Potchefstroomers part of 200 firefighters and 15 management that left SA for Canada

Work on Fire Programme (WOF) firefighters and managers left the province on Tuesday 30 May to start training at Kishugu before they left Alberta, Canada, on Saturday, 3 June 2023 as part of a fire suppression mission organized by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.

Potchefstroom-based firefighters Papi Jeremiya Keedetswe and Ariel Koagi Gaotlhaelwe, who are part of the WOF Castello and Boskop team, are also on the team that jetted off. A total of 15 skilled firefighters from the 200 #Manzi1 WOF firefighters are from the North West province.

#MZANZI1 departed from the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) on a chartered aircraft, on a deployment expected to last for 35 days. Alberta has already experienced more than 550 wildfires this season, significantly damaging property and infrastructure and displacing thousands of people. Evacuation orders have been put in place in many areas.

The Working on Fire’s #Manzi1 team underwent intensive three-day refresher training at the Kishugu Training Academy in Mbombela, Mpumalanga before heading off to Canada.

This marks the fifth deployment of a Working on Fire (WOF) team to Canada, a testament to the strong partnership established between the two nations. The request for urgent assistance came from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) in terms of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and South Africa.

The MOU signed in 2019, provides for the exchange of wildland fire management resources. It was put in place following two earlier deployments to Canada to suppress wildfires in Alberta and Manitoba. In 2021, the Manitoba government thanked the Working On Fire firefighters for their assistance in fighting extreme wildfires in the province.

The firefighters were praised for their “professionalism and dedication to their jobs, as well as great team spirit shown through their colourful marching, chanting and singing at Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg upon their arrival, and when moving through the communities where they were deployed.

”A second team, #MZANZI2, comprising 200 firefighters and 13 managers, will join #Mzansi1 in about a week’s time, further strengthening the firefighting operations in Alberta.

For media inquiries, contact:

Trevor Abrahams (Project Manager: Working On Fire – Kishugu JV) trevor.abrahams@wofire.co.za or +27 82 557 5069

Hasina Kathrada (Communication and Marketing Executive: Working On Fire – Kishugu JV) hasina.kathrada@wofire.co.za or +27 83 786 3608

Linton Rensburg (Stakeholder Relations Manager: Working On Fire – Kishugu JV) linton.rensburg@wofire.co.za or +27 82 508 0990

Dineo Letsholo (North West Communications Officer: Working on Fire- Kishugu JV) maria.letsholo@wofire.co.za or +27 60 458 7138