A second contingent of 200 South African firefighters and 13 managers have been deployed to assist in ongoing fire suppression operations in the Alberta province of Canada.
This follows the deployment of 200 firefighters and 15 managers on 3 June 2023. The group will leave for Edmonton, Canada, on Wednesday from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport.
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, said she is 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 enhance efforts to effectively suppress and manage the wildfires in Alberta,” the Minister said on Monday.
The deployment of both teams comes in response to an urgent request from the Canadian Inter-agency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) in terms of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and South Africa.
The MOU, signed in 2019, provides for the exchange of wildland fire management resources between the two countries.
According to the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, 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 department added.