General News
4 August, 2025
Local firefighter returns from Canada deployment
A Yaapeet local and Forest and Fire Operations Officer in Rainbow, Macy Fuller, returned home two weeks ago after battling wildfires for five weeks in Alberta, Canada, as a general firefighter.
She was deployed to the Peace River fire district in northern Alberta, where she worked with her team on a fire in the Twin Lakes area.
“I was away from home for 5 weeks total, and in that time, we worked two 14-day shifts on the fire line and had three rest days in between,” she said.
“I went as a general firefighter, and I loved working in the forest that bordered farms and cropping land.
“It made me feel at home, especially when the canola started flowering.”
Ms Fuller was part of a crew of five firefighters of Forest Fire Management Victoria with whom she worked throughout the entire development.
The other members were Ash Spencer from Mildura, Cal Prest from Bendigo, Molly Tucci from Powelltown, and Tristan Laplace-Toulouse from Powelltown.
Ms Fuller registered her interest in a national resource-sharing database and was fortunate to be selected to represent the Mallee district alongside Ash from Mildura.
She was part of a group of 21 who were deployed from Forest Fire Management Victoria, comprising individuals from all parts of the state.
“We came from all corners of the state, most of the crew had never even met,” she said.
“We joined a contingent of nearly 100 firefighters from other agencies across Australia.”
Ms Fuller said that it’s been her dream to fight fires in Canada for years.
“When I was asked if I was able to go, I was happy to cancel a holiday or two, and miss out on a few rounds of footy to make the dream a reality,” she said.
“Canada was such a beautiful country, with kind and welcoming people and a gorgeous natural environment.
“I learnt so much about fire, forests and farming in Alberta from the locals we worked with.”
Ms Fuller said the highlight of the trip was sitting next to the pilot, and she will miss Alberta’s wildlife.
“It’s so hard to pick just one highlight from the trip, but one awesome moment was getting to sit up front with the pilot in a helicopter,” she said.
“Another was checking out a local farm and pioneer museum on a rest day, as it was so similar to home, while being uniquely Canadian.
“I will miss all the new plants and animals I got to see.
“I saw bears, tiger swallowtail butterflies, the Alberta wild rose, Aspen Poplar trees, and beavers, and it was amazing being able to pick and eat wild raspberries and strawberries.”
Ms Fuller’s daily commute to the fire line was by helicopter, which meant they had to be completely self-sufficient as soon as they stepped into the machine.
“I carried around 6L of drinking water on my back every day, and enough snacks to survive an apocalypse,” she said.
“We had no utes to hide in, so we had to be prepared for weather changes with tarps, raincoats and warm clothing.”
Ms Fuller gave a notable message for the adventurous firefighters across the region.
“Keep an eye out for our Seasonal Firefighter recruitment campaign, and apply,” she said.
“When I started as a seasonal firefighter in 2022, I never could’ve imagined I’d be deployed to Canada just a few years later.”
