As record-breaking fires consumed huge sections of the Canadian province of Alberta, Wade Smith VK1MIC, was preparing for an activation that would take him into the heart of the destruction. As captain of the communications brigade in the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, Wade responded to Canada's request by traveling from Sydney with the Australian contingent. Wade added his specialised skills in air radio and dispatch to assist the joint Australian-Albertan Incident Management Team operating in the remote northern region of Alberta.
Facing the challenge of several large fires raging, Wade and his team handled more than 500 radio calls daily. The fire-fighting effort mustered more than 20 aircraft involved in operations across several large fires.
Wade, who is also the VK1 SOTA Association Manager, said his years of SOTA experience have served as great practice for staying focused, handling several stations at once and managing fast-moving communications pile-ups. He said " "These same skills are directly transferable to coordinating air operations under pressure." The fires posed hazards on the ground locally as well as for the air quality in much of North America. Weather experts attribute the conditions in the region to an ongoing trend of dry, warm conditions that have been worsened by the global climate crisis.