Australia and New Zealand fire personnel arriving in Boise to help fight US wildfires

Up to 250 fire specialists from Australia and New Zealand are arriving in Boise this week to help fight wildfires across the Western United States. 

Idaho governor, Forest Service chief say significant wildfires are stretching resources thin

The incoming fire specialists began arriving Tuesday, and will participate in orientation and national situation briefings Friday and Saturday at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, officials with the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group announced Monday afternoon.

“Wildfire response is strengthened through trusted international partnerships,” National Multi- Agency Coordinating Group Chair Chuck Russell said in a statement. “Australia and New Zealand have been valued partners for decades, and their willingness to once again provide experienced personnel demonstrates the strength of our shared commitment to protecting lives, communities, and natural resources. Their expertise will provide important depth to our national firefighting capability during a period of continued high demand.”

The incoming fire personnel have experience with incident management operations, planning, logistics, fireline leadership, communications and staffing engine support, U.S. officials said.
Once they arrive and receive orientations and briefings, the Australian and New Zealand fire personnel will be assigned work alongside federal, Tribal, state and local firefighters from the U.S.

Idaho, much of the West is experiencing significant wildfire activity

During a visit to Idaho on Friday, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Idaho Gov. Brad Little said firefighting resources are stretched thin because significant wildfires are burning across the Western United States.

When they announced this week’s arrival of fire personnel from Australia and New Zealand, officials with the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group highlighted long standing partnerships between the United States, Australia and New Zealand to provide assistance to each other during significant wildfire activity. 

U.S. officials said this week’s arrival of outside fire personnel follows an early deployment of Australian and New Zealand fire personnel who arrived in July and are assisting with the wildfire response across the Western U.S. 

“The United States has a long history of exchanging wildfire personnel with Australia and New Zealand, allowing each country to support the other during their respective fire seasons,” officials with the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group said. “These partnerships enhance operational capability while strengthening professional relationships and the exchange of wildfire management knowledge and best practices. All international personnel are fully qualified under U.S. wildfire standards and will be embedded within established incident command structures throughout the duration of their assignments. The National Wildfire Preparedness Level remains at 5, the highest level, reflecting continued competition of firefighting resources nationwide.