Feature Profiles
12 August, 2026
Braden in US fire team
TWO-DECADE forest firefighter Braden Pearce has been sent to the United States to assist in the battle to contain dozens of fires that have already destroyed more than two million hectares.
TWO-DECADE forest firefighter Braden Pearce has been sent to the United States to assist in the battle to contain dozens of fires that have already destroyed more than two million hectares.
Braden, of Inglewood, is a Bendigo-based Forest Fire Management Victoria senior forest and emergency management officer.
They years ago, Mr Pearce was also part an Australian team helping firefighters in Canada.
He is part of the latest international response that has seen FFMVic and Country Fire Authority staff first meet with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand in Sydney, before continuing to the US for a month-long deployment.
The deployment forms part of the Australian and New Zealand contingent supporting United States wildfire agencies under long-standing reciprocal international arrangements.
FFMVic firefighters and incident management staff are undertaking specialist operational roles including liaison officers, taskforce leaders, sector commanders, field safety officers, heavy plant and aviation operations managers.
Acting Emergency Management Commissioner, Therese Fitzgerald said: “Victoria’s specialist personnel have again answered the call to support our international partners as they tackle these significant wildfires.”
“Thank you to the firefighters, incident management teams, support staff and their families who have made sacrifices to support the United States in their time of need.”
FFMVic Chief Fire Officer, Chris Hardman said: “We are proud to support our US firefighting partners as they respond to increasingly challenging wildfire conditions. Our highly skilled personnel will contribute their expertise”
Read More: Inglewood