Queensland will send firefighters to Canada for the second time in as many years to battle extreme wildfires.
The Queensland Fire Department (QFD) will supply 24 personnel to a contingent from Australia and New Zealand that will depart this week to assist local crews in their emergency response.
State Fire and Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd said the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre had requested international assistance as the country entered the peak of their wildfire season.
Minister Boyd said heatwave conditions and severe winds had caused hundreds of wildfires to burn across the country, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and leave their homes.
She said a 12-person Incident Management Team, made up of personnel from Queensland Fire and Rescue (QFR) and Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ), would be the first group to depart for British Columbia today (July 18), with further personnel to leave over the coming days for a 40-day deployment.
“Well versed in operating in arduous conditions, QFD personnel may be required to camp in remote areas of the Canadian wilderness for the duration of the operation.”
QFD Commissioner Steve Smith said personnel would assist with incident management, fire behaviour analysis, operational support and aerial operations.
“The conditions in Canada are physically demanding, working in remote and heavily forested areas, but it’s nothing that our highly trained personnel can’t handle,” Commissioner Smith said.
