Canadians lend a hand delivering fire retardant

Approximately 29 tonnes of fire retardant was delivered to RAAF Base Richmond on 1 February 2020 by a Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177A Globemaster – the Canadian designation for the C-17A.

CAPTION: A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177A sits on the RAAF Base Richmond flightline after delivering fire retardant from the USA to replenish Australian stocks. Photo by Corporal David Said.

RELATED STORIES: Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20

The fire retardant was collected from Nellis Air Force Base in the United States and follows similar trans-Pacific airlifts by RAAF aircraft to rebuild Australian stocks consumed during the 2019-20 bushfire season.

The airlift forms part of the Canadian Armed Forces ‘Operation Renaissance’ to provide disaster relief assistance to foreign governments and will was coordinated as part of the Australian Defence Force’s own Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20.

Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20 is the Australian Defence Force’s support to the national Bushfire emergency.

The ADF is working alongside other government agencies to coordinate and ensure Defence assets are deployed to communities where they are needed.

ADF is providing air and ground transport, route clearance, logistics, engineering, aviation support and accommodation support to the firefighting and recovery effort.

International partners have also contributed to the response effort with personnel from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, USA and Indonesia operating alongside their Australia counterparts to assist during this emergency.

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