Twenty-two ACT emergency personnel will deploy to the United States today to help fight wildfires in the country’s north-west.
The strike team includes members of the ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT State Emergency Service and ACT Parks and Conservation Service. They will travel to Idaho before being assigned to wildfire operations.
Four personnel will provide incident management support, while 18 firefighters will undertake frontline duties including constructing containment lines, mopping up firegrounds and supporting active fire suppression. The deployment is expected to last more than a month.
It is the ACT’s third deployment to the United States and Canada this year. Seven ACT Rural Fire Service and Parks and Conservation Service personnel were sent to the US in late July, while another four left for Canada last week.
Emergency Services Minister Marisa Paterson said ACT firefighters had assisted with major fires in the US and Canada in recent years, while international crews had provided similar support during severe Australian fire seasons.
News all day, every day at CityNews.com.au.
Who can be trusted?
In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.
If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.
Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.
Thank you,
Ian Meikle, editor
Leave a Reply