The South African government welcomes the good work of the fire fighters that were deployed to Canada to assist that country fight wildlands fires.
Late last week, the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa dispatched a mediator from Working on Fire, Mr Trevor Abrahams to Canada to assist in resolving the dispute between the management of implementing agent Working on Fire (WoF) and a team of fire fighters.
Mr Abrahams and a high level management team from WoF accompanied by the South African High Commissioner to Canada, Mr Membathisi Mdladlana, met with the fire-fighters to address their concerns.
Their engagement was aimed at ensuring that through negotiations there is a normalisation of the situation and resolution to their dispute so that the fire fighters continue with their deployment to suppress wildfires in the Canadian state of Alberta or return safely home owing to change of weather condition where it started raining heavily. The mediation regarding continuation of the suppression of fire was no longer necessary owing to weather conditions in both Fort McMurray and Edmonton where it has been raining heavily, and therefore meaning that the number of international fire fighters from other countries had to return home.
The team has therefore been demobilised. The 301 fire fighters and management from the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Working on Fire are expected back in South Africa tomorrow.
“We remain immensely proud of our well-trained firefighters who have done excellent work over a number of years, which has been recognised by the international fire fighting community,” says Minister Molewa.
The successful team was instrumental in fighting the fires in our country and saved lives, especially during the worst-recorded veldfires that ravaged the Western Cape last year.
“Following successful discussions, between the fire fighters and the high-level Working on Fire (WoF) team that we had dispatched to Canada, they have agreed to their demobilisation and to return back home to South Africa, said Mrs Edna, Minister for Environmental Affairs.
“We call upon the nation not to condemn the fire fighters. Condemning them for disappointing us can only demoralise them despite their successful track-record. Upon their arrival at home, we will engage with them to adopt appropriate mechanisms through which they could raise any legitimate concerns in future, should they have any.” said Minister Molewa.
The management of WoF has assured them there will be an internal inquiry to ascertain what could have led to the dispute in Canada.
“Rest assured, our number one priority is and always was around the well-being of our fire fighters and to ensure the longevity of the Working on Fire programme,” said Minister Molewa.
Government, through Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, will continue to engage directly with the Canadian government to establish an over-arching Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set parameters within which the two implementing agencies should work together in the future. We will also ensure that there is a concomitant implementation plan for the implementing agencies in South Africa and Canada.
We look forward to receiving our fire fighters and that they will continue with their good work at home.
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