Major deployment of firefighters heading to the US this week
10 August 2026
A large contingent of firefighters will leave for the United States of America tomorrow (Tuesday) to support the response to wildfires in the north-west of the country.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is leading the deployment, which includes crews from the Department of Conservation, the forestry industry and the New Zealand Defence Force alongside volunteer and career firefighters and incident management personnel.
Fire and Emergency Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler says the diverse membership of the contingent reflects the strength of New Zealand’s firefighting capability and the longstanding relationships that underpin it.
Of the 57 personnel leaving this week, 43 are from Fire and Emergency, four from DOC, five from forestry companies and five from NZDF.
“New Zealand is better prepared when all of our firefighting partners train, exercise and deploy together,” Megan Stiffler says. “Having depth in our response capability to manage simultaneous large incidents in New Zealand requires specialist skills from across the sector.
“The strong relationships that enable that cooperation and coordination are on display as the members of our joint taskforce from around the country mobilise in preparation for their departure to the United States tomorrow.”
Jarron McInnes from Manulife in Rotorua, is deploying as a Crew Leader with the forestry sector’s specialist crew. He has previously deployed to fight wildfires in Canada and Australia and says that forestry-trained firefighters have worked with Fire and Emergency in overseas deployments for decades, bringing specialised chainsaw skills and expertise.
Forestry workers are tough and used to extreme conditions. “But it’s their chainsaw skills where they really shine – tree felling, cutting fire breaks and fire lines," Jarron McInnes says.
DOC’s Wildfire and Field Skills Manager Brent Swanson says DOC is pleased to send four experienced firefighters as part of the New Zealand team.
“The four DOC personnel have been selected based on their extensive wildfire suppression experience in New Zealand and internationally, as well as their specialist expertise in advanced and hazardous tree felling. It’s also a great opportunity for our crews to build on their experience and gain further learnings from our overseas colleagues, to improve our response to wildfires in New Zealand,” Brent Swanson says.
Staff Sergeant Matthew Anker, Fire Master at 4 Emergency Response Troop (Waiouru), says: “the deployment is closely aligned with what our soldiers train for. They are experienced in wildfire response and accustomed to operating in demanding environments as part of a coordinated multi-agency team.
“It is an opportunity for them to apply those skills in support of our international partners, while gaining further experience that will strengthen our response capability at home.”
Megan Stiffler says that a huge effort goes into sending a large deployment overseas. “Our deployment coordinators in each region have been working with our National Coordination Centre team for weeks to make sure that the people put forward for selection meet all the criteria to be eligible for a deployment. That includes checking their experience, qualifications and fitness align with the host country’s requirements and our own rigorous standards.
“Coordinating travel for 57 people from around the country is no easy task, and our logistics team in Auckland have been working for days to assemble the additional kit that the team needs to take with them.”
The team will be taking on multiple roles, ranging from firefighters and fire engine crews to chainsaw specialists, and including incident management roles such as helibase managers, logistics and liaison officers. The firefighters are experienced working in arduous conditions, including steep terrain and high temperatures, and living in fire camps in remote areas.
Two other deployments are already on the ground in the US and Canada, with five Incident Management personnel working on fires in Washington State and Oregon and six in British Columbia.
Megan Stiffler says that the experience gained working on large, complex fires is invaluable to New Zealand’s own rural firefighting and incident management capability.