A group of 62 Jalisco firefighters were given a warm welcome back in Guadalajara this week after spending 41 days battling forest fires in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Greeting the 61 men and one woman as they descended from the plane were Jalisco Environment Secretary Magdalena Ruiz Mejia and Francis Uy, the Canadian Consul in Guadalajara.
“I wish to sincerely thank the state of Jalisco for their support in making these brigadistas available to travel to Canada,” Uy told the Reporter.
Uy explained that in 1999 Jalisco and Alberta formalized a twinning relationship that includes cooperation in agriculture, resource development, tourism, education and training. Since then, they have signed 15 further agreements on mutual cooperation in rural, forestry, education, health and economic development.
“The long history of cooperation between Jalisco and Alberta has been the result of a strong relationship in many sectors and is currently serving as a model for other government initiatives,” Uy said.
To date more than 80 Jalisco brigadistas have been trained and certified to international standards in Alberta and have shared their knowledge to colleagues in Jalisco, Uy said.
The first group of Jalisco firefighters traveled to Alberta in July 2012 to provide support in fighting forest fires.
All the firefighters’ transportation, accommodation and food expenses were covered by the Alberta government.