US wildfire deployment gives local Forestry Corporation staff experience and enthusiasm

Trent joined fellow Forestry Corporation of NSW officer Andrew Condie and 138 other Australian and New Zealand firefighters to help protect the American west coast from devastating wildfires.

He was based in the Washington state area over the last five weeks, initially working on heavy equipment coordination and later managing forest crews.

The Australian contingency from NSW saw staff from NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW and Forestry Corporation sent to help with the bushfire response.

“The deployment was an amazing opportunity and am grateful for Forestry Corporation to be able to participate,” Mr Froud said.

“The trip has given me a new perspective on how we approach firefighting locally. While the experience reinforced that what we are doing here is as good as anywhere, there are new initiatives and ideas I want to explore.”

The camaraderie in the deployment team and community support were fantastic, said Mr Froud.

“The wildfire response was such a positive experience. We had a common goal to stop the fires and, regardless of country or background, we worked hard and long to meet this goal,” Mr Froud said.

“People were stopping us in the street to hug us and say thanks. They firstly appreciated that we were there as firefighters, but secondly had travelled so far to help them.

“I was grateful to have the opportunity to represent Forestry Corporation and Australia on the fireground. People valued what we could bring and it reflects well on our firefighting capability.”

Forestry Corporation is one of four firefighting authorities in NSW and is responsible for managing fire in more than 2.2 million hectares of native and planted forest.