Forestry Corporation’s Brian Lynch from Walcha was one of four in Canada as part of a 100-strong Australian taskforce, alongside Rural Fire Service and National Parks and Wildlife Service firefighters.

Mr Lynch, who is a seasoned firefighter locally and had been waiting for an overseas deployment opportunity for a few years, said it was tougher than he expected.

“It was arduous the first 14 days,” Mr Lynch said. “We slept on the ground in tents and it was hard, dusty and smokey.”

The crews spent 14 consecutive days working minimum 12-hour shifts in intense firefighting conditions before enjoying a well-earned short rest and recovery break then returning to the fire front for another 14 consecutive days.

“The first two days were intense with crowning fires and direct attack. Due to our expertise in heavy plant management, the Forestry Corporation crew was tasked with containing spot fires using a skidder and water tank and we worked closely with aircraft water bombing,” fellow Forestry Corporation firefighter Amba Addinsall said.

“There was an uncontained fire edge that had to be mapped with GPS and we needed to do reconnaissance in extremely steep terrain, including canyons, to develop containment strategies. It was also a challenge driving big pick-up trucks on the opposite side of the road.

“While the days were long and difficult, we enjoyed working with local BC forest officers and plant operators who gave us valuable insight into fire and forest management practices in Canada. We were also lucky enough to spot some local wildlife, including squirrels, chipmunks, deer, black bear and grouse.”

Mr Lynch said the best thing about the experience was the people.

“The Canadians are nice friendly people who appreciated us being there,” he said.

“It was good to work with them and see their ideas and it also made me appreciate Australia’s way of fighting fires.They rely on pumps and hose more than we do as they have so many rivers, lakes and creeks over there. They don’t really have many mobile strike forces but following the debrief they are looking to adopt some our practices.”

Matt Hagon said while the days were hard and the novelty of sleeping in tents had worn off, they learned valuable lessons working with local crews. 

“We performed many tasks over there in a range of different environments. The scenery was spectacular and we enjoyed working with the locals learning not only about their way of firefighting but also their timber industry and local way of life,” Mr Hagon said. 

“The BC fires have been severe, with some local communities displaced for more than a month and many homes lost. The community was grateful for the international assistance to take the pressure of local firefighters and help bring the fires under control.”

The Forestry Corporation firefighters deployed to Canada are highly trained and have years of firefighting experience, including in steep country and pine forests similar to those in north America. 

Forestry Corporation is responsible for more than two million hectares of native and plantation forests and has been formally involved in firefighting in NSW for 100 years.