to download the April Issue of K1 - Raglan Operational Support Unit

New Zealand’s volunteer firefighter magazineK1Storm dutyApril 2012

2issuesissuesissuesWhat pricea vollie?some see recompense ending up in a messytangle of how many calls did you actuallyturn up for, etc. Most vollies I’ve spoken toon this snort at the idea of being paid, butthey would definately be grateful for somesort of rates relief as suggested, or tax reliefthat shows the community appreciates theirefforts.by Ross MillerThe volunteer ethic is under threat from themodern environment says the Fire ServiceCommission and it has suggested somefar-reaching measures to the Minister, that itconsiders could foster volunteerism.Most firefighters know from their ownexperience that the current recruitment andrentention problems arise from a change inattitude in the new milennium toward a moreself-focussed society.The FSC pointed out to new Minister AmyAdams, in its introductory briefing, that otherthreats were:• increased access to more attractiverecreational activities;• greater pressures on family life (bothparents working etc);• commercial pressures on employersmeaning fewer staff to cover volunteerson callout;Cover photoCover photo from John Stone, NorthernAdvocate: One of several Ngunguru residentsrescued by firefighters in inflatibles duringthe March storms.• increased commuting to jobs distantfrom the home community;• a more mobile population with lessattachment to community;• exposure to health and safetly legislationliabilities and more compliancepaperwork.The history of many small town brigadesmirror those ‘threats’ almost word for word.To counter this, the FSC suggests possiblemeasures such as:• relief from Fire Service levy, income taxor rates for volunteers and employers ofvolunteers ;• meaningful gratuities on reitrement,subject to a minimum service period;• ‘scholarships’ to enable brigade membersto pursue relevant study courses;• relief from student debt interest chargeswhile a member of a registered volunteerbrigade;• financial recognition of the contributionvolunteer brigades make to communityhealth service, ambulance services, civildefence and natural disaster recovery.The whole point of being a volunteer, is ofcourse, that the work is freely given andK1Most volunteers are probably unaware theyare already entitled to a modest gratuityafter an equally modest 10 years.Every so often in a discussion on this topic,up pops the idea of retained firefighters.There are strongly held opinions, mostlybased on no hands-on experience, but it isclear that a seismic shift in the New Zealandvollie psyche would be required. But then –would that be a bad outcome?Get yourgratuity here!YeeeHaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!! Line-up guys. Getyours here!If you put 10 years in, the Fire ServiceCommission may not unreasonably withholda gratuity you may apply for.Section 56 of the Fire Service Act 1975entitles you to a gratuity of $20 for eachyear of serivce after you have served 10years, provided, of course, that you meetattendance levels.That’s 100 bottles of Tui at supermarket pr ices.

Co-ordinated emergencyservice neededThe FSC has pointed out to new MinisterAmy Adams what we all know, but probablydon’t think about except when doing annualaudits.Out on the job, it’s just another job and whilethere are mutters about 3am callouts to akitten stuck in a drain, or doing point dutywhile the rain pours down because there arenot enough police on duty, the NZFS does itbecause who else would?That’s what is behind a lot of firefighter angst.“Where is everybody else?”K1 wishes the FSC well in its endeavours.Unfortunately, when you start talkingabout efficiencies in emergency servicesthat inevitably will mean something likethe Amercian EMS, eyes narrow and patchprotection sets it.The point is that does it really matter whoruns the organisation? A co-ordinated rescueresponse organisation including NZFS,ambulance, search and rescue, civil defenceand coastguard, for instance, might actuallyhave enough muscle to get the whole servicefunded properly instead of the fire levy beingsneered at by those who find ways of failingto contribute.Perhaps we should borrow some of theappropriate provisions of the IRD statutes toencourange compliance. Or even go reallyretro and put plaques on buildings that arecovered by the service because their ownerspaid up?The FSC breifed the Minister that over 30%of callouts now have no fire-related activityand there is increasing reliance on the NZFSfor ambulance-related services or a range ofactivities induced by heavy weather.“The capability to respond to these classesof emergency incident has grown over timein response to community demand ratherthan by conscious decision of Government.Nevertheless, communities and Governmentclearly expect fire services to respons to nonfireincidents.”3However, says the Commission, numerouspolicy issues arise as a consequence, there is:• no authority to establish nationalstandards for delivery of non-fire emrgencies;• no strategic approach to buildingcapability and allocating resources;• competition between agencies forvolunteers.National Commander Paul Baxter, Internal Affairs Amy Adams, Fire Service Commission chairWyatt Creech, and National Taining Centre Manager Geoff Purcell – at the opening of NTCStage 2.April 2012If it is obvious to us that we are now requiredfor nearly every known type of emergency,perhaps we are just too quiet about it, ormore to the point, just getting on with thejob because that what we joined up for.However, with the FSC’s firm conviction aboutissuesissuesissues

4issuesissuesissuesthe obvious requirement for reform, perhapsvollies need to take advice on becomingpolitically active at a local level over what thepublic expects and what the public is actuallyprepared to pay for ?Is this something the UFBA could co-ordinate?There would need to be a common message,but a groundswell of opinion may be themuscle a new Minister neeeds to kick inseveral closed doors.Five key issuesFive key issues need to be addressed to putNew Zealand’s fire service on a sound footing,according to the Fire Service Commission.Briefing new Minister Amy Adams, the FSCsaid those issues were:1. Updating the legislation as the 1975Act is increasingly out of date.2. Mandating the wider “all hazards”emergency service role of the NZFS.3. Reforming the funding base – theindemnity value insurance base is subject toavoidance and forecast deficits need to beaddressed.4. Bringing urban fire and rural fireservices closer together.5. Sustaining and supportingvolunteerism.Повышение !When firefighters reach the top of the SkyTower next month, they might take a fewseconds to think of Moscow firefighters whorecently had to do quite a few more steps,and carrying gear.Fire broke on the 65th floor of a skyscraperunder construction and because there wereno lifts working in the unfinished building,the Muscovites took a deep breath and madethe big trip to 250 metres above ground level.Helicopters were bought in three hours afterthe blaze broke out because the firefightersA touch of classPeugeot developed this H2O concept fuelcell fire engine for reconnaissance in areaswithin towns and cities that are difficult forlarge vehicles to access.To allow the H2O to continue to operate insituations where visibility might be severelyreduced due to smoke, the vehicle is fittedwith proximity sensors in the bumpers and aradar system incorporated in the front panel.The stylish appearance of the Peugeot H2Obelies the fact that it is a fully operational firefightingvehicle. Although it has never goneinto production, the two concept modelshave been used in the Chunnel.A great second truck for volunteer stations?K1couldn’t get above the blaze from whichflames were leaping high into the night sky,illuminating the surrounding city.The building will eventually be Europe’stallest tower at 360 metres plus a mastanother 200 metres above that.As all well-read firefighters will know,Повышение is Russian for “going up” !

Retaining volunteers:What are wereally afraid of ?by Ian KingMuch as been made recently of the troublevolunteer organisations worldwide, andin particular fire services, are having inrecruiting new volunteers and retaining theexisting.In our organisation, volunteer sustainabilitysurveys recently done seem to now point tovolunteers needing some form of financialsupport to continue to belong. The currentpush is for indirect financial support, ratherthan any true ‘retained’ system as used inmost of Australia, all of United Kingdomand much of Canada, whereby volunteerfirefighters receive small payments forbelonging and attending.Sometime ago I visited the city of Griffith inNSW. This city, which is fairly remote fromother towns, had a population at the time ofjust over 20,000 people making it bigger thansome of our larger towns such as Blenheim orLevin, that rely on volunteer firefighters. Thisstation has a rescue pump and a tanker, and astaff of Captain and 12 firefighters.What I hear you say – only 12? Yes, but thisis more than enough for their needs as thetwo trucks they have can be crewed withsix – four on pump and two on tanker – andthis effectively gives them two alternativecrews (2 x 6). They can sustain this becauseit is a retained station, as all are in NSWoutside of the big cities. Firefighters are paida retainer to belong and a turnout fee foreach response and training session attended.Therefore, those that are there, are almostalways available and keen to respond andattend training.What I am getting at is that with this system,you get a much more committed core ofstaff, while often smaller in numbers. I amsure most volunteer chiefs would rather havea dozen committed and available staff than30-40 in their brigade who waver betweenattending calls and training sessions.While on a fire service exchange in Canada,I experienced the same thing in a numberof towns with volunteer fire departments– small rosters of staff dedicated andcommitted to attending all fire servicematters, because of the stipend (retainer)they were paid.Now you see her ...All that briefing the Fire ServiceCommission did for new Minister AmyAdams will now have to be repeated foreven newer Minister of Internal Affairs ChrisTremain, who became our Minister in thelatest reshuffle as we went to press. Perhapsthey could just refer him to the Firenetwebsite and save on paper!April 2012So what is it we are afraid of? I guess theorganisation is afraid of the perceived extracosts, but what of the cost of a non-response?• What of the cost reduction when atwo pump station may only need 16 staffinstead of 30 – 40?• What of the cost of reduction ofbrigade grants to compensate?• What of the cost reduction inuniforms and protective clothing?• More pointedly, what especiallyabout training course attendance/loss ofwages costs for those 12 –16 as against 30 –40?Historically, many volunteer firefighters havesaid they don’t want to be paid, but was thatcurrent staff, or those that joined during adifferent era. Many are now struggling tocommit (especially the self-employed) andthese often make up a large percentage ofbrigade members. Support from employersfor response in working hours has declineddue to not wanting to pay absent staff.But I really wonder if it is the ‘hidden factors’that are really putting firefighters, especiallythe older, longer-serving ones, off pushing fora retained system. These include the fear thatbeing paid by the NZFS will mean volunteershave more standards demanded of them:for attendance, fitness, health, compulsorytraining attendance, etc. And while this maywell turn out to be the case, what is wrongwith having good standards of training,fitness and commitment as a volunteerfirefighter? Retained firefighters I have metand spoken to in Canada, Australia andUnited Kingdom certainly don’t echo thosefears?5issuesissuesissues

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GlenorchygirlssupremeGlenorchy’s female firefighters were theSouth’s supreme wajax wranglers, winningeight trophies at the recent 41st Wajax ruralfirefighting competition in Omarama thatattracted teams from all over Southland AndOtago.Glenorchy’s Eraina Temple, Hayley Douglasand sisters Jess and Nicole Scott (picturedwith a proud CFO Dick Watson) won all threeof the weekend’s female team challenges.“We won all three races, got the trophy forfinishing top of the ladies, one for the leastnumber of penalties, the combined one for allthree runs added up and, probably the best– the award for most consistent out of all 20teams, including the men,” she said.Photo – ODT.Rolleston RCR championRolleston is the new national RCR champion,heading off 16 other brigades at the NationalRoad Crash Rescue Challenge held inQueenstown.CFO Nigel Lilley ruefully points out that thebrigade does get a lot of hands-on time as ithas two state highways running through itsdistrict. The challenge practice has flow-onbenefits, he points out, noting that a recentjob was quite similar to a scenario the teamhad just trained in and firefighters were ableto slip into the job seamlessly, without havingApril 2012to second-guess what others were doing.The Rolleston team was John Trounson,Dean Shuttleworth, Glenn Manning, MartinTier, Scott Garriock, Shannon Austin, withmanager Glenn Cockburn.Skytowera selloutThe 2012 Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Climbhas achieved rock concert status, withpositions on the run selling out in 13 hoursand 10 min.All other entries are on a waiting list forthe May 19 event. Tony Scott said last yearorganisers accommodated everyone on thewaiting list, but that cannot be guaranteed.As people pull out of the event their spacewill be filled by those on the waiting listonly.The organisers are shooting for a million.Another $240,000 this year will make agrand total of $1,000,000 in eight years.Three teams forAustralasian RCRRolleston, Feilding and Whitianga willrepresent New Zealand in the AustralasianRoad Rescue Challenge, 26 to 29 April inHobart. Twenty-two teams are enteredwith Singapore sending a team for the firsttime.7challengeschallengeschallenges

8Storm dutyIt’s been the wet stuff, rather than the redstuff keeping firefighters busy during Marchwith two major storm systems hittingparticularly the northern half of the country.Some areas had the month’s rainfall in a fewhours and naturally the countryside becomeinundated by the run-off.There have been hairy moments in severalplaces including the rescue of Otaika womanwho got trapped in her car when the riveroverflowed the bridge she was crossing.When she scrambled from her vehicle, shewas swept away. Her neighbour in a kayak,and Te Kopuru firefighters in an inflatable,were able to rescue her from the riverbanktotatra tree she had been clinging to for 20minutes.Inflatable craft were also used aroundNgunguru as firefighters rescued familiesfrom homes engulfed in 1.5m floodwaters.Kaeo, which has been in the news severaltimes in the last couple of years with floods,was hit again with twice its normal monthlyrainfll dropping in a day.Taranaki and Wanganui were hit by bothstorms, and while the first was thought tohave caused at least $3.5 million in damage,the area got off lighter the second time round.While being in the vicintiy of Mt Taranakimeans they are used to rain, residents saidthe ferocity of the winds was surprising,demolishing building and destroying pineplantations by snapping trees off halfway up.Naturally volunteer brigades were very activein cleaning up roads, and fallen trees andpumping out flooded areas.The loss of power was a major problem fordairy farmers as it meant loss of water pumps,not just milking machinery. In some areas,volunteer brigades used their tankers to ferrywater to farms.Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata OperationalSuppport brigades pumped out and moppedup Fernlea School.Above: The South Islandwasn’t immune. Pumpingout the highway was one ofWeston’s callouts.onthejobBeing out and about i Taranaki wasdanegerous with roofing iron, and wholesheds, flying about.Left: Cleaning up fallentrees at Newlands.Photo – Stuff

Slave labourThis 1785 Richard Mason Hand Fire “Enjin” is one of the first fire machines used inCharleston, North Carolina, and one of only three surviving Mason designs.9Initially used by the “Hand in Hand” company, it was operated by 33 handselectedslaves.Fondly known as the “Handtub”, the Mason Enjin worked until the Civil War.COMPACT FIRE-FIGHTINGAND RESCUEBlack Saturdayarsonist convictedBrendan James Sokaluk has beenfound guilty of starting a BlackSaturday bushfire that killed 10people.The verdict means Sokaluk is thestate of Victoria’s worst ever killer.TECHNOLOGY= SMALLER EQUIPMENT= LOWER CAPITAL &RUNNING COSTSDemos available.Call us now for a free informationpack and memory stick.P 0800 FIRESOURCE0800 347 376W resource.co.nzThe 36,000-hectare fire at Churchillin Victoria’s east on February 7,2009, destroyed 156 homes.He lit the fire at two points andthen told lies to cover his tracks,the court heard during his monthlongtrial.Sokaluk admitted to policehe started the fire but said ithappened accidentally when ashdropped out his car window.His Holden sedan broke downon the road near where the firestarted.

10robotsrobotsrobotsGoing where mancan’t goThankfully New Zealand doesn’t have anynuclear power plants or many big petrochemicalor chemical facilities that can createchaos if they catch fire. Other countrieshave had to invesitgate and invest in robotictechnology as part of their firefightingarsenal. The Chinese and Japanese areserious about robotics and there have been avariety of robtos developed in Europe.Croatian company, DOK-ING, reconfiguredits robot landmine flail into a no-nonseneheavyweight firefighter. The MVF-5multifunctional system is for use in lifethreateningconditions and inaccessibleareas. The system is operated from a safedistance of up to 1500m.Firefighting is provided by a Zieglerextendable boom cannon capable of 2000litres per minute and a 55m throw. It carries2200 litres of water and 500 litres of foamthat can be used at between two and sixpercent.The standard operating tool mounted infront of the system is a rotational grippercombined with dozer blade that can liftup to two tonnes and remove dangerousobjects. The gripper can also penetratebuildings, cut wires, and be used as thejaws of life. The dozer blade can push upto 10 tonnes.But far more than being a remote‘branchman’, the MVF5 can recognisethe presence of humans by means of ahigh-resolution thermal vision cameramounted on the water gun. Operators arealerted when humans are detected. Fiveadditional waterproof cameras mounted onthe gripper, two bullet cameras on each side,and rotating cameras at the vehicle’s frontand rear have also been integrated to providefull view over the vehicle and surroundingenvironment. It has achieved visibilityenhancement over a 2km range.It also has an inertial navigation systemintegrating GPS and IMU sensors, algorithms,and software that can achieve dynamicpositioning of plus or minus two metres.Compact robotsAt the other end of the scale, are compactrobots that one robotics writer imaginedcould be stationed on street corners in cities.One example is a Dalek look-alike (picturedbelow being tested by bomberos). It hasits own lighting system, can operate at fullcapacity for at least six hours, has watercannons capable of 7600 litre per minute,onboard foam tanks, trapezoidal tracks that

allow it to cross obstacles, video cameras andinfra-red cameras.The Black Ops tv’s Howe twins came up withthis rugged little powerhouse called Thermite.It carries a dualfire suppressionsystem and arobotic armthat can pullincapacitatedvictims to safety.An array of colorand thermalcameras providesfull surveillancefor the remoteoperator.Thermite can even open doors, turn valvesand press elevator buttons!RescuebotsThe value of developing remote investigationtools like the Quince remote rescue robot wasproved when the Fukushima nuclear plantcould be explored by it despite 1.5km fromits controller. The main body incorporatestwo wide crawler belts, and four free-movingpairs of wheels that extend like arms fromthe corners, allowing the robot to adeptlymaneuvere its way around all kinds of terrain,from stairs to rubble. Resistant to dust andwater, Quince is also able to rinse off anydangerous polluting chemicals it encounters.The Tokyo Fire Department is alsospearheading efforts to develop life-savingrobots. One example is a remote-controlledrescue robot nicknamed Robocue (below),that runs on caterpillar treads and can pulla person into its body using its manipulatorarms and conveyor belt. In service since2009, Robocue is equipped with a cameraand various other sensors, and is capable ofmeasuring the level of carbon dioxide andcombustible gases in the air. Its hydraulicarms can be controlled to clear obstructionsin it’s path., and can also be fitted with wateror foam dispensers to aid in battling fires.The Tokyo brigade currently has 12 differenttypes of firefighting and rescue robots. It saysfuture firefighting robotics might have simpleartificial intelligence to search for life and beUK robots vary from small, agile machines toa converted demolition machine (above) foraggressive access.able to move on terrain without operator’sassistance.QinetiQ and thre London Fire Brigadeinstituted Project Ghost to develop roboticassistance and over the three-year project,robots attended 40 ‘shouts.’ The result is arange of robots that can enter all manner ofdangerous environments and/or do HASNOevaluations.An example of a successful shout wasopening the door of an ISO containerholding two tonne of overheatedfireworks. The robots spent thenext three hours withstandingimpacts from exploding fireworkswhile continuing to cool down thecontainer.11April 2012At over £100,000 each, the robotsare now kept at QinetiQ whichmaintains and operates them andcontracts to 23 brigades in additionto government agencies.robotsrobotsrobots

12Centralto stayThe iconic Wellington Central station is to geta $1 million refit, rather than a new stationbeing built elsewhere.Area commander Peter Dempsey said one ofthe problems engineers found was that thebuilding was too rigid. “They need to breakit into three chunks to make it flex in anearthquake.”Under the council’s earthquake-pronebuildings policy, the station currently meetsonly 30% of the building code. The ArtDeco structure was opened on Dec 1, 1937 ,costing £90,000. Originally it was designed tohold nine fire appliances ( they were smaller,then) and to provide accommodation for 12married firefighters and their families, and 33single men.It replaced the station that had been wherethe Michael Fowler Centre now stands. Itsurvived the shaking of the Magnitude 7.2and 5.2 Wairarapa earthquakes of 1942 withno damage reported to the structure.serviceserviceserviceIt has been home to many volunteers fromall over the country who have become careerstaff.Crews and appliances will be placed at otherfire stations while the work is being done.According to career veterans, this is what a real fire station looks like:a Landrover, two pumps, a snorkel and a ladder. It also used to house the CFO’s official car.Photo – Jim Tait.K1

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14serviceserviceserviceKaponga and Waipukurau100 years inTimes have changed at Kaponga since thelate 1960s when the brigade only had twocoats and two helmets. And it’s a whole lotdifferent since 1912 when the brigade firstformed.Centennial celebrations over Waitangiweekend marked massive changes in the fireservice, but CFO Jason Hurley pointed outthat the core function had never changed,although the emphasis had, with MVAsequalling fire callouts.The Hawera & Normanby Star observed on29 November, 1912, that the brigade hadnot been able to get in any actual practiceyet, owing to the difficulty experiencein purchasing certainnecessary portions of thematerial required. Thenewspaper also reportedthat in 1924 the brigade didnot have a single callout.These humble beginningssaw their limited gearhoused in a small shedbefore a purpose-builtstation was established afew metres down the roadin 1946. Their presentstation was built in 1960.Former CFO Peter Noonan(1969 to 1987) said back then they lackedthe quality and abundance of equipmentavailable to current firefighters. A lot offirefighters provided their own gear. He saidfundraising was as much a staple as trainingfor firefighters and that would never change.The local newspaper reported on 19July, 1913, that the fire brigade bazaar“which opened so auspiciously onThursday afternoon, has amply justified allexpectations,” and raised about £70 for thatnight.The bazaar was again crowded the followingnight with a minstrel troupe being a majorattraction and on the Saturday, the round themountain cycle race would feature.Kaponga cooling down a dairy farm 4500 litre diesel tankafter putting out the inital fire. Photo – Stuff.Another former CFO, Bruce Evans, saidrecruiting methods had survived the test oftime – most joined after an emergency oftheir own, unless it was a family tradition.Despite the early morning callouts, andstrains put on family and employers all threechiefs would not hesitate to do it all again.Big crowd atWaipukurauOver 180 people gathered to markWaipukurau’s recent centennial with CFOGary Weaver noting the celebrations werenot just for the brigade, but for the entireWaipukurau community.Advancements in the structure of theservice, technology and equipment hasmade the job of fighting fires easier but noless dangerous, he observed. The brigadewas known as the cotton reel brigade backthen because it used a hand cart hose reelthat looked much like one, he said.“In those early years, the brigade was luckyto attend five fires a year but now, weaverage about 160 call-outs.” He attributesthis to people being careless and housesthat are better insulated now and retainedheat.During the past 100 years, about 200volunteers have gone through the brigadewith varying lengths of service from onemonth to more than 50 years. There havebeen 14 different appliances and one ofthese, a Ford V8, has been retained and is