A third team of Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service personnel have departed for Canada to assist with firefighting operations in the region.
Minister for Parks and Environment, Nick Duigan said, Nic Deka, John Duggan and Catherine Charlesworth will join the Alberta wildfire response, bringing the total number of PWS staff deployed to Canada to 15.
"The trio, who are highly experienced in incident response management, will take up the roles of incident controller, deputy incident controller and logistics officer as part of a rotating roster," Minister Duigan said.
Incident management teams play a critical role in emergency response and are responsible for planning and managing all aspects of fireground operations.
"This team's service to Canada is what the Tasmanian spirit is all about. I wish them a safe deployment," Minister Duigan said.
"The Tasmanian Government thanks Nic, John, Catherine and the entire PWS team for their commitment and service and look forward to welcoming them home next month."
"There are currently 800 active fires affecting 2.7 million hectares of the Canadian landscape – for local context, this is just over one third of the area of Tasmania," Minister Duigan said.
"Our Canadian friends have come to our aid before, and we are proud to be able to return the favour in their time of need.
"This deployment is also an opportunity for PWS staff to gain experience on the ground in another country, share their expertise, and to learn from others in the international firefighting community."
Tasmania is part of the National Resource Sharing Centre, which requested support from all states and territories to bolster the firefighting response in Canada.
