USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) arrived in Haifa, Israel on December 5. The DART, which includes a National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) team with fire management experts from the U.S. Forest Service, is currently working alongside their Israeli counterparts at the command center at Haifa University.
The USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) discusses aerial firefighting support with local responders. The DART, which includes a National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) team with fire management experts from the U.S. Forest Service, is currently working alongside their Israeli counterparts at the command center at Haifa University. Photo Credit: USAID
We wanted to be get necessary fire suppression supplies to Israel as soon as possible so our logisticians immediately adjusted our purchase order based on market availability. The USAID cargo flight, carrying approximately 27 metric tons (MT) of Fire-Trol retardant and 22 MT of Fire-Trol fire foam, landed in Israel at approximately 9:45 pm local time on December 5. The USAID-charted aircraft, which originated in Italy, also transported 20 MT of Italian-donated fire foam.
In addition, a U.S. C-130 aircraft from U.S. European Command (EUCOM) delivered 3,800 gallons of fire retardant concentrate to Israel on December 5. On December 4, two U.S. C-130s from EUCOM delivered a total of 20 short tons of fire retardant to Israel.
The latest information indicates that the fires will soon be under control, and we commend the Government of Israel for leading and coordinating an extraordinary international effort to suppress the deadly wildfires. The USAID DART continues to work alongside their Israeli counterparts, and we stand prepared to provide additional assistance to support the Government of Israel if needed.
