Issue 56 - New Zealand Fire Service

Cutting Edge Technology
Rolling out the hazmats
The 17 new dual-role hazmat/command vehicles, their decontamination systems,
supporting equipment and training are now being rolled out to the regions at a rate
of about one a month.
National Manager Special Operations
Jim Stuart-Black, says the rollout is
the culmination of five years of
planning and design and all regions
should have their hazmat capability
fully operational by the Rugby World
Cup in 2011.
“These vehicles and everything they
contain, including the new disposable
splash suits and the detection, identification
and monitoring equipment,
reflect the latest in international
best practice. Much of the design
has been done by the New Zealand
Fire Service and they will handle any
biological, chemical and radiological
hazards likely to be faced by our
personnel, the public or other
emergency service.”
Jim says the New Zealand Fire Service
hazmat capability is now among
the best in the world and provides
New Zealand with a national,
strategic asset.
The project was initiated by the
National Commander Mike Hall,
who saw the need for New Zealand
Fire Service to be able to
respond rapidly and effectively to a
wide range of situations requiring
contemporary command and control
capabilities and hazardous material
response options.
Each hazmat/command vehicle will
be strategically positioned so that it
can respond in major cities (typically
those with associated ports or
airports) within 20 minutes and
within 60 minutes to the rest of the
country, 90 per cent of the time.
National Advisor Operations John
Sutherland says the decontamination
corridors house two lanes which
allow emergency service personnel or
members of the public to be processed
very quickly, with full privacy and
using warm soapy water. The warm
water wash is a huge step forward as
it is much more effective, and safer,
than cold water for many types of
contamination.
“Our decontamination corridors are
a scaled down version of the mass
decontamination processes that were
developed after the 9-11 terrorist
attacks. We are the first country in
the world to use these mass decontamination
principles for a businessas-usual
emergency response.
Naturally, we made modifications
to suit New Zealand’s needs and
conditions,” said John.
The national rollout plan has been
communicated to all regions.
The new decontamination system
is self-contained with its own
electricity generator, lighting and
waste disposal process. The corridor
and its associated equipment and
protective clothing are packed into
six aluminium pods which fit into
the rear of each hazmat/command
vehicle.
John Sutherland (left) gets a hand
from colleagues Rob McMahon (centre) and
Bruce Crosbie to pack up the decontamination
corridor and equipment that were being
used for commissioning in a Lower Hutt
warehouse. This set of gear is destined
for Wellington.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine February 2010
3