As displaced residents are evacuated from the area, the firefighters from ACT and NSW will join colleagues from New Zealand, the US and Mexico to make a total of over 400 specialised support staff who will tackle the wildfires for the next six weeks.
They will join over 3,800 personnel currently working on the ground as part of the ongoing emergency response to wildfires that have been scorching the region since early July. Hundreds of personnel from the Canadian Armed Forces - as well as aircraft - have also been assigned.
According to the British Columbia Wildfire Service, over 20 major wildfires are currently burning. There have been 900 wildfires in the area since April alone, and almost 600,000 hectares have been burned.
Of the 183 deployed Australians, 100 of them are frontline firefighters and 83 are incident management and aviation support.
83 personnel have already made their way there, with 100 more just assigned. The second group are in the air to arrive in Canada on Wednesday, Australian time.
Nigel Johnson, Emergency Media Officer with the ACT Emergency Services Agency, told SBS World News that British Columbia is experiencing its worst fire conditions in almost 60 years.
Firies make final preparations. Source: Emergency Media and Broadcasting Services
“Conditions are extremely trying and constantly changing. A state of emergency has been declared in the region and, as I understand it, has been extended until the 18th of August,” he said.
“The Canadian firefighters are well-trained and highly-skilled, but they are too few in number to cope with such a drawn-out fire emergency,” he said.
“International assistance from countries like Australia is sometimes necessary and our Rural Fire Service firefighters are as experienced as they come.”
The region is facing hot and dry weather conditions in the next week, which could cause lightning and exacerbate the wildfires.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service says firefighting crews are on standby preparing for a potential increase in fire starts.
The cost of bringing in the international personnel will be covered by the province of British Columbia.
Australian firefighters have been deployed to the area before, but in incident management team and aviation coordination support roles.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service’s Chief Information Officer, Kevin Skrepnek, told SBS World News: “We’re having an unprecedented season, in terms of how hot and dry it has been, and how many fires we are seeing.
“Australian personnel have been here in 2009, 2014 and 2015. British Columbia has deployed to Australia in 2007 and following Black Saturday in 2009. This exchange is critical as we have complementary fire seasons and a similar structure for emergency response.”
The Canadian Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Doug Donaldson, said: “Given the unprecedented nature of the British Columbia wildfires, we appreciate the assistance our international partners are able to provide.”
Out-of-control fires are causing havoc across British Columbia. Source: AAP
