Hay SES logistics specialist deployed to assist in Canadian wildfires
By Tertia Butcher
Hay SES logistics specialist, Aileen Honeyman has been deployed to Alberta to assist with supply coordination alongside Canadian firefighters for five weeks.
Having honed her logistics knowledge while employed by National Parks and Wildlife Service and as an SES volunteer, Aileen was looking forward to using her current skills, and learning new ones.
“It is always a great learning opportunity to work alongside highly skilled and trained people from other organisations,” Aileen said before her departure last week.
"The highly skilled group that have been deployed before me will be able to provide sound knowledge on what’s going on, and working alongside them will be highly beneficial for anyone to gain experience working on deployment.”
Aileen will be sourcing, securing and coordinating everything from personnel, and resources on the ground, to accommodation, food and water for frontline firefighters.
“It’s very fast paced, and you have to think on your feet a lot of the time to get things done efficiently and effectively,” she said.
Aileen is part of a second Australian and New Zealand contingent, which includes emergency service personnel from NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Forestry Corporation of NSW and the NSW State Emergency Service.
The Canadian wildfires began in March and increased in intensity early this month.
There are currently 400 wildfires burning out of control in what has become Canada’s worst-ever fire season with nearly three million hectares of land scorched.
