Family sends three firefighters to Oz

Robyn Sullivan helps husband Mike and son Nathan, both rural firefighters, to pack for east Victoria where they will join son Kieran, who is already on the job. Photo / John Stone

A Whangarei woman has three reasons to feel concerned as the second contingent of Northland rural firefighters heads off to help fight bushfires in Australia.

Robyn Sullivan's husband Mike and son Nathan are heading off today to Orbost, in North east Victoria, where five of their Forest Protection Services colleagues are already stationed. One of those crew members is the Sullivan's other son Kieran, 22, who left Whangarei earlier this month with the first team headed by Kevin Ihaka.

The three Sullivan men all work for Forest Protection Services.

Mr Sullivan senior has been across the Tasman to help out in fire seasons several times and Nathan went last year too, but this was Kieran's first time, Mrs Sullivan said.

It is also the first time all three will be away at the same time fighting the Victoria fires.

"They're all very well trained, very professional firefighters," Mrs Sullivan said. "Kieran and Nathan have grown up with their dad working in the industry so they know what they're doing - and I know that - but, yes, I do feel a little bit anxious that they'll all be over there in that situation."

Before he left to join his workmates, Mr Sullivan senior told the Advocate that by all accounts the Northland team already in Victoria had been "performing very, very well". The others leaving today are Mark Scheele, Andrew Nepia and an Alaskan firefighter spending the off-season working in Northland, Ben Ferguson.

They'll be joining Mr Ihaka, Kieran Sullivan, and three American men working a season in Northland, Jacob Lind Kevin Kraatz and Forrest Hermans.

The New Zealand crews mostly work on hazard tree reduction, line cutting and burning out fallen growth to starve the fire's fuel, but have dealt with some "running fires", Mr Sullivan said.

Deployment across the Tasman offered Northland firefighters training a new set of skills, especially those working more with chainsaws and felling than happens with vegetation fires in New Zealand, he said.

"It's always good to challenge yourself with different types of fuel and techniques; it makes you a better all-round firefighter."

Fire Protection Services boss Kevin Ihaka said the task this time around had been the toughest he had been on due to heat and terrain, Mr Sullivan said.

His crew has stayed longer than first planned, and both crews were now expected to be back in Whangarei in early March.