Dozens of firefighters from Alberta Wildfire are headed to Oregon to help battle out of control wildfires that are ravaging the U.S. Pacific Coast.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Alberta Wildfire said 45 firefighters from across the province are headed south as part of an international partnership for sharing resources.
“They will be following strict COVID-19 protocols in the U.S. and once they return,” the department said.
Speaking with Global News on Tuesday, wildfire information officer Travis Fairweather said the first 14 wildland firefighters left Tuesday for Pendleton, and the remaining 31 firefighter sand support staff are destined for Redmond.
“Whenever the wildfire hazard is low here, we’re happy to share resources with our partners, both nationally and internationally,” he said.
Fairweather said COVID-19 protocols will include daily screening, frequent wiping down of vehicles, maintaining physical distance from others and wearing face masks.
He added a firefighters’ deployment of this kind typically last 14 days, but they could extend if needed.