It’s that time of year again when all the weeks seem to roll into one, and Christmas will be here before we know it.
Your local fire force has had an extremely busy year to date with 16 calls for the fire appliance and 13 calls for the water tanker. We currently have very good attendance of members, both to training (every Wednesday night) and to call-outs. Ensuring everyone gets an opportunity to attend an incident is proving difficult given that we respond to most call-outs within two to three minutes, and those who live further from the station obviously need more time to arrive. I would like to acknowledge and thank my crews for their diligence in responding to the call-outs.
We are again pursuing a new or new-ish appliance to replace our aging “Dodge” which is becoming unviable to maintain. Hopefully, with the Council’s assistance, both financially and administratively, this will eventuate in the near future.
In October, myself and John Reihana from RDC attended the “Seasonal Firefighters” boot camp. Attendance at these annual “camps” ensures a placement on the register for deployments. After attending the Kaimaumau fire in Northland earlier this year, we have found the experience gained from these deployments to be very beneficial for both our local crews as well as for inter-departmental unity between the Rural Fire Authorities.
On Sunday, 21 November, the fire force assisted the Lake Okareka Pre-school with their inaugural “Flying Trout Challenge”. It’s good for local community organisations to be able to support each other. Thank you to those members who sacrificed their Sunday to make the fire force’s contribution to the day possible.
As the summer season approaches, please be aware of the local fire restrictions and abide by them accordingly. After such a wet winter, spring growth will provide an abundance of fuel come mid-summer. These fine fuels are easy to ignite allowing fire to travel rapidly. In total fire ban situations, it is paramount to report any signs of smoke immediately.
For anyone who is interested in joining the brigade or wanting to contact us, please don’t hesitate to phone me on 362 8874.
Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer
Your local fire force has had an extremely busy year to date with 16 calls for the fire appliance and 13 calls for the water tanker. We currently have very good attendance of members, both to training (every Wednesday night) and to call-outs. Ensuring everyone gets an opportunity to attend an incident is proving difficult given that we respond to most call-outs within two to three minutes, and those who live further from the station obviously need more time to arrive. I would like to acknowledge and thank my crews for their diligence in responding to the call-outs.
We are again pursuing a new or new-ish appliance to replace our aging “Dodge” which is becoming unviable to maintain. Hopefully, with the Council’s assistance, both financially and administratively, this will eventuate in the near future.
In October, myself and John Reihana from RDC attended the “Seasonal Firefighters” boot camp. Attendance at these annual “camps” ensures a placement on the register for deployments. After attending the Kaimaumau fire in Northland earlier this year, we have found the experience gained from these deployments to be very beneficial for both our local crews as well as for inter-departmental unity between the Rural Fire Authorities.
On Sunday, 21 November, the fire force assisted the Lake Okareka Pre-school with their inaugural “Flying Trout Challenge”. It’s good for local community organisations to be able to support each other. Thank you to those members who sacrificed their Sunday to make the fire force’s contribution to the day possible.
As the summer season approaches, please be aware of the local fire restrictions and abide by them accordingly. After such a wet winter, spring growth will provide an abundance of fuel come mid-summer. These fine fuels are easy to ignite allowing fire to travel rapidly. In total fire ban situations, it is paramount to report any signs of smoke immediately.
For anyone who is interested in joining the brigade or wanting to contact us, please don’t hesitate to phone me on 362 8874.
Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer
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