Cape Town - A Team of 109 South African firefighters and management have been deployed to Canada to assist with firefighting efforts in that country.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s Working on Fire (WoF) programme on Tuesday deployed the local firefighters and management to the province of Manitoba in Canada.
Canada has been experiencing record-breaking heat and associated dry weather. Large wild fires are burning in Manitoba, and extreme fire danger exists across the western provinces, with little relief in sight and new wild fires expected.
This is the fourth deployment of firefighters to Canada.
“I would like to extend my good wishes to the Working on Fire team as you embark on your fourth deployment to Canada to assist in bringing the fires currently raging across Manitoba under control. I trust that, as in the past, you will fly South Africa’s flag high and that your camaraderie will stand you in good stead as you battle alongside colleagues from other Canadian provinces and cities to save lives and homes,” said Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy.
The request for assistance came from the Canadian Inter-agency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) which has, in terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and South Africa, asked for firefighting assistance from WOF to assist with their fire management. The MOU provides for the exchange of Wildland Fire Management Resources between the two countries.
A crew of 100 firefighters and a nine-person management team were selected following a selection process which included criteria such as physical fitness, having a valid Yellow Card, more than three years actual firefighting experience, a valid South African passport, and additional criteria such as passing a drug test and having a clear criminal record. Out of the selected firefighters 30 are women and 35 have previous deployment experience to Canada. They have been deployed for a period of 34 days.
“Your commitment will serve as an example to members of the Working on Fire team who will be on standby to battle any wildfires that may break out here in South Africa as we near the end of our winter season,” Creecy added.
Prior to their departure, the South African firefighters and management underwent refresher training in Hekpoort, Gauteng, to ensure that they are fit and ready for the conditions expected in Canada. Refresher training included map reading, power pump usage, fire line and helicopter safety, as well as extensive pre-deployment training on the type of conditions they can expect in Canada, including the different types of dangerous animals expected.
The 109 firefighters and management are flying to Canada on a British Airways Chartered flight and they will fly to Winnipeg, Canada via London. Prior to their departure, they will undergo a Covid19 PCR test and once they arrive in Canada, they will also be fully vaccinated.
Cape Times