'Hopefully we can lend a hand' - more Kiwi fire-fighters head to Canada

RNZ News

13-07-2025

Fires in Manitoba earlier this year.
Photo:
Manitoba government / AFP
New Zealand is sending more fire-fighters to Canada to help with out-of-control wildfires.
A contingent of 43 people was set to fly from Auckland to Vancouver and then Winnipeg in the Manitoba province, in addition to [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/566297/new-zealand-to-send-firefighters-to-help-with-wildfires-in-manitoba-canada
seven fire specialists who arrived in Canada this week]
There were 105 active wildfires in Manitoba as of Sunday NZ time.
Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) said 30 of their mostly volunteer fire-fighters were a part of the group heading over on Sunday night.
Representatives from the Department of Conservation, forestry companies and the New Plymouth District Council would also join them in Canada for five weeks.
FENZ Remutaka Station rural fire officer Ben Cousins said Manitoba was experiencing one of its worst fire seasons in years, with 1.2 million hectares burnt so far.
He said FENZ crews were preparing for long days of tough, physical work, camping out in tents and working along the edge of fire-affected spots.
"We're going to be in pretty remote areas, doing quite arduous fire fighting.
"Where we're going looks to be quite swampy with a lot of tall timber, so we'll be doing a lot of mopping up, digging up hotspots, and working to contain parts of the wildfires."
He did not expect fire services here to be put under strain as a result of the deployment.
"We've got a spread of fire-fighters going [to Canada] from Northland right down to Southland.
"As a percentage of our fire-fighters, it's a fairly small contingent we're taking over.
"The real benefit for New Zealand is the experience our fire-fighters will bring back, getting to work on fires that are significantly more extreme than we generally get here but could potentially face in the future."
FENZ community readiness and recovery advisor Steve Ochsner said as well as wildfires, they would need to carefully manage crew burnout.
"We're working 14 days solid with three days off and then we'll work another 14 days before coming home, so we'll really have to watch our fatigue."
FENZ National Trainer Emma Gibb said she was prepared for the challenge.
"We're equipped with the training we need to be able to sustain that arduous work expected of us.
"Hopefully we can lend a hand and provide a bit of reprieve for fire fighters over there that have been working long durations."
While initially heading north of Winnipeg, the fire-fighters said they could move elsewhere during their deployment, with wildfires raging throughout Canada.
As of Sunday NZ time, there were 518 wildfires across multiple provinces in the country, with roughly 145 of these considered out of control.
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