DEEP sends crew to help Canada with wildfires
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Forestry Division has mobilized a crew to help with wildfires in Quebec, Canada.
DEEP announced Friday that the division mobilized a six-person wildland firefighting crew to help with the fires. The six are from the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew (CIFC) and joined wildland firefighters from Maine and New Hampshire.
The crew left Friday and is the second crew to be deployed to help with wildfires. The first crew, of 19 also belonging to CIFC, along with one from Rhode Island, was sent to help quell the Salmon Fire in Oregon.
The latest crew will travel to Val-d’Or, Quebec. The smoky skies the state saw the last few days were from fires in Ontario and Minnesota, but DEEP said their work is integral to help Canada’s strained firefighting resources.
Acting DEEP Commissioner Emma Cimino said that DEEP was happy to help our international neighbors.
Given the recent poor air quality in Connecticut, which is directly a result of Canadian wildfires, this deployment in particular is a reminder of the regional impact these wildfires can have,” said Cimino. “We are grateful to every firefighter who volunteered for this assignment, and we wish them a safe and successful deployment in Quebec.”
Connecticut maintains this firefighting capability to participate in a reciprocal aid program operated by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. All state agency expenses directly associated with these deployments are reimbursed to the State in full by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.
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