficiency of resource deployments to an interstate or international natural hazard emergency event. Through its creation of partnerships and agreements, national resourcing capability is deployable through a collaborative operating model.
About AFAC
AFAC is the Australian and New Zealand Council for fire and emergency services. AFAC is an independent, member-based organisation that supports connected and capable emergency management.
AFAC Council comprises member organisations spanning fire, emergency service and land management organisations, who lead a paid and volunteer workforce of more than 288,000 people, supporting communities to be safer and more resilient.
AFAC also delivers services to, and on behalf of, emergency management organisations in Australia and New Zealand. AFAC also works in partnership with the Australian Government and other domestic and international organisations supporting response, risk reduction and community resilience.