Minister commends firefighters deploying to Canada

Internal Affairs Minister Hon Peter Dunne is praising the sixteen firefighters from New Zealand’s rural fire authorities that deploy to Canada tonight to help contain raging wildfires in the state of Alberta.

The deployment follows a formal request received from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre last week.

“This latest international deployment further highlights how well regarded our firefighters are on a global scale,” Mr Dunne said.

“When you take into account all of the international plaudits that our people regularly receive, such as the UN accreditation of our Urban Search and Rescue operators, and the previous times we have assisted both Canada in 2009, Australia nine times and our American counterparts five times in the last fifteen years, it is hard not to take great pride in our brave and dedicated emergency service workers.

About 800,000 hectares of forest are burning across the states of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, as well as in neighbouring Alaska.

“I am pleased that New Zealand is able to once more lend a hand to help the Canadian authorities in their time of need. I am sure the deployment will do New Zealand proud and I wish them the very best for a safe return”, Mr Dunne said.