Issue 71 - New Zealand Fire Service

august 2011 / issue 71
POST
earThquake
Welfare update
response recognised
Plus
cafs today

the neW zealand fire service
Fire+Rescue is the flagship
publication of the New Zealand
Fire Service.
It is produced by Media,
Promotions and Communications,
National Headquarters,
Level 9, 80 The Terrace, Wellington.
contributions to fire+rescue
We welcome ideas for articles, news
and events that would be of interest to
other Fire Service staff and volunteers.
Draft articles and photos (pictures
need to be at least 1MB) can be
emailed to fire.rescue@fire.org.nz or
contact the editor Karlum Lattimore
on 04 496 3702.
Post written material and photos,
or photo CDs to:
Fire+Rescue magazine,
PO Box 2133, Wellington.
(These will be returned on request.)
WWW.fire.org.nz
All material in Fire+Rescue magazine
is copyrighted and may not be
reproduced without the permission
of the editor.
ISSN: 1176-6670 (Print)
ISSN: 1177-8679 (Online)
front cover
Police and firefighters work to
rescue a trapped woman after
the building she was in collapsed
in the CBD after the 6.3 ’quake,
Christchurch, New Zealand.
Photo: NZPA/Wayne Drought.
2 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
Good call
A bit of smoke and some sleuthing has uncovered
a potentially serious problem with a particular type
of bathroom heater.
It has also revealed the importance of calling in the experts whenever a faulty
appliance starts sending out smoke signals, or worse still, causes a fire.
Back in May, Sockburn Senior Station Officer John Baxter and his crew responded
to a call from a man whose Goldair bathroom wall-mounted heater had started smoking.
“The plastic surround of the heater had caught fire and it went out when the owner
turned it off, as it’s designed to do.”
John said he got into conversation with a next door neighbour who told him she had had
the same thing happen with her heater, also a Goldair model 3180 fan heater. He promptly
called in Mid Canterbury Fire Safety Officer Joe Hefford and they went and checked on
other neighbours, who all lived in homes built and equipped by the same company.
They found one more resident with a heater that was showing signs of the same problem
– so Energy Safety was alerted.
Joe Hefford said, “Heaters don’t fail and catch fire unless there’s something wrong so we
encourage firefighters attending these sorts of incidents to call us in. They should also
notify Energy Safety directly themselves.”
Energy Safety is responsible for monitoring the safety of gas and electrical appliances
and investigating any potential problems and the Fire Service is legally obliged to notify
them of any products that have caused a fire. An Energy Safety inspector has examined
the heaters and determined there is either a common fault in the terminal block
component of the appliance, or they were installed incorrectly.
The suppliers are carrying out their own investigation, looking closely at whether there is
a fault, and if it is similar to the failure in an earlier model of the heater that forced a recall.
Top: John Baxter and Jim Hefford.

teaching
self-reliance
In a major disaster, most people will have to help themselves and those closest
to them for the first day or so until emergency services can reach them.
The February earthquake in
Christchurch brought this message
home to Timaru.
As a result, local agencies, including the
Fire Service, have adapted the Neighbour
Emergency Response Training (NERT)
concept that was developed out of the
1989 San Francisco earthquake. During the
training, different services teach emergency
self-help techniques to the public.
Timaru Assistant Area Manager (Acting)
Phil de Joux said, “Representatives from
the Fire Service, Civil Defence, Alpine
Energy, Community and Public Health,
Police and St John Ambulance met
to discuss what information and skills
they could offer the public to help them
get through the first 24 hours of an
emergency without any outside help.”
The agencies hosted a half-day workshop
at the Timaru Fire Station offering
members of the public practical training
in basic first aid, light rescues and safe
ladder work, basic firefighting and
extinguisher training, how to assemble
an emergency get thru kit and how
to avoid infection and disease spread.
There were also discussions on how
to deal with power and gas supplies,
hazardous materials in the home
and general security issues.
The workshop was advertised in the local
media and promoted by speakers at
various community organisations.
Phil said feedback was very positive.
“We had 90 people take part in the pilot
workshop and everybody went home
having learnt something that would better
prepare them for any natural disaster they
might be involved in. They now know how
to minimise damage to their properties
and possibly save their own or a
neighbour’s life.”
Everyone who attended was equipped
with relevant pamphlets and some of
the items they will need to set up an
emergency kit.
Phil says this type of training could easily
be undertaken by other communities
around the country and the Christchurch
City Council has shown keen interest in
the concept. He says NERT will continue
to be promoted to the public in Timaru
and he expects more training workshops
to be held.
Below: Phil de Joux welcomes the crowd. Right: Firefighters from USAR Taskforce 2 team show how to rescue someone from under a vehicle.
Bottom right: Firefighters from USAR Taskforce 2 demonstrate how to use blocks and a lever to lift heavy objects.
out and about
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 3

feature
one year on
Almost a year has passed since the first major earthquake in Canterbury but for
Fire Service personnel in the area it has seemed much longer.
Continual aftershocks, the
devastating ’quake in February and
another harsh jolt in June have all
left their mark. There has been continual
upheaval, not just in the earth but also in
people’s lives. Some people who lost their
home in the September ‘quake also lost
their new home in February. In late June,
around 25 personnel were told their
homes and their land had been red zoned.
Many more are waiting to find out what
will happen to their damaged homes in
the orange zone – others are still waiting
to have their land and homes assessed.
Many Fire Service personnel still struggle
with the lack of basic amenities –
intermittent power, lack of running water,
inadequate sewerage and recurring layers
of liquefaction silt through their streets,
parks, sections and houses. Some
firefighters’ children are travelling across
the city to attend undamaged schools,
others have partners who have lost their
jobs. There are families who want to leave
Christchurch but feel trapped because
they can’t sell their homes. On top of this
there are the nights of interrupted sleep,
various levels of stress and anxiety and
fear that the next ‘big one’ might be worse
than anything so far. There is also grief for
the lost friends or family members, and
grief for the loss of the city they knew.
No one is untouched.
Welfare approach
The Fire Service welfare team continues
to provide as much support, help and
encouragement as possible. Colleagues
from around the country are also
4 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
providing moral, financial and practical
support wherever they can.
“They’re doing it tough in Christchurch,”
said Assistant National Commander
Trevor Brown who is leading the Fire
Service welfare response.
The guiding principle, put in place after
the February earthquake, has been to
have local personnel provide the direct
assistance and support, with back up
and administrative help from National
Headquarters staff.
A package of peer support, financial,
health and welfare assistance, including
psychological support is available to
all personnel who responded to the
Christchurch earthquake. It is being
provided with the assistance of the
Firefighters Welfare Society, the UFBA
and the NZPFU.
“Many of our personnel went through
some horrific and frightening experiences
while rescuing people and recovering
bodies from collapsed buildings. It’s not
something that we expect them to deal
with alone, and we strongly encourage
them to reach out and accept the
assistance that is in place,” said Trevor.
Station Officer Jim Ryburn is leading the
local welfare response. He said, like most
people now living in Christchurch, many
firefighters and their families are also
experiencing a great deal of change
and uncertainty.
“Nothing is the same – even if you live and
work in a station in an unaffected part of
the city, there is still the stress caused by
all the aftershocks. For career staff
stationed at Woolston or in the city
there are a lot of changes. Their station
buildings are damaged, they’re working
out of containers, some are sleeping in
miners’ huts. If they’ve been moved to
a new location, then they’ve probably
affected someone else's working space.”
Jim said the local staff and volunteers
were very appreciative of the generosity
shown by their colleagues around the
country – particularly the offers of
holiday accommodation.
“Because of all the uncertainty, a lot of
those offers haven’t been taken up yet.
But I’m pretty sure that as time goes on
and things settle down, a break away from
the city will be just what they’re looking
for, particularly if it’s not too expensive,
as many people have had a lot of extra
expenses as a result of the earthquakes,”
said Jim.
psychological support
The Fire Service has contracted several
clinical psychologists to provide
assistance to personnel. One of them
is Auckland-based Geoff Ruthe who has
worked with Police for many years and
who supported New Zealand police
officers in the disaster victim
identification teams in Thailand and
other areas hit by the 2004 Boxing Day
tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Another is Christchurch clinical
psychologist John Dugdale who says
the symptoms may include flashbacks,

Above: Work on PGC building. Top right: Philip Bohnenn accepts some lunch at City Station following the September ’quake. Bottom right: A September briefing
of Red Watch at City Station.
anxiety and tension. “If these symptoms
persist, we can provide people with the
tools to help them move on. If people
are stressed, some may withdraw, while
others may get keyed up and it’s easy
for them to go feral.” He says if people
understand what is happening to them
and know how to cope then they are
better able to call time out when
things get tense.
John has worked for over 30 years in
hospitals and private practice and his
experience also includes working with
police officers to help them deal with
exposure to traumatic experiences.
Both Geoff and John have taken part in a
series of welfare meetings in Christchurch
and around the country to provide
Fire Service personnel with information
on possible psychological effects of
the disaster.
Jim Ryburn says the Christchurch
firefighters are making use of the help.
“They realise that what they went
through in those first 12 to 24 hours
was pretty traumatic and that the
ongoing stress of day-to-day life here
doesn’t make it any easier.”
It will take a long
time for some of them
to return to a true
normality
USAR Taskforce 2 team leader Paul Burns
said the USAR teams’ deployment was
beyond what they could possibly
have prepared for. For 42 of them, there
was the compounding experience of their
deployment to Japan to help search for
survivors of the tsunami.
“It will take a long time for some of them
to return to a true normality and in the
meantime, there may be signs of stress
and anxiety. Some of this could show itself
at work and some at home. It’s important
that the guys don’t try to cope with this
on their own. It’s OK and normal to react
to extreme experiences and it’s also OK
and normal to accept the help that is
being offered,” he said.
Taskforce 1 team leader Graeme Mills says
when he went back to Palmerston North
after deployment he noticed he often had
a short temper and couldn’t be bothered
with trivial things. “But that’s disappearing
and is in line with what the psychologist
told us to expect,” he said. Graeme says
it’s important for colleagues to continue
keeping an eye on each other and watch
for changes in behaviour.
“There’s probably quite a lot of peer
support going on already but everyone
reacts differently so we need to make
sure people are OK and getting any
help they need.”
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 5

The Fire Service wants to make
sure people are able to access
the support they need. So if you
have any questions or need any
help or support, please contact
one of the following:
0508 fire help – 0508 347 343
In Christchurch:
• Jim Ryburn on 021 654 184
or jim.ryburn@fire.org.nz
• Paki Johnston on 027 286 6182
or paki.johnston@fire.org.nz
• Dan Coward on 03 372 8612
or dan.coward@fire.org.nz
• John Dugdale Christchurch clinical
psychologist on 03 365 6312 or
email jdug@paradise.net.nz
Other regions:
• Your manager
• Your local safety and
wellbeing advisor
• Your peer supporter
• The Injury and Illness
Management Unit
• Geoff Ruthe Auckland clinical
psychologist on 09 630 6170
or 027 249 6095, or email
gruthe@me.com
• EAP Services 0800 327 669
All requests for help and
information are managed
privately and confidentially.
6 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
christchurch
commendation
The Fire Service is recognising the
response of its personnel to the
February earthquake with a certificate
of commendation, a commemorative K99
DVD and a specially made pin.
Just over 100 of the certificates are being
presented to all brigades, stations, USAR
teams, regions, rural firefighting forces
and corporate and operational support
units that were part of the national
Fire Service response.
Representatives of the different groups who were presented with the certificates of commendation
at the Christchurch event.
CertifiCate of Commendation wording
At 12.51pm on 22 February 2011 a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch – causing the
death of 181 people and injuring over 3,300 others. More than 200 were admitted to hospital.
It destroyed more than 800 buildings in the central city and extensively damaged over
15,000 homes and businesses in the eastern suburbs and Lyttelton.
Despite the dangers posed by severe and continual aftershocks, firefighters rushed to the aid
of many trapped and injured people. A further 70 people buried deep within collapsed
buildings were extricated using complex rescue procedures.
The disaster prompted the largest national mobilisation of New Zealand Fire Service resources.
Urban Search and Rescue teams, volunteer and career firefighters, operational support crews,
rural fire forces, administrative and general support staff came from across the country to
ensure that the people of Christchurch received all possible assistance in the aftermath.
It was a remarkable response to a national tragedy.
Top left: John Dugdale
The main function to present the
certificates was held in Christchurch
at the Wigram Airforce Museum in June.
Smaller events are being held in Auckland,
Palmerston North and Wellington.
Later in the year, regions will be supplied
with the DVD and pins that will be
provided to each person who responded
to the February Christchurch earthquake.

taking
on the teens
In the Western Bay of Plenty, a concerted effort is underway to reduce
teen drinking and driving and the Fire Service is playing its part.
The local police took the lead several
years ago. They began identifying
at-risk teens and taking them
through a weekend driver education
course aimed at bringing them back onto
the straight and narrow. As part of this,
Fire Service personnel staged a mock
car crash extrication.
Since then the project has grown into a
four-day multi-agency expo which is now
supported by all the region’s high schools,
except one. Over the four days, 2,500 of
the area’s 15-16-year-old (Year 11)
students are bussed in to the venue where
Top: Jono Preston and Steve Wright.
Below: SFF Judy Mahupuku, and SFF Mike Swanson
talk to a student from Bethlehem College.
they are exposed to a huge range of
information and experiences designed
to make them stop and think about the
consequences of drinking and driving.
Greerton Station Officer Steve Wright
and his Green Watch crew have been part
of the Bluelight project from the very
beginning and he’s delighted with the
way it’s grown over the years.
“I took it on initially as something of a
personal project. I have a teenage son
and knew what could be ahead for him.”
For this year’s expo, Steve and fellow
firefighters Jono Preston, Mike Swanson,
Judy Mahupuku and Shane Baker pulled
out all the stops to find a car wreck and set
it up so that teens could see and
experience the impact of drinking and
driving. A TV was installed into the
windscreen to play a loop tape that shows
partying and then the horrific injuries
caused to young passengers in a car crash.
telling the story
Then over four days, on-duty Tauranga
crews and Senior Station Officer Len
Sabin talked to teenagers about what
it was like to cut kids out of cars and
how they felt about drinking and driving.
They were part of a packed programme
the students were taken through during
their visit to the expo.
“The visit starts in an auditorium with
people telling their stories. The speakers
are people who have been victims of a
drunk driver, or caused someone’s
death or injury or they have responded
to a crash,” said Steve.
Len Sabin was this year’s Fire Service
speaker. “We played a video of a car crash
scene that showed firefighters cutting
people out. I told them some war stories
but also talked about my personal story –
my wife was hit by a drunk driver, a member
of my crew was killed by a drunk driver and
a friend of mine is now a tetraplegic after
drinking and driving,” he said.
tears
Steve says this part of the programme
is very powerful and there were a few
tears from the students during a
presentation by Tamati Paul, who was
brain damaged and physically disabled
as a result of drinking and driving.
“We hit all the angles and talk about how
these kids can keep themselves alive
basically,” said Steve.
Police Senior Sergeant Ian Campion is in
charge of road policing in the Western Bay
of Plenty. He says there has been a steady
downward trend in the number of
teenagers prosecuted for driving under
the influence of alcohol since the first
Bluelight Expo in 2009.
Other agencies involved with the expo
are St John Ambulance, ACC, Police,
Te Aranui Trust, SADD, Tauranga City
Council, Bluelight, Get Smart Drug
& Alcohol Services, Legacy Funerals,
BADD (Bikers Against Drunk Drivers).
table of prosecutions of teen drink drivers in Bay of Plenty
Year 15–19 yrs % of all ages
2008 508 27.2
2009 479 25.7
2010 365 23.4
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 7

feature
Something old,
something new
A recent seminar on some international developments on CAFS (Compress Air
Foam Systems) has created a buzz among the Fire Service personnel who attended.
The seminar was organised by the
Institution of Fire Engineers New
Zealand (IFENZ) and held in
Wellington. The presenters were: Danish
specialist in aviation fire and rescue Kim
Olsen; Queensland Fire and Rescue
Service (QFRS) Station Officer Shan
Raffel (who is leading a trial using CAFS in
the city); and Andrea Horton, a UK
specialist on reducing the environmental
impact of firefighting, currently working
for the Auckland Council.
copenhagen experience
Kim Olsen is the chief instructor for the
Copenhagen Airport Fire and Rescue
Service and involved in several
international projects related to
introducing innovation into the airport
8 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
fire and rescue sector. He said he initiated
a switch from standard Class B foam
to CAFS at Copenhagen airport in 2007
shortly after seeing it being demonstrated
in Austria. The test ran Class B foam and
water through the CAFS and Kim was an
almost instant convert.
“It threw the foam much further; it was
more like a shaving cream than foam.
It also stuck really well to metal, and by
using CAFS there was also much less
foam concentrate used.” Kim was amazed
when he saw foam that had been sprayed
onto an upright lamp post still stuck to it
over half an hour later.
A year or so after switching from using
ordinary foam to CAFS, the Copenhagen
AFRS changed to a more environmentallyfriendly
type of Class B foam known as
ReHealing. The earlier foam was an AFFF
(aqueous fluorinated firefighting foam)
and tight regulations on its use were
introduced in Denmark in 2003 after
research revealed its damaging impact
on the environment. These restrictions
have grown tighter in Europe and more
countries are moving to using the
ReHealing foam and CAFS.
A European group of industry
representatives are currently developing
an aviation-specific performance test
for the use of CAFS.
australia says
In Australia, CAFS (using Class A foam) was
introduced in 2005 on four rural appliances
in ACT and a trial began last year using it on
two urban appliances in Brisbane.

QFRS Station Officer Shan Raffel told those
at the seminar that the CAFS has proved very
effective in wildfire situations. “One of its uses
in ACT is to lay the foam down as a firebreak
– they can do it incredibly quickly covering
three and a half kilometres with a 15 metre
wide break in about half an hour.” The rural
firefighters also spray the thick compressed
air foam over buildings to provide a protective
coating that is incredibly resistant to fire –
even after the foam has gone it still leaves a
light coating that is difficult to ignite. Because
it uses less water than traditional foam, CAF
is particularly valuable in areas where there
are water shortages.
Shan said the Brisbane experience has also
shown the value of CAF. “It’s particularly good
on deep-seated fires, where the water just
runs off the side of a building or pile of debris
– CAF percolates through.”
He said the use of CAF can cut down the
amount of time spent at fires, which has
huge advantages for volunteers. “It is also
better for the environment with less use of
water, run off and less smoke going
into the atmosphere.”
Top right: Half of this house near Whanganui was fully involved
when the appliance with CAFS arrived. The crew squirted the
CAF in through the windows. Fifteen minutes later the fire was
out and they’d used only 345 litres of water.
Left: ACT rural fire crew throw CAF onto a wooden house.
Middle: The difference between regular foam and CAF – the
middle part of the aircraft body is thickly coated with CAF
compared with the lighter coverage of regular Class B foam.
Below: An ACT rural appliance uses CAF to make a firebreak.
The New Zealand Fire Service commissioned around 50
fire appliances with CAFS installed just over 10 years ago.
Whanganui Station Officer Gary Wilson says there has
always been a mixed reaction to their use. “Not everyone
is a fan.” He is.
“CAFS has its place in the firefighting toolbox. Its knockdown
effect is quicker than water and it is particularly useful in
that urban/rural interface where we can have problems
getting access to water supplies. It’s great on paddocks
because we use a third less water, it has a good reach and is
light so there’s no friction loss in the hose. We could run out
a kilometre or more of hose and manage the weight.”
Gary says he also uses CAF on rural structure fires.
“We can knock down a well advanced house fire and mop
up without even connecting to a hydrant,” he said. He uses
the CAFS as an exterior attack and often puts the foam in via
the site where the fire has vented. “It snuffs out the fire and
there’s much less damage. It’s also safe for car fires as you
can stand well back and just pump the foam on.”
He said he uses CAF about half a dozen times a year,
more in a dry summer.
Adding a CAF system to an appliance costs around
$50,000. No new appliances have been fitted with CAFS
since the first ones were commissioned in early 2000. Gary
says that, for him, he’d like to see more coming on stream,
particularly as those that are in use are now starting to be
taken out of the main stations and put into rural brigades.
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 9

feature
From left: Danish specialist in aviation fire and rescue Kim Olsen; Brisbane Fire Brigade Station Officer Shan Raffel; and Andrea Horton, a British specialist
on reducing the environmental impact of firefighting, currently working for the Auckland City Council.
pollution prevention
Managing the polluting side-effects of
firefighting is something UK specialist
Andrea Horton is passionate about.
She spent more than 15 years in the
environmental regulation sector in the UK.
She helped set up a national protocol with
local government, the Environment Agency
(UK regulatory body) and Fire and Rescue
Services that helped them work together
to reduce pollution from firefighting. As
part of this, Andrea developed a training
programme for fire service personnel at
the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-
Marsh, Gloucestershire.
She told those at the CAFS seminar
that this type of model could be ideal
for New Zealand.
“The partnership came out of an incident
in 1996 when a fire brigade came close to
being prosecuted for pollution after they
blanketed a petrol tanker with AFFF foam
after it crashed. Using the foam was the
right thing to do but the firefighters ignored
10 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
all UK Fire Service appliances are supplied
with a ‘grab pack’ that includes a variety of
environmental first aid equipment such as a
clay drain mat, a tub of clay sealant, and oil
absorbent pads.
advice from the National Rivers Authority to
seal the drains to prevent the run off going
into the rivers. By not blocking the drains,
the brigade was responsible for damaging
eight kilometres of a trout fishery.”
She said it wasn’t in the public interest to
prosecute the brigade. Instead, they began
working more closely with the Environment
Agency and local government to set up a
national environmental strategy.
Today, all UK Fire Service appliances are
supplied with a ‘grab pack’ that includes a
variety of environmental first aid equipment
such as a clay drain mat, a tub of clay
sealant and oil absorbent pads.
“These are funded by the Environment
Agency. Each brigade is also given an
Environmental Protection Unit which
has pumps, drain blocks and
decontamination gear,” she said.
She would like to see a strategy in
New Zealand that would lead to the
Fire Service being actively involved
in partnerships to protect the natural
environment and drinking water, and
providing national training that includes
environmental protection as part of
incident response and risk planning.

are We ready?
Yes we are
The Fire Service’s first year of the new operational efficiency and readiness
regime has been completed and the results are generally pretty good.
Owen Kinsella was appointed as
Director Operational Efficiency to
put a framework in place that
would help National Headquarters,
regions, areas and stations to assess their
operational readiness and address any
gaps with corrective actions. Their
readiness is measured using the
Operational Readiness Standards Manual
that was introduced in 2009.
The regime includes an annual selfassessment
audit that ranges over
everything from response times,
crew levels, skill status, equipment
maintenance through to brigade
drills. This is followed up with more
comprehensive audits every three years.
As part of their work, Owen and
Jeff Maunder (Manager Operational
Efficiency) have visited many stations
around the country to validate samples
of the self-assessments done by the
different parts of the organisation.
Owen says, “We now have a robust,
independent auditing system in place
and have begun introducing the corrective
actions that are required. The first year
has shown us that the organisation is
in relatively good shape, but that some
functions are not as well supported
as they could be.”
As a result, his recommendations include
the development of national, consistent
systems for recording and carrying out
water testing, equipment standard
testing, operational site planning
(risk planning) and hose testing.
“There are too many different systems in
place. For instance, with hose testing, some
stations have a spreadsheet, others have
dusty notebooks, some have nothing that
is particularly reliable. If a length of hose
bursts at a fire and a firefighter is burned
as a result, OSH will want to see
the records that show the hose was in good
shape. At the moment, some places would
find that difficult to do,” explained Owen.
lePPerton oPerational review
The Operational Efficiency Directorate
also has oversight of operational incident
reviews. Their first major operational review
was of the October 2010 Lepperton fire in
which New Plymouth Senior Firefighters
Sam Julian and Graeme Hill were injured.
The opportunities for improvement that
were identified have resulted in a series
of corrective actions which are now being
addressed. These will be monitored by
the Operational Efficiency Directorate.
Owen and Jeff have also audited
the current Command and Control
procedures; the deployment of the
Command and Control Manual and
the training that went with it; and the
functionality of the new Command Unit.
We now have a
robust, independent
auditing system
in place
investigating signifiCant
events
At the National Commander’s request,
the directorate also investigates
significant events. Owen is just
completing the first of these – a review
of the Fire Service response to the
22 February Christchurch earthquake.
“This is the first national disaster the Fire
Service has responded to and we should
not miss the opportunity to learn as much
as possible from it,” said Owen.
“We are looking for opportunities for
improvement so that the Fire Service is
in the best possible state of readiness to
deal with another emergency of this kind.”
This report will also be posted on Firenet
when it has been completed.
Owen retired at the end of July and his
role as Director Operational Efficiency
has been taken over by Assistant National
Commander Trevor Brown.
The operational reviews and findings can
be found on Firenet, under the Operational
Efficiency and Readiness page.
From left: Trevor Brown, Owen Kinsella, Jeff Maunder.
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 11

fire-side
Children Saved
Watching five-year-old Reyna walk into the Paraparaumu fire station in June
was a highlight in the careers of Paraparaumu’s Blue Watch crew.
Three months earlier Reyna was
unconscious and not breathing
when they carried her out of her
burning home. For Senior Firefighter
Campbell Thomson, SFF Neil (Ollie) Olsen
and SFF Ian Allen, meeting her and her
older brother, seven-year-old Jordan,
was something special.
“It’s very rare for us to rescue someone
from a house that was this involved in
fire and for them to live,” said Ollie.
Reyna’s mother, Rosalie Ramirez, was also
rescued by Campbell and Ollie but died
while being taken to hospital.
the set uP
On 13 April at 12.31am the first 111 call
came through. Three minutes later
Campbell, Ollie, Ian and Station Officer
Gary Johnstone arrived at the house.
“We could see the glow in the sky and
then the smoke as we got near,” said Ian.
The call had come through from the
Comms Centre with the message that
people were reported to be inside.
On arrival, neighbours told them
children may still be inside. With the
house so well involved, Campbell
remembered thinking that anyone inside
could not possibly be alive.
Gary Johnstone did a quick 360° sweep
of the outside while Ian set up the pump.
Campbell and Ollie laid out a low pressure
delivery, donned and prepared to enter
the house.
Campbell said, “We went round the side
of the house to set up and a guy carrying
a child appeared through all the smoke.
There was blood everywhere. It was really
hot and Gary told us the back was still
intact and that’s where we could make
entry through a door.” The man they
met was a neighbour who had smashed
12 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
a bedroom window and badly cut his arm
while dragging young Jordan to safety.
Ian was manning the pump. “Timing was
critical and it went like clockwork. As they
made the door the water was coming on
and as they went in the water was on.
Then the man carrying the little boy came
up to me – there was blood all over them,
dripping down on the road. It was a real
dilemma. I had to operate the pump and
keep the water going and here were two
people bleeding in front of me. I just had
to tell them to go and sit down by the
fence – I knew the ambulance and other
fire crews were coming.”
The smoke was
down to the ground
and the fire was
rolling across the
ceiling so we knew
we didn’t have
much time.
the resCue
Ollie said, “We were told there were two
people in the bedroom on the left which was
the priority for us. We got in and pushed the
fire back. Campbell searched the first room
while I held the fire back. The smoke was
down to the ground and the fire was rolling
across the ceiling so we knew we didn’t have
much time. While I was reaching back to get
more hose I saw the little girl face down
near the door to a second bedroom. I picked
her up and yelled out to Campbell.”
When he heard Ollie yell, Campbell’s first
thought was that the roof was coming
down. In 1998 both he and Ollie were
among five firefighters who were injured
when the rear section of a Wellington
house collapsed while they were inside
fighting a fire.
Campbell said, “He just put her straight
into my arms and I made my way back
outside. I came flying out and into a police
officer who took her and I went back in.”
By then Ollie had found the little girl’s
mother and was pulling her out of the
room. “Together we made our way out
the back door with her and handed her
over to other fire crews. Then it was
back in to stop the fire spreading.”
When other crews arrived to take on the
firefighting Ollie and Campbell handed over
and made their way out to the street to see
how the woman and children were doing.
“The mother and the little girl were both
being worked on and the woman was
going into cardiac arrest. We helped
with CPR for a while,” said Campbell.
looking BaCk
Both children were admitted to intensive
care for severe smoke inhalation but are
making a good recovery. They visited the
fire station with their father in June,
something the crew really appreciated.
They said it was clear the children’s father
was doing his best to limit the trauma by
talking to them about what had happened,
showing them photos and visiting the
people who had helped them on the night.
“For us it was just great. Seeing that
beautiful little girl alive and well was the
highlight of my career,” said Campbell.
The four firefighters have had time to
reflect on the rescue and agree that it
went like clockwork.
“Everyone knew their job and did it
perfectly,” said Campbell.

Above: Campbell Thomson, Ian Allen and Ollie Olsen with Jordan and Reyna.
It’s very rare
for us to rescue
someone from a
house that was this
involved in fire and
for them to live.
Fire Risk Management
Officer Peter Fox believes
the fire was started
by a laptop that had
been left switched on.
The computer’s vents
overheated because they
were blocked by paper
and a plastic doily. This
material ignited, and set
a ream of paper on fire
which in turn dropped
flame onto a chair
alongside the coffee table
the computer was sitting
on. From there flames
travelled up and their
spread was pushed along
by a heat pump mounted
on the wall.
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 13

Coming to a station near you
The volunteer training and progression (TAPS)
material is going through a major review.
Jasmine Hardy Mills, National Training’s project manager for the review said
the team began the process by consulting with volunteers and training officers
to find out what needed to change and what needed to stay the same.
One of the changes suggested was to create a better flow between the programmes.
Firefighters moving through the TAPS programmes said they found repeated content
in some subjects and gaps in others.
“We brought in the experts on the various subjects and asked them to look at their
subject across all the programmes,” said Jasmine. “They are really thinking about what
level of knowledge is required for each rank.”
The training material will be a mix of the old and the new, and draws on some
of the world’s best firefighter training and education techniques.
The workbooks are being designed to be more user-friendly – with plenty of photos
and graphics to show various techniques and equipment. They will focus on what
firefighters need to know to do their job safely and competently. They will also provide
more context about what the organisation is trying to achieve.
“The staff at National Training
understand the real time pressure on
volunteers. The impact of training time
is an ongoing challenge. We want
volunteers to know the training they
do is vital and valuable,” said Jasmine.
This is the first significant review
of the volunteer materials since the
introduction of TAPS in 2003. The new
resources are expected to be finished
and in use by late next year.
Top: Plimmerton firefighter Graeme Penty talks
to training development advisor Raylene Munro
during the consultation phase of the review.
Right: A sample of the new design for the
workbooks.
14 / Fire+Rescue / August 2011
changing
of the guard
The Fire Service Commission
has entered a new era.
After 12 years as the Chair, Dame Margaret Bazley’s
term has ended. Her position has been taken over
by former Deputy Chair, Wyatt Creech – who was
appointed to the Board in September 2009.
Board member David McFarlane has been
appointed Deputy Chair.
The Government has also appointed a new Board
member, former Treasury Deputy Secretary,
Angela Hauk-Willis of Kapiti.
Angela Hauk-Willis has considerable experience
in public sector management and administration.
She was a Treasury Deputy Secretary for 12 years
where she led major organisational change. She is
also a member of the Independent Police
Conduct Authority.
She joins current Board members Vicki Caisley
and Bob Francis.
Internal Affairs Minister Nathan Guy has thanked
Dame Margaret for her contribution to the
Commission.
“Dame Margaret has been a huge asset with her
work ethic and strong experience across the public
sector. She has played a major role in modernising
the Fire Service and has always been a strong
supporter of volunteer firefighters.”
Top: From left, Vicki Caisley, Dave McFarlane, Dame Margaret,
Wyatt Creech, Bob Francis.
Above: New Board member Angela Hauk-Willis.

a couple of minutes with
Brendan_Nally
q:
a:
q:
Where are you
stationed?
Region 5 HQ
in Dunedin
What’s your
title?
a: Area
Manager
q:
What’s been your
progression within
the NZFS?
Started in Invercargill (1992) –
a: nine years up to SO, five years
operations in Wellington up to SSO,
several secondments into National
Training and NHQ, three years as
Area Commander Southland and
newly appointed to Area
Commander East Otago.
q:
a:
Tell us about
your family.
My partner Sara and I have
a three-year-old boy and I have
a 13-year-old and an 11-year-old
from previous relationships.
q:
What’s the one thing
that sticks in your mind
about the job?
The high regard that we are
a: held in by the communities
we serve.
q:
If you could make one
change to the Fire Service
what would it be?
Our funding
source.
a:
q:
a:
Your most embarrassing
moment on the job?
There’s been a few but
destroying an appliance bay
door by accidentally closing it on top
of an exiting fire appliance takes the
cake – especially as I was an SO at
the time. The driver has never let
me forget that one!
q:
What’s one thing people
would be surprised to learn
about you?
Despite rumours to the contrary
a: I do not read Fire Service policy
documents for bedtime stories –
that’s what I do at lunch time.
q:
a:
If I wasn’t in the Fire Service
I’d be?
Back on
the farm.
favourite movie:
lock, stock and two smoking Barrels
favourite tv show:
misfits
q+a
favourite music group:
not a big music listener so whatever’s going
favourite sport:
i’ve played a lot of rugby in my time but
i do enjoy a wide range of sports. all i seem
to do is watch these days
favourite book:
i enjoyed the Patrick o’Brian aubrey – maturin
series (spawned the popular movie master
and Commander starring russell Crowe)
favourite holiday destination:
i have done a fair bit of touring around
overseas, which i enjoy, but my favourite place
is in and around nelson and marlborough
Fire+Rescue / August 2011 / 15

thank you very much
for your kind donation
registrations open study
opportunity
Next year’s Australasian Police and
Emergency Services Games have
been transferred from Christchurch to
Lower Hutt as a result of the earthquakes.
The New Zealand Fire Service is
represented on the Games Committee
by the NZFS Sports Council and there
are also several sports liaison officers.
Some time ago, an email was sent asking
for expressions of interest from NZFS
personnel in participating in the Games
which are being held 2–9 March. There has
been a good response and the organisers
are confident of fielding a strong contingent.
For more information or to register, please
go to: http://www.apandesgames.com/
9–11 September
South Island Basketball Tournament,
Timaru. Contact: Gary Parker
theparkers@xtra.co.nz
15–17 September
National 7-a-side Soccer Tournament,
Napier.
Contact: Tony.Adie@fire.org.nz or
Brent.Marshall@fire.org.nz
trans-tasman tests
For the first time in an Australasian
Police and Emergency Services Games,
New Zealand v Australia test matches will
take place in six sports.
The tests in hockey, T20 cricket, soccer,
netball and touch football will be played
on Friday 9 March – the final day of the
Games. The matches will have staggered
start times to make sure spectators have a
great opportunity to barrack for their country.
The golf test will be decided on the players’
cards submitted during normal play.
Teams for the test matches will be selected
from the best players competing at the Games
from Australia or New Zealand, regardless of
what agency they work for. Playing strip will
be supplied by the Games.
5–7 October
National Golf Tournament,
Te Puke Golf Club
Contact: Brent.Sanford@fire.org.nz
16– 21 October
Firefighters who’re stuck in hospital for long periods of time can
now escape via movies or music thanks to the generosity of the
New Zealand Firefighter Sports Association.
The association, which raises funds through the sale of Firefighters
Calendar, has donated half a dozen portable CD/DVD players to the
Firefighters Welfare Society – enough for one in each region.
The idea for the donation arose during hospital bedside discussion.
Sports Association president Les Presling and Auckland Welfare Society
member Darryl Johnston were visiting a firefighter who is spending
several weeks in hospital. After a bit of a discussion, Les offered to
donate a portable DVD/CD player, with headphones, on behalf of the
association. This grew into the decision to buy one for each region.
NZ Firefighters Welfare Society Board member and Region 1 representative Darryl Johnston
accepts the donated DVD players from Chairman of the NZ Firefighters Sports Association
Willy McDonnell.
Australasian Fire Brigades Golf
Championship, Alice Springs, Australia
Contact: Ray.Shields@fire.org.nz
07 347 2252
Applications for the Len Doughty
Fellowship are now open.
The fellowship allows for overseas research
(up to a total of $20k) on a topic that will benefit
the personal development of the Fellow and
assist in the achievement of the Commission’s
strategic objectives. The fellowship provides
the opportunity for candidate/s to travel and
study overseas for up to one month. Study
could include courses at a recognised university
or training establishment, or alternatively a
secondment to an overseas fire service, or to
another organisation, in order to gain first-hand
experience of an innovative programme or
project that has applicability to the NZFS.
Applications close at 5pm on
5 September 2011.
for the latest information on fire service sports events go to:
firenet/sports/upcomingsportsevents
23 October
Off Road Raglan Multisport Event,
Raglan Fire Brigade. Contact:
dirkderuysscher@yahoo.co.nz
27– 29 October
National 7-a-side Soccer Tournament,
Napier.
Contact: Tony.Adie@fire.org.nz or
Brent.Marshall@fire.org.nz