Photograph: the firefighters before leaving to the US. Photograph by Itzhak Offer

Firefighters from Hadera firefighting station, who played a central role in putting out the fire at the Carmel forest, will leave on Saturday (March 19th) for a professional visit to firefighting stations in the US, under the auspices of Partnership 2000 Hadera-Eiron-S.E. Consortium of the Jewish Agency.

During the visit they will undergo training on progressive firefighting training facilities, participate in putting out local fires and be hosted by the Jewish communities of Ft. Myers Florida, Knoxville, Tennessee and Charlotte, North Carolina, who desire to express their identification with the citizen of Israel following that mega fire.

Hadera firefighting station is responsible for the south-western side of the Carmel forest. Several weeks ago, the firefighters of this station had to cope with the mega fire that broke out in the Carmel, together with firefighting teams from stations all over the country and volunteers from around the world.
Following the fire, the Jewish communities in the US decided to invite the Hadera and Eiron firefighters for a professional visit in the American firefighting stations. The visit is organized by the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000 program, which connects Jewish communities around the world with Israeli regions.

The American firefighters that will host their Israeli counterparts, would like to hear from them about the professional experience in Israel in firefighting in general, and the challenges dealing with the mega fire in the Carmel National Park. They will show the visiting firefighters their innovative systems, as well as their training facilities and simulators. The Israeli firefighters will also join the American firefighting shifts and assist in putting out local fires.

Out of the 41 professional firefighters in the station, chosen for the delegation were: the assistant station chief, Offer Ithzaki; the operations chief Rami Halfon; the team manager Oz Shwilli and the firefighter Ma'ayan Shpirer. The delegation will be escorted by Colonel (reserve) Elisha Hossman, partnership volunteer and former Hadera-Eiron Partnership chair.