A SQUAD of Australian rangers, including two Far North locals, have traveled across the world to join the fight against the unprecedented wildfires that are currently raging in Alberta, Canada.
In a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service first, Cairns ranger Paul Bufi and Mareeba ranger Rob Miller, joined technical support ranger John Hand from the Gold Coast, fire ranger Tim Baker from Toowoomba and ranger Darrell Bell from Gympie, taking a flight from Australia to Canada today, 26 June.
The brave rangers will bring their unique bushfire response skills to the fire-line and will work alongside some of the best first responders from across Australia as part of the international battle to preserve communities and the wilderness in wake of the fires rampaging through the extensive forest network.
After arriving in Edmonton, Alberta, they will travel to at-risk communities and spend the next month sleeping in tents between 12-hour shifts on the frontline.
Despite being nervous about going across the world to fight fires, Mr Bufi said “you’ve just got to put those feelings aside and get the job done”.
“It wasn’t long ago that we were facing our own bushfire disaster across Queensland like we’d never seen before, so I know how overwhelming it can be,” he said.
Due to the intense and rapidly-changing nature of bushfire response, the rangers were put through rigorous fitness and practical testing to ensure they were well equipped to face the task they are being asked to perform.
Mr Miller said it is “heart-breaking” to see such beautiful areas under attack.
“Like Queensland, Canada is known across the world for its national parks and wildlife, so to see that under threat is heart-breaking especially for rangers,” he said.
“We just hope that we can put our fire management knowledge to good use to preserve not just the nearby communities but the environment too.”
While there are similarities between the way wildfires are fought in Queensland and Canada, the QPWS personnel will be embedded with local authorities and other fire fighters on the frontline to learn how Canadians respond to their forest fires.
