Blog Archives - Lake Okareka Volunteer Fire Brigade

US and Canadian Deployments

31/8/2018

Our personnel in the United States and Canada are now well into the second rotations of their deployments.

The US contingent has been concentrated on the two biggest fires in California; the Mendocino Complex and Carr Fires with two personnel assigned to the Crescent Mountain Fire in Washington.

Our Canadian crews are spread over a larger number of fires with the southern and northern most almost 2000km apart.

Personnel in both countries report trying, but fascinating conditions. The sheer scale of what they are dealing with is unlike anything we encounter here. The experience will be invaluable for them and us in the future.

A strong focus is being maintained on safety. Without constant attention it is possible to become overly comfortable with extreme conditions that have already claimed several lives in the US.

In both countries the public response to our deployments has been extremely positive. Our people are generating a huge amount of goodwill for Fire and Emergency in particular and for New Zealand in general.

The professional reaction has been equally positive. To quote from the fire ground assessment of our Grand Forks crews by British Columbian officials: “Awesome professional crew. We could all learn from the professional conduct and workmanship of this tight crew. Solid.”

Canada Deployment Newsletter 2

27/8/2018

Kia ora koutou,

Greetings from British Columbia. There’s nothing like a couple of weeks battling fires in the wilderness to appreciate the comforts of civilisation.

Our first 14-day rotation in British Columbia ended on Wednesday morning NZ time and we’re now taking the opportunity to rest up in the very comfortable hotels our hosts have put us in, do some much-needed washing and blast out a few tunes. Strangely the feedback on our karaoke skills has not matched the feedback about our firefighting.

The Canadians love our work ethos and good humour; they’re not as complimentary about our singing.

By the time you read this we’ll be heading out to see what awaits us on our second rotation. The first stint featured a lot of mopping up as we brought uncontrolled fires under control. However, that could change if the weather changes as forecast.

The smoke from the more than 500 fires burning in BC has been keeping relative humidity up and temperatures down. But if the skies clear and the winds come up relative humidity will drop and we’ll get an increase in fire behaviour.

In that case we anticipate a shift from mopping up operations, where we’ve had considerable success, to initial attack on new fires.

It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that the conditions here are tough and will get even tougher if temperatures increase, but we’re thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to develop our skills, work alongside BC’s terrific firefighters and contractors, and see otters, beavers, bears and porcupines in the wild.

We wouldn’t wish a repeat of these fires on anyone, but if Canada is hit again next year, a few of the team have already signaled their availability to come back.

The Front-line Photos

California Deployment Newsletter 2

22/8/2018

Greetings from California

One rotation done; one to go. As you read this we’re mid-way through two days of R&R in Roseville, a small city about a 30-minute drive from Sacramento.

It’s been an opportunity to rest up, reflect and recharge, but the first priority was a beer, a shower and bed - not necessarily in that order. Who’d have thought the prospect of clean sheets and clean air would be so alluring?

After almost two weeks on the frontline we’ve started to become accustomed to the extreme conditions here, but the scale of the fires we’re fighting still takes your breath away.

The Mendocino Complex Fire has now burnt almost 400,000 acres. The fire front is spread over 90,000 acres. The Carr Fire has burnt more than 225,000 acres and the Crescent Mountain Fire in Washington, to which two of our people have been deployed, has consumed about 24,000 acres.

We live in camps that have everything needed to provision thousands of firefighters. (Most of us are now over the novelty of cooked breakfasts served by local prison inmates and go straight for the self service fruit bar). Smoke and dust are a constant, but the experience is invaluable.

The scale of the firefighting operations is as impressive as the scale of the fires – DC10 jet planes dumping 8000 gallons of water at a time, Chinook twin rotor and Black Hawk helicopters, and hose lines up to 6000 feet in length.

The public remain extremely appreciative. A bridge near our camp is bedecked with thank you signs and there are free food stalls for firefighters on street corners.

It’s also been a treat to work with firefighters from other parts of the world. Firefighters are cut from the same cloth everywhere and we work well together. Of course, we’re particularly enjoying the opportunity to commiserate with our Aussie mates about an event that took place at ANZ stadium in Sydney on Saturday evening. Go the ABs at Eden Park on Saturday!

here exactly we end up will depend on what’s happened with the fires while we’ve been away on a break, but chances are it’ll be the same vicinity. These beasts will keep burning till the weather changes. Our job is to help contain them till that happens.

Messages of thanks:

“Dear Australian and New Zealand Firefighters, we heard in the newspaper about you all coming to the US to help fight wildfires. Even though our small town is not in any danger right now, it could be at any time. So we just want you all to know how much we appreciate you leaving your own home to come half way across the world to help.

We assisted 'down under' & New Zealand some years ago & we were so welcomed. We loved being there & think of the people we met often. So we also feel a kinship with you and send over very sincere hopes and prayers for a safe & successful trip for each and every one of you!” - Pat & Harry, Loomis California

“Dear New Zealand firefighters, on behalf of my family and friends affected by the Carr Fire in Shasta/Trinity counties, California: Thank you for coming to help us. We appreciate your willingness to come to California, and pray for your safe return to New Zealand. To the families of the fire fighters- I can assure you from first-hand experience that firefighters are treated like royalty on the West Coast. Our lives and property are on the line, and we greatly value their hard work and dedication.” Sent via Facebook

'Spike' In Women Applying To Fire and Emergency National Training Centre

18/8/2018

Taja Smith, left, and Nicole Matuschka started their training in Rotorua in July. Photo/Stephen Parker

More women than ever are applying to be paid firefighters with Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

The current round of recruitment closes on Monday morning, and so far 118 women have completed applications to spend three months at the Fire and Emergency National Training Centre in Rotorua. That equates to 17 per cent of the 687 total applications.

Recruitment manager Rochelle Martin said it was the highest number they had ever had but "we'd like to see even more women putting their names forward"."Presently only 4 per cent of firefighters are female. Women bring a different and valuable set of skills and attributes to the job and we're keen to increase their number."

Fifteen applicants in the current recruitment round are from the Rotorua area, and two are women. The highly competitive rounds are normally held twice a year by Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Applicants from the current round will be interviewed and put through physical and cognitive tests. Then two groups of 24 recruits will be chosen, one for the training course starting in January and one for the course starting in April.

Nicole Matuschka, from Whanganui, is one of two women in the current group of 24 trainees in Rotorua.

Nicole Matuschka, left, and Taja Smith at the Fire and Emergency National Training Centre. Photo/Stephen Parker

She was a hairdresser for four years after she left high school. In 2011 she went to the Royal New Zealand Police College and spent seven years in the force until starting at the Fire and Emergency National Training Centre last month.

The 28-year-old said she was drawn by the hands-on work in firefighting. "I had worked with Fire and Emergency through the police, so I had a good idea of what they did." She said it was encouraging to see more females were considering firefighting as a career path but being part of a minority did not bother her at work. "From the policing background, I am used to there being more males than females." Matuschka said firefighting did not cross her mind at high school but the recruitment advertising and targeting had changed. "I am just looking forward to getting out on the trucks and getting a foot in the door."

Senior trainer Mike Thomson said Matuschka and fellow female trainee Taja Smith had "great attitudes" and "fitted in perfectly" with their male counterparts. "It is great to see the growing diversification. They all have to pass the same tests. It is just a matter of getting the right people." He said the career was "not for everyone, men miss out too". "Lives are on the line in this job, so it is about having the right mentality as well as the physical strength and skills."

Canada Deployment Newsletter 1

17/8/2018

Kia ora koutou

Greetings from Canada where we are midway through the first rotation of our deployment to British Columbia. It’s tough work in rugged country, but fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable.

Our people are spread far and wide. We’ve got teams as far north as Dease Lake and as far south as Grand Forks, almost 1800km away. We’re staying in a mixture of camps, hotels and rented accommodation. Surprisingly the camps are proving the most popular because everything is laid on there.

The hours are long, but the temperatures have been relatively cool, up to the high-20s in some places during the day and down to 2 degrees Celsius at night. Some of our crews are doing initial attack as new fires break out; others are doing sustained attack on larger fires.

There’s a lot of digging, back burning and dry firefighting techniques that we don’t use in New Zealand. They also used fixed wing aircraft to fight fires here which we don’t do at home. The biggest difference is the scale of everything. There are currently about 560 fires burning in the province and the biggest are much bigger than anything we encounter in New Zealand. Some of them are expected to burn for months.

Messages of Thanks – Here are a few of hundreds of thank you messages coming in from around the world

“Stay safe everyone, you have a huge job ahead. Thoughts and prayers for all”

“Wow guys and girls, having just flown into Vancouver/ Calgary today we are amazed by the smoke from the BC fires. Good luck with your mission, I’m pretty sure the Canadians will be grateful for your support.”

“Fantastic stuff NZ fire fighters, stay safe out there”

Some of the great people our team from Okareka have been working with in the Cariboo Fire Region, British Columbia, Canada. Just like our younger firefighters at Okareka the skills of Canada’s younger initial attack teams is impressive and it’s great to stand beside them and help.

California Deployment Newsletter 1

14/8/2018

Kia ora koutou,

We’re now just over a week into our deployment to the United States to help combat the fires ravaging the northern parts of California and it’s been a challenging, but rewarding experience.

The weather is hot, the days are long and the fires are big. The Mendocino Complex Fire, which is actually two neighbouring fires, is now the largest wildfire in Californian history. It has burnt more than 330,000 acres.

The Carr Fire menacing the city of Redding has burnt more than 200,000 acres.

First stop for us was the National Interagency Fire Center at Boise, Idaho, where old hands were reacquainted with the way they do things here and newcomers got their first instruction on dealing with bears. “If it’s brown lie down, if it’s black fight back.” Not everybody was entirely convinced by the advice.

Hopefully more useful was getting to grips with the difference in terminology. In New Zealand a tanker is a vehicle which holds water which comes to you on the fire ground. In the US a tanker is a large water dumping aircraft which dumps a massive amount of water in one go. It doesn’t pay to mix them up.

Presently we have 25 people overseeing heli and ground operations at the Mendocino Complex Fire and eight working on the Carr Fire. Two of our team have been deployed to Washington where they are managing ground crews fighting the Crescent Mountain Fire. At the end of each day we return to camp where we are housed in tents. The food is meat and two veg. The good news is there is plenty of it. We are settling into a routine. Wake, eat, organise, get briefed, head out for the day, work, return to camp, debrief, eat, shower, sleep. Do it all again. It’s hot, tiring work, but satisfying to be able to make a difference.

A special thanks - We want to say thank you to Novotel at Auckland Airport which, at short notice, rearranged bookings so we could use their venues to brief departing personnel and even waived the cost.

Messages of Thanks - Here are two of hundreds of thank you messages coming in from around the world

“As a resident of the State of California, I wish to THANK the members of the Fire and Emergency NZ for traveling over 8,000 miles to help fight the largest fire in California’s history. Your compassion gives a whole new meaning to “mutual aid”. May all firefighters return home safely to their loved ones. THANK YOU MORE THAN I CAN EXPRESS!” - Marilyn Schneider, Auburn California

“I live 15 miles (24km) from the largest fire in the state of California (USA). On behalf of the residents of Lake & Mendocino Counties in California, USA, I offer the inadequate words “Thank you for your help”. You will always have our support and undying gratitude.” - Phaedra Swearengin, USA

53 Firefighters From Australia And New Zealand Arrive In Redding

6/8/2018

Australian and New Zealand firefighters arrive in Redding on Monday to help fight blazes around Northern California. U.S. Forest Service Courtesy photo

The Australian and New Zealand firefighters who arrived in the U.S. last weekend to help fight the wildfires spreading throughout the country have been deployed to blazes in Northern California and Oregon, the National Interagency Fire Center said Monday.

Fifty-three of the nearly 150 specialists who were requested by U.S. officials last week arrived at the Northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center in Redding on Monday, NIFC spokeswoman Carrie Bilbao said, while the remaining firefighters were sent to Redmond, Ore.

About two-thirds of the international reinforcements in Redding were sent to the Mendocino Complex Fires, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Kerry Greene said, and the remaining third stayed nearby to fight the Carr Fire. They’ll be in the area for up to 30 days, she said.

The group in California includes 10 task force leaders, four structure protection specialists, six safety officers, four helicopter managers, two heavy equipment bosses, 15 division supervisors, 10 crew bosses and two liaison officers, Bilbao said. All of those positions were ones that U.S. fire officials were struggling to fill, she added.

Before arriving at the fires, the Aussies and Kiwis went through a brief training period at the NIFC headquarters in Boise, Bilbao said.

“They went through their fire shelter training because they don’t use them in Australia and New Zealand,” she said. “A lot of (their firefighting is) similar to what we do here, but basically terminology and how things are run, they practiced deployment, got their gear (and) took off this morning.”

The Mendocino Complex Fire burned more than 290,600 acres (nearly 454 miles) as of Tuesday morning. It is the largest wildfire in the recorded history of California, beating out the Carr Fire still raging in Shasta, which is now the sixth most destructive fire in state history.

Rotorua Firefighters Set To Join American Counterparts

3/8/2018

Forest burns in the Carr Fire west of Redding, California. Photo/Gettys

Three firefighters from around Rotorua are headed to California to help their American counterparts battle more than 15 deadly wildfires. They are among 36 fire personnel from across New Zealand who are headed to combat the wildfires raging across the north and northwest of the United States.

At least eight people have been killed by the blazes and more than 1000 homes and businesses have been destroyed. The state's biggest fire, named the Carr Fire, has ripped through 44,570 hectares of California in the past week.

Team members will head first to Boise, Idaho, to be inducted and then deployed to sites where they are needed most.

Lake Okareka Rural Fire Force chief fire officer Phil Muldoon is one of those who flew out today, alongside a firefighter from Whakatane, one from Hancocks Forest Management and another from Timberlands.

"It's a way to increase the skill set helping with the fire, but also to improve our own skill set. "The fire is at a massive scale compared to what we get in [New Zealand]." Muldoon said he couldn't help but wonder what he was going to face when he arrived in the United States. "It's good to be a bit nervous". He will be in the US for the next 42 days. "The family are a little bit apprehensive about me going. This is one of the biggest jobs I have ever been to''.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand national manager Rural Kevin O'Connor said the deployment provided an opportunity to assist a country that assisted us after the Christchurch earthquake. "It also provides an invaluable development opportunity for our people."

The New Zealanders will operate as part of a joint Anzac deployment with fire and emergency personnel from across Australia. "Since 2000 firefighters from New Zealand have participated in 20 overseas deployments - six to the United States, three to Canada and 11 to Australia. A total of 784 people have been involved."The most recent deployment was to Canada in August 2017 when we sent 80 people to British Colombia." Crew members from Rotorua were also deployed to Canada.

The team to the US includes people from Fire and Emergency NZ, the New Zealand Defence Force, the Department of Conservation, forestry companies and contractors. Team members will work in a range or roles including as safety officers, crew bosses, task force leaders and helicopter managers.

New Zealand has also received a formal request from Canada to assist with the growing number of wild fires in Ontario, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. Details of what assistance is required are being worked through and a New Zealand contingent is expected to head to Canada early next week.