Download PDF: Issue 63 - New Zealand Fire Service

Vital input to maps and data
The Data and Spatial Intelligence (DSI) team helped plug
the information gap opened up by the earthquake. Staff
worked out of the National Crisis Management Centre
(NCMC) at the Beehive, providing support for the
Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management
and NZFS NHQ. They were also deployed to the
Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in Christchurch.
Manager Data and Spatial Intelligence, Stuart Waring,
said for the first few days the Fire Service provided ICAD
and emergency services operational data to the NCMC
so they could see what incidents Fire, Police and
Ambulance were responding to which helped the civil
defence response. “Within the first four hours we had
delivered Canterbury Region incident maps to the
NCMC, by Tuesday we had delivered NZ Defence Force
immediate tasking satellite imagery and NZ Aerial
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Earthquake News
Mapping aerial photography to the Canterbury EOCs,
along with radar data that showed terrain displacement.
By Wednesday, in support of Ministry of Civil Defence
and Emergency Management (MCDEM) and the EOCs,
we had helped set up data sharing and standardisation
of building assessment data between the three different
councils and regional council, which allowed all
responding agencies to see a common operating picture.”
By drawing on all the data available the different agencies
were able to help each other out and provide MCDEM
and Ministers with a comprehensive picture of what was
happening. It also allowed agencies easy access to each
other’s information. For instance, SMS information could
be searched to find building information on keyholders
that the council didn’t have. Or ICAD and SMART maps
could be used to find the names of buildings and/or
addresses when building assessment sheets were returned
from the field with only a business name for identification.
“It was a great team effort and everyone involved played
an important role in supporting MCDEM and NZFS
operations,” said Stuart.
Darfield at the
epicentre
The Darfield brigade was up and running within
20 minutes of the earthquake and the pace was hectic.
The town of 1,500 people escaped fairly lightly
considering it was near the epicentre of the earthquake.
Seven homes were badly damaged but most escaped
relatively lightly. Like other brigades, they pulled down a
lot of chimneys in the first week.
Chief Fire Office Alan Kittely said for the first day or so
the station became a gathering place for members and
their families as many had lost power. “We have a
generator so we all cooked there and ate together.”
“It was a very violent event. Anyone who tells you they
were not scared is lying to you,” he said.
October 2010
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