Kiwi firefighters in hot demand

More than a quarter of Kiwi firefighters deployed to help other countries since 2000 were required in the past year, and it could be down to climate change.

New Zealand firefighters are in hot demand to assist with international fires, as rising climate temperatures cause fires of higher intensity, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) chief executive Rhys Jones said.

Since 2000, 981 New Zealand firefighters have been requested to assist overseas, with 234 having been deployed to Australia, the United States and Canada within the 12 months ended in September.

Another 51 firefighters were deployed in November to assist with the wildfires raging through the Australian state of New South Wales over the past nine weeks.

A state of emergency has been declared over the fires, which have claimed four lives and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Climate change was affecting the operations of emergency services, as large wildfire events increased overseas, Jones said.

A warming climate could increase fire danger by creating drier conditions, hotter temperatures, higher wind speeds, lower humidity levels and more extreme weather.

In some areas, warmer air carried more moisture, which increased the likelihood of storms, Jones said.

‘‘This means on the front line it can take longer for the fire to be fully extinguished. And it is likely that over time there will be more available fuel for vegetation fires, [and] fires will burn with intensity and do more damage.’’

Host countries meet the cost of firefighters’ deployment overseas. Regarding the affect of climate change on New Zealand’s

Rhys Jones

Fenz chief executive

fire risk, Fenz was proposing to combine the leadership of urban and rural units for a more coordinated response to emergencies to reduce risk to life, property and the environment.

Fenz also worked with science agencies Niwa and Scion for weather forecasts and how conditions may affect fire danger.

‘‘Modelling by Scion suggests that climate change will elevate fire risk in many parts of New Zealand over the coming decades, but there will be some areas where increased rainfall will further reduce already low fire danger,’’ Jones said.

Whanga¯ rei firefighter Michael Ihaka, who went to New South Wales on Sunday, predicted the fires would be a ‘‘whole new ball game’’ with high winds, low humidity and dry fuel.

‘‘Modelling by Scion suggests that climate change will elevate fire risk in many parts of New Zealand over the coming decades’’