Victorian firefighters head to Greece, US for deadly bushfires
TOP MELBOURNE firefighters have jetted overseas to help communities decimated by bushfires, with the latest on their way to help battle wildfires on America’s west coast.
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TOP MELBOURNE firefighters have jetted overseas to help communities decimated by bushfires, with the latest on their way to help battle wildfires on America’s west coast.
Four CFA firefighters are being deployed to the US to help their American counterparts fight devastating fires burning along the west coast, while Dandenong CFA senior station officer Daryl Owen will assist with damage assessments in Greece.
Eighty-seven people died when a destructive forest fire tore through the Greek coastal region of Mati near Athens on July 23.
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Dandenong’s Adrian Devenish, Hallam’s Steve Keating and Tim McKern and Chris Hall from Burwood East will join Victorian crews from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and Parks Victoria fighting the US fires in California, Oregon and Washington State where more than 1000 homes have already been destroyed.
CFA chief officer Steve Warrington saw the men off at Melbourne Airport on Thursday and said their deployment continued a proud CFA tradition.
“CFA crews have extensive experience with large wildfires, having handled fires on similar terrain across Australia. We also have a history of travelling to other countries to assist in the control and extinguishing of major bushfires,” he said.
“The skills of our CFA firefighters are internationally recognised and I know the firefighters and the communities they work with will be extremely grateful for their support and camaraderie.”
Mr McKern, a CFA Fire Behaviour Analyst, said he worked alongside American and Canadian firefighters during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and was “sure they will send crews again to support us in future years”.
Mr Keating, a CFA member for more than 29 years, is on his second deployment to the US in the last year after he was deployed to fight the fires in California’s Napa Valley in October.
“I will be leaving a very busy household behind,” he said.
“We have two boys in years 11 and 12, I’m missing a deb ball this weekend and my very kind neighbour is looking over our newly arrived lambs.”
He said working with the US crews was seamless as their fire management techniques were similar and they were very welcoming.
“It makes the deployments very personally rewarding and sometimes very humbling,” he said.
Mr Devenish, who is being deployed as a helicopter and air base manager, is on his first overseas mission and said he was looking forward to the opportunity and challenge.
Mr Owen, a technical rescue instructor heading to Greece, said “these deployments are a great opportunity to gain an understanding of other agencies and countries and their disaster response, which we can then use to further develop our own response”.
Emergency Services Minister James Merlino said he was sure they will make a “significant contribution”.
The firefighters are expected to be away for 42 days.
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