By KATH GANNAWAY
FIVE Yarra Ranges firefighters have flown to Canada to help manage wildfires that are sweeping the country.
Hundreds of fires totalling around 1.3 million hectares are burning across Canada’s western provinces.
The group are Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) Operations Officer John Carter and Yarra District Fire Management Officer John Van de Paverd, and CFA District 13 volunteers Fiona Burns (Captain of Hillcrest), Sharon Merritt (Captain of Macclesfield) and Warren Fuller, a former firefighter with Emerald brigade.
Australia’s 102-strong contingent – 45 from Victoria – includes specialists in incident management, aircraft management, fire-line leadership and firefighters.
Mr Carter, based at DEWLP in Woori Yallock, will help co-ordinate air operations, while Mr Van de Paverd, based at Powelltown, will support Canadian ground operations as a Divisional Commander.
Ms Burns is heading over as a Planning Officer, Ms Merritt as a Safety Officer and Mr Fuller as an Aircraft Officer. All three are volunteers as well as CFA District 13 employees.
DELWP’s Roading Co-ordinator for the Murrindindi area, Ben Giovanetti from Marysville, is also in Canada. Mr Giovanetti manages forest tracks in the Murrindindi forests.
Mr Carter’s role as Air Attack Supervisor will include co-ordinating helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for fire-bombing operations.
“Canada and Australia work under similar structures to combat fires even though our vegetation is different,” he said, before heading off on Monday 13 July.
“Where we have eucalypt forests they have conifer forests with cedars and pines,” he said.
Both Mr Carter and Mr Van de Paverd were involved in the Black Saturday bushfires as well as all other major fire events over the past 20 years and between them have been deployed to fires around Australia and to Canada.
“Having worked with the Canadians in the Australian bushfire seasons of ’02-’03, ’06-07’ and ’09 (Black Saturday fires), the joint experience stands us in good stead,” Mr Carter said.
CFA Region 13 Operations Officer Don Tomkins said all three CFA firefighters had been able to respond to the call on short notice.
“The reciprocal arrangement between the countries shows the close ties we have and our effective emergency management capabilities,” he said.
He said the fact that District 13 had been asked to supply personnel recognised the local capability.
Emergency Management Victoria is co-ordinating the Australian deployment.
