South Africa’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s Working on Fire programme is set to deploy a team of over 200 firefighters and management to the Canadian province of Alberta to help with firefighting and fire suppression efforts.
While announcing this development, South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, said: “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.
“You go to Canada to raise the South Africa flag and share your expertise and camaraderie with colleagues from other Canadian provinces to save lives, homes, businesses and large swathes of vegetation.”
Urgent assistance request came from the Canadian Inter-agency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) in terms of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and South Africa.
Alberta has already witnessed over 550 wildfires this season, resulting in major damage to property and infrastructure, and displacing a lot of people. Evacuation orders have been effected in many areas.
The MOU was signed in 2019 and it provides for the exchange of wildland fire management resources between South Africa and Canada. It was put in place after two earlier deployments to Canada to suppress wildfires in Alberta and Manitoba.
The department said: “The first deployment of 200 firefighters and 15 managers will depart for Canada on a chartered aircraft from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) on Saturday, 3 June 2023. The deployment will see the team assist firefighters in Canada for 35 days.
“A second team of 200 firefighters and 13 managers will join the crew in Alberta in a week’s time. The 2023 Canadian deployment team comprises pump-trained firefighters, who have a valid Yellow Card; more than three years actual firefighting experience and who are physically fit.”
No fewer than twenty-five percent of the chosen firefighters in the first deployment are women. This includes two members of the management team, which highlights Working on Fire’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Some of the team members have previous international firefighting experience, which further enhances their expertise in combating complex fire situations.
Creecy said: “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.”
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