Cheshire firefighters deployed to flood-hit Mozambique to assist in rescue mission

The image shows Firefighter Daz Roberts (left) and Crew Manager Ant Naylor (right). Daz is based at Lymm Fire Station, while Ant is based at Knutsford Fire Station.

Two Cheshire firefighters have been deployed to Mozambique as part of the UK International Search and Rescue (UKISAR) team responding to catastrophic flooding across the country. They are part of a 36-strong specialist team mobilised through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to provide urgent search and rescue support.

Crew Manager Ant Naylor and Firefighter Daz Roberts left the UK on 21 January, alongside 27 other specially trained team members, joining seven UKISAR personnel already on the ground. The deployment follows Mozambique’s declaration of a national emergency over devastating flooding, which is estimated to have impacted over 500,000 people.

Speaking ahead of their departure, Daz said: “We’re feeling some trepidation about heading into a natural disaster zone because we don’t fully know what we’re going into at this moment.” Ant added: “This is what we’ve trained for, and we’re ready to do everything we can to support the people who need our help.”

Both firefighters have undergone extensive specialist training to prepare for emergencies of this scale. Daz, who has served with the Cheshire ISAR team for eight years, has previously taken part in international training in Switzerland, Singapore and Sweden.

Ant, who has been part of the team for two years, has also completed international training exercises in Switzerland. Both continue to undertake regular training alongside colleagues from fire and rescue services across the country. Their specialist skills in water rescue are among the capabilities being utilised in this deployment.

UKISAR operates under the National Fire Chiefs Council’s National Resilience programme and remains on permanent standby to respond to international disasters. The team will provide technical search and rescue skills, support local emergency services and help to save lives in communities hit hardest by the disaster.