The Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, is extending a heartfelt thank you to firefighting personnel from outside Newfoundland and Labrador upon completion of their deployment to support forest fire suppression efforts in the Bay d’Espoir region. The final group to return home were 20 firefighters and one Agency Representative from Nova Scotia, who concluded their 14-day deployment on Monday, August 29.
Wildland firefighters performed front-line fire-fighting on the Paradise Lake and Bay d’Espoir Highway forest fires.
This latest departure of forest fire fighting personnel is occurring in response to a reduction in challenges and risks. The Paradise Lake forest fire is currently 50 per cent contained, the Bay d’Espoir Highway forest fire is 70 per cent contained and the Southern Lake Access Road forest fire is under control. Crews from the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture continue to actively monitor for hotspots.
In addition to support from Nova Scotia, other provinces, departments and agencies have also provided critical support. This includes four water bombers and 15 personnel from Quebec, one Safety Officer from Prince Edward Island, five personnel from Parks Canada and a Logistic Section Chief from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
Requests for assistance are administered through the CIFFC Mutual Aid Resource Sharing agreement. This agreement between provinces provides for the sharing of forest firefighting resources where required throughout the country.
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“A sincere and heartfelt thanks to our neighbours from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec for their assistance in our time of need. The forest fires in Central Newfoundland have been extremely challenging and demanding on personnel and resources. This support provided crucial relief to local firefighting crews and made a significant contribution to fire suppression efforts. I also wish to thank our Newfoundland and Labrador crews for their ongoing efforts fighting fires throughout the province.”
Honourable Derrick Bragg
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture
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