NIFC Responds To Call For Firefighting Assistance From Australia

The National Interagency Fire Center has received a request for assistance from Australia in the wake of unprecedented fire activity in the southeastern part of the county. Wildfires there have claimed at least 200 lives in the past week.

The United States will send 60 wildfire specialists to Australia to meet this request. American specialists include wildland fire personnel with expertise in operations, planning and logistics. Two thirteen-person teams specializing in rehabilitating burned areas and one 20-person suppression team also will be sent.

The specialists, all from federal agencies, will come from throughout the United States. Their length of deployment will be up to 35 days.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to assist Australia during a difficult wildfire situation,” said Lyle Carlile, the fire director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at NIFC. Carlile chairs an interagency group at NIFC with the responsibility of coordinating national wildfire response.

“Since 2000, Australia has sent wildfire specialists several times to help the U.S. in some of our worst fire seasons. We are pleased that we can reciprocate,” he added.

For more information on how the U.S. and other countries work together on wildfire suppression, go to: http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/international_support.htm

For more information on the fires in Australia and on the U.S. response, go to: http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/logistics/internatl_support/index.htm