Download PDF: Issue 32 - New Zealand Fire Service

Wild winter
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August 2007
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
ISSUE
32
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Fire & Rescue is the flagship
publication of the New Zealand
Fire Service.
August 07
Issue No. 32
It is produced by Media,
Promotions and Communications,
National Headquarters,
Level 9, 80 The Terrace, Wellington.
Front cover: Top Pic: A milk tanker
is towed through the flood waters
covering the road at the intersection
to Maraekakaho, near Napier.
Middle Pic: A huge fallen tree
completely blocks State Highway
One just north of Waipu (south of
Whangarei). Bottom Pic: Heavy snows
cause chaos on Queenstown roads.
Back cover: Firefighters dampen
down a fire in an abandoned
house in Martin Square,
central Wellington, New
Zealand, Sunday,
29 July 2007.
We welcome contributions from
Fire Service personnel and their families.
Email stories and digital pictures to:
fire.rescue@fire.org.nz
(Pictures need to be at least 1MB)
Post written material and celluloid
photos, or photo CDs to:
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(These will be returned on request)
If you just have an idea or have an
upcoming event you would like
Fire & Rescue to cover, call
the editor on (04) 496 3675.
Fire & Rescue is online at:
www.fire.org.nz
ISSN: 1176-6670
All material in Fire & Rescue magazine is
copyrighted and may not be reproduced
without the permission of the editor.
4
8 11
The Issue Marae fire safety initiative..............................................................3
Cover Story Nature’s beast .......................................................................................4
Aiding and Abetting Remote control floods .......................................................................8
Training Turning on the TAPS ............................................................................9
Obituary Gerald Hugh Geddes, QSM ........................................................10
Incidents The prevention work we do does make a difference ..11
Demolition derby ...............................................................................12
Truck ’n’ roll ............................................................................................13
Shiver me timbers .............................................................................14
Truck stop .............................................................................................15
Profile The torch burns bright ...................................................................16
Fun & Games Seconds out ..........................................................................................17
Open day ..............................................................................................18
Awards Brothers in arms ................................................................................20
In the Community These guy are firewise ...................................................................21
Tales from Afar Talking Turkey ......................................................................................22
Noticeboard Notes and events .............................................................................23
16 18 20

Marae fire safety initiative
A Marae Fire Safety Initiative was launched at Heretaunga Taiwhenua in Hastings during July.
The concept was initiated by Hastings firefighters Hanna
Wainohu and Jamie Keenan, supported by our region
Ma - ori Liaison officer, Lana Ngawhika, and Fire Safety
Officer, Mike Finucane.
The initiative involves working with Te Puni Kokiri to
convene hui (meetings) with Ngati Kahungunu hapu -
(sub-tribes) in order to deliver Marae Fire Safety
recommendations and advice. Te Puni Kokiri is a
government agency set up to assist with economic and
resource development for Ma - ori and to specifically assist
crown agencies to work with Ma - ori.
“Although this concept was already in our minds, the
tragic loss of whare tupuna (ancestral meeting houses) at
Te Huki Marae in Raupunga really kick-started the
initiative” explains Lana. She noted that pulling the initial
meeting of stakeholders together was easily achieved
through the existing connections of firefighters Wainohu
and Keenan. “Both Hanna and Jamie are ‘tangata
whenua’, and knew who needed to be involved with the
project to get it underway.”
Roger Aranui, Regional Director of the Takitimu office of
Te Puni Kokiri, arranged for invitations to be sent to
over 30 marae affiliated with the Heretaunga Taiwhenau
– and despite a number of recent tangihanga (funerals)
and other commitments, the marae representatives
arrived in numbers.
Fire damage to the Raupunga Marae.
The Issue
Gisborne CFO Charlie Turei makes his point clear.
Photo Kerry Marshall
“We were able to share with the marae members critical
information necessary to keep their people, whare
(buildings) and taonga (treasured belongings) safe from
the destruction of fire”, Lana advised. “In addition, we
have offered the services of our Fire Safety Officers to
visit individual marae and provide specific advice
including interim safety measures, and have already
received inquiries regarding this service. We also arranged
for funding providers, such as the Department of Internal
Affairs, to be present as key speakers,
to advise of the funding opportunities
available to assist marae with the
installation of fire protection systems”.
Lana explains that this initiative will
continue throughout the rohe (tribal
boundaries) of Ngati Kahungunu,
with meetings planned to be held
with Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, and
Kahungunu ki Wairoa in the near
future. “From there, we intend to
work with our Gisborne staff to
deliver these messages throughout
Turanga and along the East coast.
There are over 200 marae scattered
throughout the Eastern Fire Region,
and our aim is to make contact
with them all”.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007 3

Nature’s b
Taranaki became Kansas, Northland and Hawke’s Bay suffer a deluge and the South Island was,
well it was the South Island. Welcome to winter in New Zealand 2007 version – 4 different
centres, 3 different weather extremes, 2 weeks of hell, 1 wordy article.
C’mon baby, let’s do the twist…
On July 4 a tornado ripped through New
Plymouth removing the roof of the local
Placemakers store and with little regard for safety
flicked it across the road. With an estimated $1.5
million damage done, it was believed that it was
over. Sadly for the residents of Taranaki it wasn’t.
That lone tornado was just the opener in a night
of howling winds, fierce storm clouds and “huge
black triangles.”
July 4 and 5 saw several tornadoes tear through
Taranaki with widespread damage but thankfully,
no fatalities.
The first tornado struck early afternoon on
Wednesday; Placemakers on Molesworth Street
was the worst hit. The sprinkler alarm system
sounded at 1pm, alerting the local fire station.
New Plymouth SSO Trevor Moore was one of
the first on the scene. “When we arrived, clearly
there had been significant building damage and
the sprinkler system had been carried away by
the roof,” he told NZPA. New Plymouth CFO
Pat Fitzell said it was a miracle no one had been
badly hurt. “Had it gone metres either side [of its
path] there would have been total destruction.”
But this was minor compared to what was
in store for the following 24 hours.
Starting around 6pm that night, at least six tornadoes
struck the wider Taranaki region leaving
a 140km trail of destruction. The worst was saved for the
coastal township of Oakura, where multiple houses have
been rendered uninhabitable. Fitzell was driving out
towards Oakura as “it was pouring with rain, then
suddenly it became really light, then total darkness,
it was quite eerie.”
But damage was not confined to just coastal Taranaki; a
number of Stratford towns were damaged when a tornado
charged through town in the middle of a thunderstorm.
A state of emergency was declared in Taranaki on July 5
after 7,000 homes across the region lost power, and large
numbers became homeless. Taranaki emergency
4 Issue No. 32
Cover Story
e
a s
t
management controller David Lean told the Taranaki
Daily News that he’d been involved with Civil Defence
for over 20 years “and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
July 6 saw the emergency level lifted as power was
returned to all but a few hundred people. This was largely
due to the “incredible” community spirit. Fitzell had
people turning up with “hammers, a chainsaw, a few
nails. One woman turned up and told me she had
a hammer in her boot and that she could use it”.
Bob McDavitt, a MetService Weather Ambassador
commented to Fire & Rescue that he’d “been forecasting
for 35 years now and I cannot remember so many
[tornadoes] coming from one front”. He said basically, a

School’s out for winter
Mother Nature was still not finished. On July 17,
two Hawke’s Bay schools were forced to shut their
doors and the army called in to evacuate students as
heavy rain over night, and all through the morning,
caused surprise flooding.
Unimogs were called to rescue students stranded by the
floodwaters at Puketapu and Maraekakaho schools.
The Hastings Civil Defence team provided portable
toilets as septic tank issues added to the woes already
experienced. The area’s Civil Defence controller told
NZPA that he had received “tremendous”
assistance from the
New Zealand Fire
Service, the Army, the
Police, Red Cross and
the Salvation Army.
Ironically, Waterworld
swimming complex in
Flaxmere was shut
due to the conditions,
as was the library and
community centre.
Two bridges on State
Highway 50 linking
Napier to Takapau were
submerged as some places
lay under more than
a metre of water.
The Kaitake Kindergarten in Oakura
suffered massive damage from the twisters.
tornado is when “there’s a huge clash of air masses and
they are fighting to even out their differences.”
From the damage reports given, McDavitt believes the
tornadoes were F0 and F1 on the Fujita Scale, a rating
system used to describe the
damage done by a particular
tornado. The scale goes from F0 – F5,
where F5 means houses are lifted off
foundations and carried some distance.
“However, New Zealand thunderstorms
are usually mediocre, around F0 or F1, though
there was an F3 that took two lives in
Waitara in 2004”.
Pat Fitzell attended the callout to that Waitara
disaster, and now with two sets of tornado
emergencies under his belt, commented that
tornadoes are unlike any other call outs
“During tornadoes, things are picked up and
scattered over a big distance. On Thursday
night, they just came out of nowhere and there were tops
of houses being ripped out and strewn across the village
and into other structures. Some people only got seconds,
one guy looked up, saw it coming and dived into a
wardrobe, then the whole top of his house got torn off”.
A milk tanker is towed through the flood
waters covering the road at the intersection
to Maraekakaho, near Napier, New Zealand,
Tuesday, July 17, 2007.
Cover Story
Fire and rescue teams set up shop
at a woolshed in the Hawke’s Bay.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
5

Kaeo KO’D
For the second time in four months Northland suffered
extreme rainfall and flooding. Over 250mm of rain fell in
just one 24-hour period (July 10/11) isolating Kaeo from
the rest of the region and sending the far north into a
state of emergency. Auckland was battered by winds of
up to 180km/h and floodwaters were up to a metre high
in places. Whilst parts of the Coromandel fell victim to
the foul weather also.
Northland was the worst hit, with large parts plunged
into darkness due to line-falls. Linesmen worked on in
hellish conditions to restore power but it was a number of
days before those in the more remote parts had their
electricity switched back on. At the peak of the storm,
there were 141,000 people without power.
A state of emergency was declared on Tuesday July 10
but lifted again on July 13, as council services switched
from emergency management to clean up mode.
EIRSA member Karl Baker said it was far worse than the
March floods, the EIRSA team worked around the clock
from the CD bunker in Wellington (see our profile of Karl’s
work in this issue). “204 maps were generated over the
flooding period, this was four times as many as usual”.
Prime Minister Clark, Civil Defence Minister Rick Barker
and list MP Dover Samuels all took in the damage done,
the Prime Minister even went so far as to suggest that
some of the places that are starting to suffer on a semiregular
basis may have to consider up and leaving.
A huge fallen tree completely blocks
State Highway One just north of Waipu
(south of Whangarei) during stormy
weather in Northland during July.
6 Issue No. 32
Cover Story
Farmer Jan Beatty looks to rescue two
stranded cows on her swamped farm
in Tangiteroria in Northland during July.
Kaeo volunteer chief Lindsay Mitchell had to endure
water creeping into the station for the first time in the
station’s 26-year history. “We were fairly hamstrung
anyway, there’s only two ways in and out of Kaeo, one
goes north, the other goes south, both were blocked, I
hadn’t seen it like that before.
“The response has been great, and not just from our
community either, all round the country. A group from
Methven and from Mt Summers sent up some home
baking, a huge thing of biscuits. I know I wouldn’t trust
my cooking to send down to Methven!”.
As of July 23, Lindsay said that it was back to business as
usual though “the Fire Station hasn’t got any carpet at
the moment, we had to chuck it out.”

South Island stays par for the course!
In the South Island, it has remained relatively calm.
There have been some very chilly temperatures, with
recorded lows of –7 o but, as Chief of Alexandra Volunteer
Station Russell Anderson noted “Most people don’t really
want to be outside to be honest”.
The far south has been coated in frosts with some areas
hit harder than most. As our photos show, Mother Nature
can be cruel but beautiful. The Alexandra vehicle testing
station gained an indoor swimming pool when a fire reel
burst flooding the office and then the pit.
Cover Story
Fire & Rescue roving photographer,
volunteer support officer Mark Hutton
took some stunning shots of the frosts and
sent them in. Whilst cold and somewhat
frozen over, Mark mentioned that it was
“mostly business as usual”.
Heavy snows cause chaos on
Queenstown roads, Queenstown,
New Zealand, Thursday, June 21, 2007.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
7

Picture this: it’s one of the most important moments
of your life, the birth of your child. The big day arrives and the
world greets Rhys, your new born son.
Remote control floods
8 Issue No. 32
Aiding and Abetting
One week later and work calls.
There’s been some flooding in a far
off town, but because of your
technical know-how you’re needed in
the Civil Defence Emergency Bunker.
This was Karl Baker’s reality the
week of the Northland Floods.
As water levels rose there was a
sudden need for emergency data
analysts. “A report would come in
and a map would need to be generated
in 15 minutes, we’ve never had such
tight deadlines before” said Karl. The
maps would show closed roads,
where evacuation centres were
located and where there were places
without power or phone connection.
Throughout Northland, in and
around Auckland and as far out as
the Coromandel Peninsula, homes
were without power, people were
stranded from aid and emergency
evacuation centres were springing up.
Rescue teams throughout needed to
be in the know.
Malcolm MacFarlane,
manager of Data and
Application Support,
had been advised
that “things were
happening” and the
team moved to the
b u n k e r o n t h e
afternoon of the
10th of July.
For the next 48
hours the bunker
was manned around
the clock, then
worked in shifts
until Sunday. The Fire
Service fulfill a dual roll inside the
centre – co-operating with Ministry
of Civil Defence staff and mapping
support for all agencies.
“When that call comes in, you head
to HQ, grab a disaster kit and make
your move” explained Malcolm. The
disaster kits include a backup of data
found on HQ’s network meaning that
The local rugby club playing fields in Kaeo
are underwater after storms in the Far North,
New Zealand, Wednesday July 11, 2007.
Malcolm MacFarlane (left) and Karl Baker
anxiously check maps of the Northland Region.
in the event of “Armageddon” the
bunker still has access. For the first
time, references for planning flight
paths for helicopter reconnaissance
were also provided and power and
telecommunication status maps were
supplied to the owners of the
infrastructure.
The system relied on input from in
and around the regions affected, Karl
explained that it was thanks to those
“who emailed us and told us where
there were places without power, and
which areas had phone lines down –
not even Telecom had that
information”.
On the Coromandel Peninsula,
Powerco had 26,000 customers
without power; aided by the Fire
Service they were able to find out
where those people were, get to them
and bring them back online. Telecom
did the same. Malcolm says it’s the
unique tools the Fire Service has at its
disposal that sees it so in demand in a
crisis situation.

It’s been in the making for a while,
and it’s just hit that finish line. Now
the TAPS programme will be rolled out
nationwide and career firefighters will
benefit greatly.
Just what TAPS is, is best left defined by the brochure
being distributed to every career fire-fighter in the country:
“The Fire Service Training and Progression System (TAPS)
for career fire-fighters is, as the name suggests, a system
governing the career progression of every fire-fighter
through the ranks, from the newest recruits to chief fire
officers and beyond”.
As soon as someone is recruited as a career fire-fighter
they are started in the TAPS course with an eleven week
recruitment programme before starting up the ladder with
the Qualified Firefighter (QFF) programme.
TAPS is being championed by Brendan Nally, the
implementation coordinator, Brendan told Fire & Rescue
“the old system was a bit archaic, it was attendance based
and then exams, but with TAPS, there’s a structure in
place to support those taking part.” For example, if you
fail any of the assessments, then there’s a re-assessment
but there’s also remedial training in place to help. “That’s
a fairly big thing, the old way of doing it didn’t have that
learning support.”
The system has been in the making for six years, in that
time programme trainers have been qualified and assigned,
markers prepared and a rigorous set of training programmes
and learning modules drawn up. “The other new part”
said Brendan “is that TAPS is an NZQA accredited system,
so firefighters can apply what they gain with us, outside of
the fire service, something unheard of previously”.
Some elements of TAPS have been running prior to the
national rollout; for example, the career recruitment
programme is part of the TAPS course as well as some of
the practical exercises in the SO programme so when
roll-out occurs it will not be a complete wipe-out of the
old, Brendan still sees some challenges ahead though.
“The biggest difficulty we face will be getting the
information out there so everyone understands, that’s
why we released the brochure, and that’s why we’re
using other media to get people in the know”.
Training
Turning on the TAPS
TAPS
TRAINING AND PROGRESSION SYSTEM
At the moment there is limited information available on
Firenet, under Training on the side-panel, then TAPS
there is a Frequently Asked Questions page and a section
on Student Guides and Support.
On 6 August this year, the collective agreement was
ratified, meaning it’s now time to tap into the good stuff.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
9

10 Issue No. 32
Obituary
5/2/1931 – 17/7/2007
Gerald Hugh Geddes, QSM
On Tuesday, July 17, operational support officer Gerald Geddes collapsed during a PFA call to the
Lawrence Hospital and was air lifted to Dunedin Hospital where he died in the early hours of
Thursday morning.
Gerald will be remembered as the backbone of the
Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade and a pillar within the
Lawrence community where he was involved with many
organisations at various levels.
Gerald’s involvement with the brigade totalled 52 years;
including 26 years as Chief Fire Officer. His role was
extended to assist neighbouring Waitahuna Brigade,
serving as their CFO for 21 years until his operational
retirement in 1997 when he continued his new role within
operational support. During his volunteer career, Gerald
was given life honourary membership and was awarded
the Double Gold Star in 2005.
Outside of the fire department, Gerald worked for the
Lawrence School Committee between 1968-1984 as
treasurer as well as chairman for 2 terms. He worked
tirelessly for the local borough council between 1971-
1989, served 2 terms as Deputy Mayor; and was the last
Mayor in Lawrence prior to amalgamation with the
Clutha District. Gerald was one of the first drivers for
the St Johns Ambulance Service and was President of
their Association in 1958.
He was a Jaycees’ member from 1961 till 1973
and was made a senator in 1970. Gerald was an
inaugurated member of the Lions Club and
was president 1972-1973, zone chairman
1975-1976 and received the Honoured
Membership Award in 1992; in 1994 he was
honoured with the Melvin Jones Fellow
Award for dedicated Humanitarian Services
from the Lions Club International.
Gerald’s other passions were the Vintage
Club, Simpson Park, working as a board
member at the Lawrence Hospital and
he frequently helped with the Local
information centre. Gerald was also a
Justice of the Peace.
During his funeral service, Gerald’s family,
friends and colleagues spoke of his
achievements and love for family and of
his committed approach to all the clubs
and associations with which Gerald was
affiliated with.
Fire Fighters throughout New Zealand who knew
Gerald will be deeply affected by his sudden death
and we are all thinking of his wife Kath, children
David, Peter and Dallas, Pam and Wayne, Debbie and
Bruce, all grandchildren and wider family. We feel blessed
we could all be a part of Gerald’s life and salute him as a
legend within the district.
Rory Tisdall
CFO Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade

Photo courtesy of Northern News
In November 2005, the Kaikohe New World was razed to
the ground by fire. This rammed home the importance of
fire safety to the manager, Bernie McGinty. Having
witnessed the devastation the fire left, he did not want to
see this happen elsewhere in the community.
Almost a year to the day later, the Kaikohe New World
rose from the ashes and was re-opened with all the
expected pomp and ceremony. Part of the opening
celebration saw the Kaikohe brigade spend several days
in-store promoting escape plans, home sprinklers, and
smoke alarms. The supermarket provided some smoke
alarms for giveaway.
A young mother was given 4 alarms for her rental property
in rural Omanaia and installed them just prior to Christmas.
On 10 January 2007 this year at 11.30, the alarms
activated, alerting the family to a developing fire.
The family all escaped; unfortunately, a combination of
the speed of the fire, the brigade travel distance and
meagre water supplies, the house could not be saved.
Incidents
The prevention work we do
does make a difference
Sometimes there are grumbles around the place as to the level of fire safety promotion
we have to do, but then we hear that fire safety activity has directly resulted in saving
lives and it becomes clear why we do it.
Bernie McGinty did not need to have the fire brigade in
his store. He could have utilised the space during opening
week for a more profitable venture. Instead he knew the
importance of promoting fire safety and passed that
information on to customers as they took advantage of
the opening week’s specials.
All the promotion needed, was staff with static display
material, good advice, and a cheery disposition. It was
simple, involved minimal brigade staff, but was clearly
very effective.
Kaikohe CFO Bill Hutchinson is a proud supporter of fire
safety within his fire district. He encourages all members
to do their bit, whether at their workplace, home, or even
socially. Fire prevention activity is just as important as the
big red trucks.
Maybe this kind of attitude filtering from the Chief
through the ranks is why the Kaikohe Fire Brigade won
the National Commanders Station of the Year Award
a couple of years back.
The burnt out remains
of the house in Omanaia.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
11

Demolition derby
The driver of this car escaped his
burning vehicle with serious burns to his
face and hands after a massive collision
just outside Dargaville one evening
recently. The truck driver was thrown
from his cab and suffered moderate
injuries as his truck rolled over the car.
12 Issue No. 32
Incidents

Incidents
TRUCk’N’ROLL
This was a truck rollover in Hamilton where they had to spend several hours getting the
driver out of his crushed cab. Fortunately he came out remarkably unscathed.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
Photos by red watch. 13

Pictures: Ashburton Courier
14 Issue No. 32
Incidents
Shiver me timbers
Fire and timber mix a little too well. This was
evidenced by this fire in an Ashburton Timber Yard
on July 12. At 5.40am, an early shift worker at the
timber yard spotted the fire and made the call.
Three appliances were sent out to battle with it.
Pretty soon it became clear that reinforcements
were needed. Methven, Hinds and Willowby duly
obliged as well as Ashburton Rural and Pendarves
contributing tankers. Salvation Army workers were
on hand to keep the firefighters fed and watered.
DCFO Graham Baker told the Ashburton
Guardian that they needed a number of tankers to
be called in from around the district because of
the need for water. When the water supply on the
appliances got low, they had to travel back to the
corner of Bremners Road and Seafield Road, some
distance away, to refill.
After six hours, the fire was finally brought under
control with a destroyed 20 x 40 metre shed storing
processed wood the significant casualty. At present
the police are treating the fire as suspicious.

Truck stop
Incidents
The driver of this truck was lucky
to escape unharmed when his
tanker carrying thousands of litres
of petrol came off the road and
rolled. Up to 14,000 litres of the
stuff spilt into the ground on State
Highway 2, just south of Nuhaka.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
15

Photo from the Horowhenua Mail
On the June 29 this year, Alexander Weir celebrated his 80 th birthday.
But it’s not just his birthday that was worthy of celebration, Alex’s history
with the New Zealand Fire Service is to be saluted too.
The torch burns bright
Alex has been a member of the New
Zealand Fire Service for 42 years.
To put that in perspective, when he
joined in 1965, Sir Keith Holyoake
was Prime Minister, Wilson Whineray
was captain of the All Blacks and Ray
Columbus & The Invaders were
topping the charts.
Alex started out at the Raetihi
Volunteer Fire Brigade, where he
worked his way up to the rank of
chief which he held from 1984 till
1992 when he was compulsorily
retired. In 1992 Alex received the
Queen’s Fire Service Medal in the
New Year’s honours list. He also
received the National Commander’s
Award in 2003.
But retirement did not dim the flame
for Alex. “After I’d been out for 5 or
Alex Weir celebrates his 80th with
(from l to r) son Murray, daughter
Jacqui and son Andrew.
16 Issue No. 32
Profile
so years, they [the Raetihi Brigade]
needed a secretary, I knew more
about it than any of them so they
seconded me”.
After 5 years in the secretarial role,
Alex moved from Raetihi to Levin
and sought work at the Levin
Volunteer Fire Brigade. At age 75, so
began his third length of tenure with
the Fire Service.
Since joining the Levin Brigade, Alex
has been working more in the “Fire
Police side of things, like fire alarms,
I’ve installed about 1000 of those in
Raetihi and Levin” which in typical
modesty of the man “isn’t that many
when you think about it, the average
house should have 3 or 4”. He also
does “general dog’s body work” such
as clearing the answer-phone,
answering people’s queries and
dispensing with literature about
smoke alarms.
It’s a desire and a sense of duty that
has kept him in the job for so long. “I
like the job and there’s a need for it,
I’ve got the time on my hands, why
not utilize it?”
And how have things changed?
“Everything’s changed except for
two things, people and water. The
clothing, the training, the equipment,
the methods we use, communications,
they’ve all changed.”
Winston Churchill said that he accomplished
most of his noteworthy achievements
as a senior citizen, Alex Weir
achieved plenty before retirement, he’s
just kept on achieving ever since.

Seconds out
Firefighters and police officers usually get along, but on August 11th, expect to see some
of them squaring off in the ring. It’s all for a good cause, though.
Twenty firefighters and police officers from Palmerston
North will be boxing each other in the inaugural Fire
vs. Police Charity Boxing for the Kids event at Arena
Manawatu, on August 11.
Event organiser Dan Coward says this is the first time
firefighters and police officers have joined forces to
fundraise money for Canteen (New Zealand organisation
supporting young people living with cancer) with a
Boxing event in Palmerston North.
“There is emergency service pride on the line. All the
boxers have been undertaking a gruelling training regime
for the past 4 months in preparation for the event.”
Dan says ironically, the up-coming fight has brought the
two services closer together.
“They train closely together, and this has resulted in
increased working relationships between police officers
and firefighters. It should have a benefit for the community
and both organisations in the future.”
A recent launch of the boxing event held in the Square at
Palmerston North, attracted a number of people prepared
to square off with the boxers in an effort to win a double
pass to the event. Support from the community has been
great, but now people are needed to buy tickets and
support the event.
Tickets are currently on sale with Arena Manawatu or
Ticket Direct and are selling fast. When booking tickets
make sure you let them know you’re with the Fire Service
or Police, that way you can be seated in the ‘right’ section
of the crowd. There will be ‘on the night’ entertainment,
spot prizes, food and beverages for all, expect a boxing
extravaganza lasting several hours.
Fire vs. Police Charity Boxing for the kids, Arena 2,
Pascal St, Palmerston North, Saturday August 11.
Tickets: $25 adult, $15 student/child. Family (two
adults and two children) $60. Seats are limited.
Venue is Arena 2 Manawatu. Doors open at 6pm,
first fight at 7.30pm, finishes around 10.30-11pm.
Ten fights on the card, all fire vs. police, including one
female firefighter vs. female police officer. Fighters
are registered through the Boxing Federation.
Fun & Games
All funds raised will be given to Canteen Manawatu.
The organisers have said they could not have done it
without their major sponsors who came through for
them with uniforms, products, training kits and the
funds to do this.
For more information contact:
Dan Coward, event manager
Dan.coward@fire.org.nz
027 249 0008
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
17

SPORTS
COUNCIL
Event Calendar
2 0 0 7
National Trout
Fishing Competition
Turangi
August 20 – 23, 2007
Email:
francarmstrong@hotmail.com
South Island
Basketball
Tournament
Christchurch
September 1, 2007
Email: chris.lind@fire.org.nz
Entry forms and contacts for some events are available online at Firenet or fire.org.nz
18 Issue No. 32
Fun & Games
Rebekah Cody trying
out some new fashions.
Open
Day
With recent changes in the
Hutt District, and the crews
having had time to settle into
their new Stations, it was time
to open them to the public.
Seaview, Hutt City and Avalon
Fire Stations were hosts for
an ‘open day’, with trucks and
equipment on display as well
as fire safety demonstrations.
National Rugby
Tournament
Wellington
September 7 & 8, 2007
Email: john.rowe@fire.org.nz

A large turnout was expected and
that’s exactly what they got, including
a large group from the IDEAS centre
( IHC) who saw the article in the
Hutt news and made it a special
outing for the kids. IDEA Services
Limited is an IHC community service
Wellington Provincial
Brigades Driving
Competition
Feilding
September 9, 2007
Email: collielaw@actrix.gen.nz
Katie Coyne gets
fire wise with the
Wormald fire
safety display.
Firefighter Errol
Tapika helps
Jacob Cheers
into some gear,
Jacob’s grandfather
is a
volunteer firefighter
up in
Norsewood.
Maybe a sign of
things to come?
National Basketball
Tournament
Marton
September 27 – 29, 2007
Email: col.tash@xtra.co.nz
Or: marton@fire.org.nz
Daniel Higgins gets the
best seat in the house.
who sets out to aid people to live,
learn, work and enjoy life in the
community Tracey McCarthy from
IDEA services wrote in to say “On
behalf of the staff and children from
IDEA we would like to thank the
staff that gave us a demonstration of
National Golf
Tournament
Fun & Games
Tairua
October 9 – 12, 2007
Email: chris.new@fire.org.nz
equipment and showed us the fire
engine on a recent visit in the holidays.
The staff were patient and
enthusiastic. The children had a great
time and thanks for the posters, we
will return again”.
To list your sporting event on this space please send details to: warren.dunn@fire.org.nz
Barry Ollerenshaw
shows Andrew Wilson
the latest gears.
Australasian Golf
Championships
Launceston, Tasmania
Oct 28 – Nov 2, 2007
Email: ray.shields@fire.org.nz
Phone: (07) 347 2252
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
19

Steven Field, David Field, Bill Field
(Father) and Warren Field.
Off the Flight Plan
Pukete Green Watch took this shot of a downed Robinson R22 helicopter
that crash landed at Te Kowhai Airport. Thankfully, all inside got out safely.
20 Issue No. 32
Awards
Has sibling rivalry gone too far when three brothers receive the Gold Star?
Brothers in Arms
In late June, Johnsonville Firefighter David Field
received his Gold Star for 25 years service to the
Johnsonville Volunteer Fire Brigade. A big party
was thrown to celebrate the milestone, made all
the more unique by the fact that two of David’s
brothers, Warren and Steven have both already
notched up their Gold stars. Between the three
of them, they’ve racked up 92 years service.
David told the Wellingtonian Newspaper that
he signed up to the volunteer fire service
because his brothers were a part of it and he’s
never looked back “It’s like being in a big
family, and we’re serving our community too.
And it teaches you all sorts of skills such
as first aid.”
Warren Field told Fire & Rescue that he was very
proud of his brother. “It’s great for David, we’re
all very proud of him. All of us get an awful lot
out of being involved”.
David’s nephew has also done a year’s service making
David feel sure that “we’d [the family] be able to clock
up a century if we tried hard enough”.
As well as being a volunteer firefighter, David owns his own
company so has had to juggle work and fire commitments.
“With a storm, you can be out from 7pm until 7am and
then you have to go work”; but most highly prized for
David is the family aspect of the Fire Service and he doesn’t
just mean his own, though his 13-year old son Corey
is keen on following his father and uncles into the service.

These guys are firewise
In a small isolated area up the top of
the Manukau Peninsula, in a place
called A - whitu, where help called for is
a long time coming, a fire broke out in
the chimney of a bach. Inside the house
there were 2 mothers and six children.
But no injuries befell any of them.
Not more than two months prior, two
of the children had been taught fire
safety at kindergarten. They had been
instructed to “Get out and Stay Out”
and then to “dial 111 from the
neighbours” and that they did. No
panicking, no rushing. Just a calm and
collected response to a scary situation.
Gayle Oswald and Neville Bull head
up the Awhitu Voluntary Rural Fire
Force education team and are
delighted with how the kids reacted.
“Seeing this sort of thing reminds us
the value of fire education in schools.
No matter how long the odds,
it can still happen
By keith Whale
A West Auckland firefighter escaped serious injury by
the proverbial whisker when the piston from a motor
vehicle gas strut struck him during a recent third
alarm incident in an Oratia packing shed.
The firefighter was twenty five metres from the shed and had
just bent forward to tighten his BA straps when the piston
lanced into the top of his helmet penetrating the helmet’s
outer shell and being stopped by the inner dome. While the
odds against the firefighter being struck by the piston in this
fashion are extremely high, the odds of it doing so, just as he
bent forward are astronomical. If he had been standing
upright he could well have been killed.
In a case of bad luck, good luck, this firefighter was lucky to
go home that night.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
In the Community
Pictured L – R: Alana Smith, Gayle Oswald (volunteer firefighter),
Connor McCormick (in hat), Cerise McCormick holding baby
Eilis McCormick, Joshua Smith (in hat), Lydia Smith holding baby
Lachlan Smith, Tyler-Rose Smith and Neville Bull (volunteer firefighter).
August 2007
21

My name is Neville Brown and my wife Anne and I have been travelling through
Turkey for the last 6 weeks and we’re now back in Istanbul. I noticed on my map
a Fire Department Museum, my map reading skills aren’t that flash, but I still
stumbled across the museum that I was looking for. Right next door was the
central fire station. The museum was locked so I approached a group of firefighters
near the front entrance. They found someone who could speak English –
Kadir the editor of the Turkish Firefighter magazine. Fortunately I had brought
a recent copy of Fire & Rescue with me, which I gave him. He then took me on a
tour of the station. It’s the senior station for Istanbul so accordingly it’s quite
large. Most of the equipment looked modern and well kept. There were a large
number of vehicles but not enough garaging for all of them.
Their pride and joy was a new 25 metre TTL and a couple of new Unimog Rescue
Tenders. We had several çays (Turkish teas) together, then I was invited to lunch
with them. A very nice 3 course lunch was cooked by professional staff.
My Turkish and their English didn’t always get through but I found out some of
the basics, e.g. they work 24 on 48 off.
I also briefly visited another station in the city of Antalya on the south coast.
I blundered upon this station as well looking for something else.
They had one small pump (which needs to be small because of the narrow
roads) and a motorcycle appliance. The bike carries a single BA with small
cylinder, a rescue line for cliff rescues, three 2kg dry powder extinguishers,
several crow bars, a sledge hammer for entry purposes and MVAs and a
stand pipe key. Also entry keys and elevator keys. This crew works 9am to
9pm daily and goes home at night. During the day the station is manned
with 5 firefighters and at night not manned at all. Three of them
live locally and respond from home. I found that all crews seem to be
paid and there didn’t appear to be any concept of volunteer work.
In the smaller towns I got the impression that fire trucks were
possibly manned by local council staff.
All the best
Nev Brown
Talking Turkey
Ex-volunteer firefighter and Fire & Rescue foreign
correspondent Neville Brown has been traipsing around
Turkey lately and has a couple of fire related stories
he wanted to share with the group. Neville has been a
volunteer fire fighter with the Waiheke Island Bridge for
38 years, he was Deputy Chief at Waiheke for 10 years
and Fire Police for the last couple of years preceding his
retirement, here’s his story from Turkey:
Thanks Nev, and if anyone else has any stories of Fire
brethren from afar drop us a line.
22 Issue No. 32
Tales from Afar

IFE Conference 2007
Keeping pace: Technology and modern emergency management
The 2007 Emergency Managers Conference (comprising the IFE and
Civil Defence Wellington regional conferences) is on at the Wellington
Convention Centre on October 4 & 5.
The conference will feature three speaking streams covering issues of
technology in the risk, reduction, response and recovery phases of
emergency management.
Speakers will include emergency management professionals from the
United States, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. They will include
Fire Service chief executive / national commander Mike Hall, Minister of
Internal Affairs Rick Barker and the Director of Civil Defence and
Emergency Management John Hamilton.
More information on registering and for prospective sponsors
and speakers is available by contacting Russell Wood at
Russell.Wood@fire.org.nz.
A new man
The man who has been editing this magazine for 2 years now
has left us for fairer shores, and I am his replacement.
My name is David Cormack and I come to you from the
Ministry of Health where I spent the last 18 months as the sole
communications guy for the Programme Management Office inside
the Corporate and Information Directorate.
That was about as exciting as it sounds so I’m really looking
forward to my time here at the Fire Service.
Iain had the magazine humming from the look of it so I don’t
plan on making any wholesale changes. But if you see anything
you’d like added then please let me know.
Other than that, I hope you enjoy this month’s and the following
months’ installments of Fire & Rescue.
Noticeboard
Brian Davey
IFE New Zealand
Branch president
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine August 2007
23

The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Published August 2007
By the New Zealand Fire Service
Media, Promotions & Communications
National Headquarters, Wellington
www.fire.org.nz