20 hours ago
Firefighters return to Australia after battling Canadian wildfires
Aron Burnett has spent decades fighting bushfires as a member of the Katanning Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service in Western Australia.
In addition to defending his town, 290 kilometres south of Perth, from flames, he has been deployed to Bremer Bay, Esperance and Redmond in WA, and twice to NSW.
But the leading firefighter never expected to receive a call asking him to help battle Canada's second-worst wildfire season on record.
"My heart stopped for a second there," Mr Burnett said.
"I had been working towards an international deployment for quite some time."
Australia and Canada have a longstanding fire response relationship, which has become increasingly important with worsening fire seasons.
Mr Burnett was one of 21 volunteer and career firefighters and Parks and Wildlife service personnel from WA who were deployed to Canada in June.
The team was first stationed at a remote logging camp near Bison Lake in Alberta and flown by helicopter to the fireground each day.
The work was physically demanding, with the teams covering 15 to 20 kilometres each day.
"You have to carry all your tools, your backpack, your food, your water; it's all got to be carried and you can be walking for kilometres," he said.
"Our days were 16 hours long; we would typically do 12 to 14 hours on the fire ground and then when we come back for a couple of hours to reset, repack and wash clothes."
In the evening, Mr Burnett said they were refuelled in true Canadian fashion.
"We were definitely very well fed and on one particular night that I remember we got pork ribs with maple syrup glaze that was definitely, definitely a meal to have," he said.
"You had access to maple syrup just about every night, you could have it on your dessert, you could have it on your dinner, I'm pretty sure they drink the stuff.
"The Canadians were very accommodating, very polite, always thanking you for your service, they were very appreciative that we were there."
After two weeks, and a few days of rest, the WA contingent shifted to an out-of-control blaze at Keg River.
There they worked with a NSW crew to bring the fire under control and contain it — an achievement Mr Burnett was proud to be part of.
"It was a big moment," he said.
"It's very rewarding to be able to go and help local crews and to know that you're accomplishing something for somebody else."
Albany Parks and Wildlife firefighter David Cronin, another member of the WA contingent, said he was glad to alleviate his northern hemisphere counterparts.
"With the drought conditions, there's so many [fires] so the fatigue loading on the local staff in the province is too much," he said.
