Local firefighters join the fight in Canada

Frans Mabitsela, a regional manager at Working on Fire (WoF) in Modimolle, was one of several Limpopo firefighters who were part of the crew of 600 firefighters sent to assist. The Mzanzi 2 Hotshots group flew to the city of Edmonton on Wednesday, June 14.

Record-setting wildfires have been raging in Canada since March with the current season seeing the largest area scorched in Canada’s recorded history. Firefighters from across the globe flew in to help.

Mabitsela, who is passionate about his job, says that he was excited when he got the call to go to Polokwane for a fitness and drug test to become part of the Hotshots team. After three days of preparation in Nelspruit, they boarded their 19-hour flight to Edmonton.

“It was an incredible experience. It was my first time on an aeroplane and Canada is vastly different from South Africa.”

On arrival, further training followed.

“We had to learn what to do when we encountered bears in the woods and were equipped with a bear whistle and spray. The firefighting procedure is different to how we combat fires in South Africa. In Canada, the tree roots burn, even though the ground below is freezing. We spent most of our time digging in the snow to get to the burning roots.”

Mabitsela was one of the strike team leaders.

The work was physically and mentally draining, with firefighters walking between 10 km and 20 km, often carrying equipment such as water pumps and hoses. Often the fires could not be accessed by vehicles and the teams would be dropped off by helicopter or have to trek in an unforgiving and treacherous terrain.

“We’ve gained so much knowledge and skills that we want to apply when we are fighting fires back home. The Canadians are very organized. We downloaded an app onto our phones, which indicated all the fires. Our team was then allocated to a specific fire and the app would show us the nearest water source to combat the fire. We would then have to rig our equipment to pump water from there to the fire.”

They encountered bears on three occasions at a distance of fewer than ten meters from the animal. We also came across a mountain lion and bison. It was, however, not the animals that posed the biggest danger.

“We were very wary of dangerous ash pits where the ground looks solid until you step on it and it gives way to a pit filled with hot ash. Falling trees was also a big hazard and one had to be on full alert at all times.”

Mabitsela is proud of his South African teammates.

“Our firefighters are very fit. Teams would often get two or three Canadian firefighters to guide them, but they would often complain that we should slow down as they could not keep up with our pace,” he laughed. “Firefighters from other countries often commented on us singing while we work. They said at the end of the day we were still singing as if our shifts had just started! They did not know that we kept singing to prevent us from missing home.”

Mabitsela says that he loves his job “too much”.

“Working on Fire has given me such great opportunities. I grew up in a poor village in Mpumalanga but wanted to improve my life. Since I’ve been at WoF, I’ve seen so many young people make use of this opportunity – some of them go on to join the police force or the military.”

OVERVIEW

Canada is currently facing one of its most disastrous fire seasons, with wildfires raging across eight provinces and the Northwest Territories. The devastating fires can be attributed to the hot and dry weather conditions, and Alberta has been the hardest-hit province, with 640 fires damaging approximately 1 447 million hectares since March 2023. At present 79 active fires are still burning. Canada has witnessed a total of 2 578 fires, with 461 active fires damaging over 5,2 million hectares of land. The province of Alberta has experienced evacuations that have affected over 30,000 people, and the extent of the damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure has been extensive. To combat these fires, the Canadian military and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre have mobilized additional resources.

The Mzanzi 2 Hotshots team heading to Canada will join the Mzanzi 1 Hotshots team – who were deployed on 3 June 2023 – working alongside Canadian firefighting agencies and local crews to help combat wildfires and protect affected areas.

The teams received specialized training in the use of water pumps and pump lines and adhered to Canadian fitness standards, each had to possess valid South African Yellow cards, and each firefighter was required to have at least three years of training and experience as a firefighter.

The international community has also rallied to support Canada in its battle against the wildfires. Already present in the country are firefighters from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France, Chile, Portugal, and France. The ongoing hot and dry weather conditions have contributed to the rapid spread of these fires, and federal fire officials warn that the situation is far from under control.

This South African crew deployment marks the fifth time that South Africa has sent firefighting resources and personnel to Canada, with previous deployments occurring in 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, and now in 2023. The collaboration between South Africa and Canada is governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that allows for the exchange of wildfire firefighting resources and firefighters.

Working on Fire is an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) aimed at providing work opportunities to young men and women. The Programme resides under, and is funded by, the Department of Environmental Affairs.

Participants are recruited from marginalized communities and trained in fire awareness and education, fire prevention, and fire suppression skills. In addition, they are also trained in skills such as first aid, carpentry, cooking, health and safety, and communications.