WELLINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) is sending two health teams to Australia to support the Australian Defense Force (ADF), as it battles bushfires in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, Defense Minister Ron Mark said on Friday.
The Health Care Team will provide medical support to the troops, while the Environmental Health Team will work with the NZDF Combat Engineers to continually monitor conditions and assess risks to personnel, Mark said in a statement.
"Hopefully these latest additions to the range of skills and resources that we're putting on the ground alongside our Australian friends and colleagues will both provide direct assistance and enable ADF personnel to get some much-needed respite," he said.
This latest contingent is in addition to the three Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopters and crew and two New Zealand Army Combat Engineer Sections deployed since Monday.
The NZDF is also operating a C-130 aircraft, crew and support team out of Richmond Air Force base near Sydney, and two air load teams are supporting tasks throughout Australia, according to the defense minister.
The latest contingent will travel to Kangaroo Island in South Australia on Saturday, bringing the number of NZDF personnel supporting the ADF to 112, he said.
