Katanning Volunteer Fire and Rescue Brigade volunteer firefighter Aron Burnett returns from Canadian battle

After decades of service in his hometown, a Katanning volunteer firefighter realised his long-harboured dream earlier this year when he was sent to help fight wildfires in the Canadian province of Alberta. Aron Burnett, who has served in the Katanning Volunteer Fire and Rescue Brigade since he was 17, has fought bushfires all across the State in his 20 years of service, but always held onto the goal of international deployment. That dream was achieved in June when he, alongside 20 other WA firefighters and Parks and Wildlife staff, received the call-up to assist in battling fires near Bison Lake and Keg River in Alberta. “It was very exciting to get the call-up,” he said. “It was my first international deployment and something I’d been working towards for a handful of years. “It was an incredible experience.” Mr Burnett, who normally works as a high school lab technician, was deployed for 35 days, every day being helicoptered from camp in and out of the two fire grounds. The leading firefighter said it “took some getting used to” the Canadian way of firefighting. “In Australia we use trucks to carry our equipment and water; in Canada you have to carry your own equipment and find your own water,” he said. “The landscape is muskeg ground, really muddy and wet underneath, so the terrain and landscape is a bit different than Katanning, though the fire behaviour was pretty similar. “I picked up a couple of tricks and a couple of different ways to do things, though — they have a particular hose roll called a melon roll, which makes it easy to carry five, six hoses on your back. “I’ll be teaching the guys about that one.” Australian crews served as the incident management teams, meaning Mr Burnett and his fellow Aussie firefighters participated in every aspect from initial frontline control and containment to the post blaze mop-up. Alongside personnel, Australian software was also utilised in fighting the Canadian wildfires, with the Emergency WA warning system app rolled out for use in Manitoba. Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Darren Klemm said the rollout and the firefighter deployments were a credit to WA’s expertise. “The fact Manitoba chose to adopt the DFES Emergency WA technology, as well as embracing our leading expertise in the critical field of public information, shows how highly regarded WA is internationally in the emergency services sector,” he said. “WA firefighters are also renowned worldwide for their expertise in managing destructive fires in difficult terrain and have provided much-needed relief to Canadian crews on the frontline.” Mr Burnett said he would “absolutely be keen” for another international deployment and encouraged others to put their name down. “It was a really exciting experience and I know a couple of the young guys at (Katanning VFRS) are looking into it now,” he said. “I did tell them they would have to beat my pack test time, though.” Candidates have to have four years experience, and be able to pass a medical and fitness test, wherein they carry a 20kg pack for 4.5km within 45 minutes.