Martu rangers work alongside WA fire crews

In October 2020, Martu rangers from Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) joined the Wildlife Service WA (PWS) Swan Coastal District fire crew for a week of back-burning, cultural exchange, and partnership building. 

“It was good to go down and mix with another fire mob, that parks mob, and see how they work,” said Martu ranger, Errol Samson. 

2020 is the third year that Martu rangers from the Great Sandy and Little Sandy deserts have travelled south to work alongside the PWS crew in the semi-rural outskirts of Perth. It is the first year that rangers from the women’s team have joined the trip. 

“It was a really good trip. We jumped on with the ladies down there, they were really friendly,” said Martu ranger, Cassandra Nanudie.

Experienced with prescribed burning in the desert, the Martu rangers were keen to try out new equipment and techniques. 

“We tried out that flame-thrower and hopped on the trucks and used that water cannon too,” said Errol Samson. 

The two crews worked in the banksia woodlands north of Perth undertaking tightly controlled asset protection burns in preparation for the summer bushfire season. 

The skills learnt will complement the Martu rangers extensive traditional fire knowledge and will be shared with their colleagues in Martu communities. 

The trip builds on the strong fire-management partnership developed between KJ and the PWS over the last 10 years. 

Each year Leigh Sage, Swan Coastal District Fire Coordinator, travels north to assist the Martu rangers with the implementation of Bushfire Risk Management Plans for the Martu communities, as well as protection burns around critical threatened species habitat and cultural sites. 

“The partnership is a fantastic example of two-way fire work. The expertise provided by the PWS compliments the traditional fire knowledge of the Martu elders, the extensive experience of the Martu rangers, and their incredible knowledge of their country,” said KJ’s Fire Officer, Daniel Johanson. “By working together, we successfully protect the important cultural, ecological, and physical assets on Martu country.”

Both the Martu rangers and the PWS fire crew are keen for the work to continue and another trip to Perth is already being planned for 2021!