According to the Environment and Forestry Department, it will send staff from its Working on Fire programme. They will assist those in the Canadian province of Alberta, with firefighting and fire suppression efforts. This is WOF’s fifth deployment to Canada.
“I would like to extend my best wishes to the team as you embark on your deployment to Canada to help put out the fires raging in Alberta.
During a previous deployment to Canada.
The first deployment of 200 firefighters and 15 managers will depart for Canada on an Ethiopian Airlines chartered aircraft from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport on Saturday, 3 June 2023, at 13h20. A second team with 13 managers will join the crew in Alberta in a week’s time.
You go to Canada to raise the South African flag and share your expertise and camaraderie with colleagues from other Canadian provinces to save lives, homes, businesses and large swathes of vegetation,” said the Minister Barbara Creecy.
A number of the team members also have previous international firefighting experience. This will enhance the expertise in tackling complex fire situations on that side.
“We are proud of the fact that South Africa is again able to assist Canadian firefighting teams in their battle to bring the wildfires under control. The extensive experience and training of these firefighters will significantly enhance efforts to effectively suppress and manage the wildfires in Alberta,” said the Minister.
The department says the request for urgent assistance came from the Canadian Inter-agency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) in terms of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and South Africa.
During a previous deployment to Canada.
The MOU was signed in 2019 and provides for the exchange of wildland fire management resources between South Africa and Canada.
During a previous deployment to Canada.
Their fifth deployment to Canada
According to a press statement, it was put in place following two earlier deployments to Canada to suppress wildfires in Alberta and Manitoba.
“Alberta has already experienced more than 550 wildfires this season resulting in significant damage to property and infrastructure and displacing thousands of people. Evacuation orders have been put in place in many areas.”
The 2023 Canadian deployment team comprises pump-trained firefighters, who have a valid Yellow Card; have more than 3 years of actual firefighting experience and who are physically fit. 25% of the selected firefighters in the first deployment are women. This includes 2 members of the management team and highlights Working on Fire’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Merentia joined the media world in 1996 and in 2001, she took her first steps in the broadcasting world. In her free time, she likes to go on adventures in the city. She also likes to learn new dances, not that she is any good at that.
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