Forestry Corporation firefighters from Tumut and Deniliquin will deploy to Canada this week to reinforce local and international crews battling ongoing wildfires, where close to five million hectares have been burnt, approximately 150 wildfires remain active, and multiple communities have been evacuated.

Forestry Corporation’s Linda Cotterill of Tumut will deploy to the position of Divisional Supervisor in Alberta and Peter O’Toole of Deniliquin will deploy as an Incident Management Team Safety Officer in Manitoba. The firefighters will be based in Canada for four weeks, working in challenging conditions.

Linda has been involved in fire management throughout Australia for 28 years but this is her first international deployment.

Linda said, “I have been fortunate to work all over Australia on fire management and suppression across 28 seasons as both a volunteer and professional forest firefighter.

“There are tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated in Canada. Family is very important to me and I know what it means when people are managing fires and also wanting to be home assisting their loved ones and communities. I’m grateful to have the support of my partner and three sons, as well as my manager and colleagues picking up the additional load back home, to be able to provide that assistance and relief to the Canadian firefighters.

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to seeing how things are done differently and what I can bring back to share for Forestry Corporation and for our region. There are a lot of lessons that I have gained when firefighting interstate and international firefighting is another dimension that can help us improve forest firefighting in Tumut.”

Peter has been a forestry firefighter for nearly nine years and this is his first international deployment.

“I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to repay the Canadian services for their help in the 2019-20 fire season. During the 2019-20 season I worked alongside Canadian and Kiwi firefighters who came in to support us and I have worked with a lot of Canadians as seasonal staff over many years. I am looking forward to being able to help them out in return,” Peter said.

The deployment follows a formal request for assistance through international firefighting agreements and highlights the strong collaboration between Australia and Canada in emergency response.

It is the third Forestry Corporation deployment to Canada this winter, with eight Forestry Corporation staff from Bathurst, Bombala, Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Wauchope and Eden deployed in June and currently completing month-long deployments.

Forestry Corporation continues to support bushfire preparedness and response efforts both at home and abroad, ensuring its fire specialists are ready to assist wherever they are needed most.