Download PDF: Issue 27 - New Zealand Fire Service

January / February 2007
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
ISSUE
27
In the
Nick
of time

January / February 07
Issue No. 27
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.
Editor: Iain Butler
Cover page: Rural firefighter Nick
McCabe recuperating from burns
suffered in Victoria.
Story on page 4.
Picture: Lance Lawson
Back Cover: Blackened machinery
covered in foam after a shed fire in
Hawke’s Bay.
Picture: John Cowpland
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
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PO Box 2133, Wellington.
(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
Iain Butler 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.
6
8 10
The issue Survival of the fittest ..........................................................................3
Cover story Out of the black ...................................................................................4
Good on ya, cobber .............................................................................6
Incidents Waikato work-out ...............................................................................8
Lolly to blame for horrific smash .............................................10
Fried chicken sandwich ..................................................................11
“We were three minutes from disaster”..............................11
Ohope springs eternal ...................................................................12
Trouble in paradise ..........................................................................13
My Patch Boomtown station gets an upgrade ......................................14
Obituary Life was a beach for Ken .............................................................16
Service League of honourable gentlemen ...........................................17
Pioneers get their due ....................................................................18
270 years of wisdom .....................................................................18
Training If the capsize fits ..............................................................................19
A great day for fires ........................................................................20
... and a P lab or two .......................................................................20
Staying afloat ......................................................................................21
In the Community Wising up ..............................................................................................22
Blanket security .................................................................................22
Pilot still under control ....................................................................23
Fun & Games No practise makes perfect .........................................................24
Hair today, gone tomorrow .........................................................25
Reverse psychology ..........................................................................25
Perception .............................................................................................26
Only kidding .........................................................................................26
Noticeboard Notes and events .............................................................................27
14 16 21

An 18-year-old student died on his
first night at a new flat after falling
asleep while smoking in bed. A smoke
alarm in the hallway had no battery,
while one in the kitchen took too
long to activate because it was
incorrectly located.
The death prompted Palmerston
North mayor Heather Tanguay to
call for a fitness certificate – similar
to that given by councils to restaurants
– for low-income rental properties,
such as the hundreds in the city that
cater to students.
“It [the certificate] would be for
things like that it had smoke alarms,
doors that open and shut and
windows that could be opened.”
Heather says the issue was debated
some years ago, but a change of
council removed the will to go ahead
with the scheme.
She says the standard of some flats a
few years ago left a lot to be desired,
and is unsure how much has changed.
“At the time I recall seeing properties
with holes in the floors.”
New Zealand Property Investors’
Federation president Martin Evans
says landlords don’t respond well to
regulation, but agrees that putting
the onus on tenants to make a flat
safe won’t work.
He says a subsidy on hardwired
smoke alarms and other fire safety
equipment could convince landlords
short of available funds to improve
the safety of their properties.
“The most important thing to
landlords is the safety of our tenants,
who are our customers after all.”
The issue
Survival of the fittest
A fatal fire in Palmerston North has rekindled debate
about tenants’ rights and landlords’ obligations in low-income rental properties.
Raetihi CFO John Compton at
the scene of a rental property fire.
The Fire Service is not convinced the
scheme is workable. National safety
integration manager Gary Talbot says
local bodies are constrained by the
Building Code, and cannot require
property owners to do much beyond
the rules set out there.
“The Building Code says houses of
a certain age need smoke alarms, but
if the house is older than that, and
hasn’t been renovated, there’s no law
that can compel the owner to put in
smoke alarms.”
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007 3
Pictures: Ruapehu Bulletin, Ohope Fire Brigade

4
Out of the black
With a fireball bearing
down on them, Nelson
forestry contractor
Nick McCabe and
his team had a big
decision to make –
head for the unknown,
or face the flames.
Issue No. 27
Cover story
Nick was one of a dozen Kiwi
firefighters injured when a fire ball
rolled over them in Victoria late
last year.
Nick, Rotorua man John Tupara
and Barrie Hunt from Canterbury
suffered the worst injuries of 11
“You can only make
one decision – if you
make two there’s
confusion – so I made
the call to get to the
vehicles and run the
gauntlet of the fireball.”
firefighters caught in an unpredictable
situation.
The firefighters were part of a
contingent of 47 New Zealanders
sent by the National Rural Fire
Authority to help contain wild
fires in the mountainous north-east
of Victoria.
“We were at Mt Terrible to reinforce
the containment lines around the city
of Melbourne’s water catchment,”
Nick says.
It was an important job, ideally suited
to Nick and others such as Northland’s
Kevin Ihaka, who had only just
returned from fighting mega wildfires
in the United States, as well as having
previous experience of bushfire
seasons in Australia.
On December 16, a week into their
deployment, the team were tasked
with containing a spot fire, a routine
part of fighting wildfires of this scale.
Internal Affairs Minister
Rick Barker visits the front line.

There was no gung-ho approach to
safety, and Nick says they spent about
two hours assessing the fire and
surrounding area and the best means
of escape, before going in.
“We had our LACES [bushfire safety
steps] in place, and the beauty of it
was we were going uphill [the safe
side of the fire].
Part way through their containment
exercise, they were told there had
been a ‘slop-over’, where fire had
jumped the containment lines.
The team retreated back to the
slop-over point and set about
extinguishing it.
“There was no change to the wind
direction and everything was going
fine. I called up to Kevin [Ihaka] that
it was pretty hot and we were going
to have a spell.”
While enjoying a short break,
watching the spill over die out, the
lookout called from the road that a
fire was sighted and was moving
towards them.
“I could then see the flames, which
looked more like a fireball than
flames.”
With the fire advancing on them, the
group had two choices: go into the
already burnt area on the slop-over
(“the black”) or try to get clear of
the bush altogether. Staying in the
unburned bush around them was
not an option.
“Your training says go into the black,
but the way it stood, if we went into
the black it wouldn’t have been safe.
“I’ve seen it before when in Australia
in 2003; the fire burnt through the
same area three times. It burns a
different layer each time.”
“You can only make one decision – if
you make two there’s confusion – so I
made the call to get to
the vehicles and run the
gauntlet of the fireball.”
Some of the team,
realising they would not
have time to outrun the
fireball, did what they
were trained to do,
sheltered in a ditch while
the flames and hot gas
burned over the top of
them.
Even now, Nick has no
idea how long he was in
the ditch.
“We eventually got to
the vehicles and I thought
‘this bloody thing still
might get us’.”
In shock, Nick “didn’t
do much” but sit in one of the
vehicles, dousing himself in water.
But something beside his burns was
causing him distress.
“My big concern was that we didn’t
get everyone out. That was cutting
me up.”
Everyone was out, and all the other
fears – that the fire would catch the
escaping firefighters, or that
helicopters wouldn’t be able to land
for fear of bringing down a searing
hot inversion layer of air over the
wounded men – proved unfounded.
Cover story
Northland firefighters
perform a haka.
Nick is effusive in his praise for those
who helped the crew, from the
paramedics (one of whom cut off his
shoulder patch and gave it to a
stricken firefighter as a thank you),
the Department of Sustainability and
the Environment, Fire Service and
Rural Fire staff who did all they could
to reunite him with his family, to the
hundreds of grateful Aussies, who
sent letters and cards.
“It was just about embarrassing,
really. Just a simple card from Joe
Farmer with a couple of hectares in
the bush to say thanks, it really
choked me up.”
Nick McCabe is interviewed by TV3 days before he was burned.
A month or so later, Nick’s right hand
was still bandaged, his left peeling
and pink, but the remnants of his
injuries don’t mean much, because
he’s still here to tell his story.
Asked if the fire has changed his
perspective on life, he only says,
“It’s given me a bit to think about”.
None of it has dampened his
enthusiasm for firefighting, though.
On the day his photo was taken,
Nick said he would be back over
the Tasman if he could.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
January / February 2007
Pictures: Lance Lawson, Alan Thompson
5

Pictures: courtesy of Alan Thompson
Good on ya,
cobber
It’s not everyone’s idea of a great New Year’s break, but there was
no shortage of volunteers to take on some of the worst bushfires
in Australia’s history.
About 100 rural firefighters in
two deployments were sent to
Victoria to help with a fire season
that got underway much earlier,
and with much more ferocity, than
in previous years.
The first deployment included some
firefighters who had barely got
acquainted with the New Zealand
spring after a stint in the United States
before they were answering the call
of the three-country agreement and
heading over the Tasman.
6 Issue No. 27
Cover story
Victoria’s fires were no joke, burning
through over a million hectares of
land – an area the size of Jamaica.
However, experienced rural fire
manager Kevin Ihaka says it helps to
see your own part in the fire, rather
than worry about the bigger picture.
“There was an incident management
structure, breaking it down into
sectors. When you’re just dealing
with your line [of between three
and 10 kms], it’s a lot more
manageable.”
Manageable,
though, is a relative
term. The fires were
driven by conditions, and as a
result, firefighters were at the mercy
of wind changes.
“It was just a hard slog all the way,
with a lot of highs and lows. The
highs were being able to leave your
sector knowing it was under control,
and on the other hand the lows were
when we did a lot of work and the
fire just did its own thing.”

Kevin says the crews worked hard to
continue the reputation earned in the
States of being thorough, skilful
firefighters, and the locals were
impressed.
The pay-off wasn’t just in improving
trans-Tasman relations, though.
Firefighters returning to New Zealand
– particularly the less experienced
ones – have brought back a wealth
of knowledge and experience,
particularly in handling fire without
water.
“They’ve learned that water is not
the be all and end all. There’s lots of
techniques, like back-burning and
hand-cutting fire breaks which we
train in, but often don’t use. Now
they’ve seen them working.”
Fire conditions in Victoria appear to
have eased for the time being,
although other Australian states are
now suffering, but it wouldn’t take
much to convince many of the class
of 2006/07 to return.
Between Lake Eildon and the Dartmouth Reservoir in Victoria, Australia,
dozens of active fires churned out thick clouds of smoke in early December.
“The only thing stopping me is I
would have to ask my family,”
says Kevin. “I’ve been away three
of the last six months.”
Cover story
Packing heat
While about 100 people ended up
crossing the Tasman to help out
stretched firefighters, many more
were queuing up to take their place.
In Taradale and many other parts of
the country, volunteer firefighters did
their best to simulate the hot and
heavy work across the ditch by
hauling 40kg packs in a fickle New
Zealand summer.
Ultimately, a third deployment of
firefighters was not needed as
conditions in Victoria eased, but these
guys didn’t know that when they
picked up their packs.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
‘Packing heat’ pictures: Kerry Marshall
7

Brigades in the Waikato have been hard at work with some
of the most challenging, strenuous and stinky incidents in the country.
Waikato work-out
When a stock truck rolled in the
middle of the year, there were a
number of factors to consider: how
to alleviate traffic, which had backed
up in both directions around the
crash scene; how to right the truck
itself and rescue the bovine occupants;
and how to overcome the awful
stench from the inside of the truck.
Cutting gear took care of the rescue
mission, although sadly there were
fatalities, but there was nothing to do
about the god-awful stink.
8 Issue No. 27
Incidents

After slips claimed houses in the
Wellington and Auckland regions, it
was (nearly) Hamilton’s turn when
two houses were left precariously
close to the edge in Awatere Ave.
As with houses in Lower Hutt
and the North Shore which were
left with a more dramatic view
than was necessary, rain wasn’t
the only culprit.
Developers building apartments had
removed vegetation and cut into the
bank before the slip occurred.
Once again, a good deal of ingenuity
was called on, and contractors poured
concrete and drove in several retaining
posts to shore up the bank.
Residents of one house were
evacuated, but were able to return
after one night away from home.
In July, Paeroa firefighters had to
carry out a tricky rescue and salvage
mission when a huge tractor rolled
into a canal.
With the driver needing medical
assistance, the first priority was
stabilising the digger and getting into
the cab.
Incidents
Pictures: courtesy of Roy Breeze
A heavy-duty
crane did the job
of hauling the
digger out of the
water and up the
bank.
These pictures
show how much
damage was done
to the cab.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
9

Pictures: John Cowpland
The hitherto unknown dangers
of boiled sweets were on stark
display in Central Hawke’s Bay
recently when a milk tanker
crashed through three houses.
10 Issue No. 27
Incidents
Lolly to blame
for horrific smash
The driver, who was trying to give up smoking, was
sucking a blackball while taking a tanker full of milk
through the vicinity of Waipukurau when the lolly
apparently lodged in his throat, causing him to black out
and lose control of the truck.
What happened next was both devastating and miraculous,
as the truck drove through two houses before coming to
rest in a third.
No-one was killed and only one person hurt.

Fried chicken sandwich
sections of a building caused Christchurch
firefighters a headache in early January.
The Tegal chicken factory in Hornby went up in flames
on January 4, needing a response of about 60 firefighters
to put it out.
However, a “sandwich board” building technique, where
a layer of polystyrene is sandwiched between sheets of
metal, meant the fire was too dangerous to attack
internally.
Heat makes the polystyrene melt, meaning the walls can
collapse easily and, if it catches fire, it becomes a flaming
liquid which is difficult to extinguish.
Entering a burning building made of this material is at
best extremely unwise.
The Tegal processing plant was destroyed in the fire,
leading to call for such buildings to have sprinklers to
prevent fires escalating. An electrical fault was thought to
be to blame.
“We were three minutes
from disaster”
When a petrol tanker with 7000 litres of fuel on board
caught fire in the Southland tourist hub of Te Anau, it
took a lot of cool heads to prevent a tragedy.
CFO Graeme Humphries and the rest of the Te Anau
volunteers arrived to find the tanker ablaze, with one tank
on the verge of rupturing.
Pictures: Barry Harcourt A building technique designed to insulate whole
Incidents
“We were three to five minutes away from disaster,” Graeme
told The Southland Times. “My major concern was for
the safety of my men and other people who were around.
We got them as far away as possible in case it blew.”
Having smothered the flames with foam, the crew spent
two hours keeping the tanks cool with water.
Ten houses were evacuated, with several residents doing
the sensible thing as soon as they saw the fire and leaving
their homes.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
Picture: John McCombe
11

Pictures: Ohope Fire Brigade, Whakatane Beacon/Geoff Mercer
Ohope springs eternal
12 Issue No. 27
Incidents
One fire managed to give Ohope’s
volunteers a year’s worth of experience.
The brigade in the town 10 kilometres east of Whakatane
was called to a house fire on December 15, but got a bit
more than it bargained for.
Station officer Chris Staniland says the crew knew on
arrival the solitary pump was going to be insufficient as
the three-storey house was fully involved, with
exposures threatening two near-by units and scrub.
With a person reported to be inside the building, the
brigade knew it had a ladder rescue on its hands as well,
but that was just the start of the fun as the house fire
got progressively more complex.
Help was summoned from throughout the Western Bay
of Plenty, with pumps from Whakatane eventually
joining a Fonterra tanker from Egdecumbe, a rural
tanker from the district council and a truck from
Taneatua in pouring about 100,000 litres of water onto
the fire. Edgecumbe brigade was put on stand-by at the
Ohope station.
As they began to attack the fire firefighters were told
there were at least two 9 kilogram gas cylinders in the
house. Soon after, local police warned there was
ammunition there as well.
A series of explosions heard during the fire were later
traced to a burning acetylene cylinder.
Then the house fire began spreading to bush, before
jumping to a coastal reserve, consuming about 4
hectares of vegetation.
The cause of the fire may never be known, as fierce heat
made any investigation impossible, beyond identifying
where it had started.

Pictures: Graham Davies and courtesy of John Saunders
We arrived in Tonga four days after
the riots.
It was very strange landing to find
the airport surrounded by New
Zealand Defence personnel in full
battle gear.
The Nuku’alofa CBD was sealed
off by checkpoints manned by
Tongan troops. You needed a pass
from the Prime Minister or had to
be in uniform to get through the
checkpoints.
The centre of town was like a ghost
town with no people on the streets –
just police or Tongan troops. The
exclusion zone covered an area about
two km 2 , and in it there were dozens
of damaged buildings, about 60 of
which had been damaged by fire.
Mike and I each led an arson
investigation team of five, with a
Tongan detective, and specialist
search officer, investigator, and
photographer / scene-of-crime officer
Trouble in
paradise
from the New Zealand Police.
We started work at 8 am each day
and worked until about 4 pm at the
fire scene, then worked on the reports
until late in the evening.
The fire-damaged buildings ranged
from a single shop to a four-story
hotel, a three-story office building, a
shopping arcade, and a two-week-old
twin cinema complex, and from a
single building to a city block.
At each scene the two fire safety
officers would carry out a scene safety
check, and report to the other
members of the teams any safety
issues before they entered the scene.
Over the two weeks we completed 36
fire investigations, with a report and
five supplementary reports, resulting
in the identification of 17 deliberate
fires. The rest were exposure fires.
This was a great experience, as most
of the fire scenes were undisturbed;
firefighting had taken place on only
Incidents
Transalpine fire safety officer Graham Davies
reports from the aftermath of riots which swept
through the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa in November,
where he and Eastern Region FSO Mike Bull
helped New Zealand and Tongan police investigate
some of the arsons that accompanied the unrest.
two buildings and the rest were left
to burn themselves out.
We met Minister of Police Annette
King, Police Commissioner Howard
Broad, the Chief Fire Officer of the
Tongan Fire Service and lots of
friendly Tongan people.
By the end of the deployment we had
seen most of the island of Tongatapu,
and unfortunately caught whatever
was in the water (or the chicken).
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
13

Boomtown
station gets
an upgrade
By Debbie Jamieson
14 Issue No. 27
My Patch
SO Roydon Cullimore with the
fire station’s old call out method.
As Queenstown goes through an
unprecedented growth spurt, a $300,000
station upgrade has ensured Queenstown’s
Volunteer Fire Brigade can continue to meet
the community’s needs.
The resort’s accommodation and development sectors
are booming and the subsequent ongoing population
growth means the brigade is facing increasing demand for
its services.
But sky-rocketing house prices are making it increasingly
difficult for volunteer firefighters to live in the resort.
Not a crew to be easily defeated, the brigade solved the
problem by building four new bedrooms on the central-
Queenstown fire station last year.
Now four volunteers and two partners live on the station
and other brigade members, particularly those who live
further out of town, stay in the fifth bedroom on weekends
following a roster system.
Fire chief Bob Robertson says it has been the best new
development at the station in years.
“The trouble we were having was with our weekend
manning. Now we can assure ourselves and everyone else

we’ve always got a crew ready to turn out on weekends.”
And living on the station has benefits for the crew as well.
Station officer Roydon Cullimore says the station has
become a social epicentre for the brigade and a camaraderie
has developed between the firefighters.
“We live together and eat together. We know each others’
weaknesses and strengths so we’re a really strong team.”
Station officer Doug Smith has only one regret about
the upgrade.
“I’m just disappointed that the bedrooms are upstairs and
we haven’t got a pole,” he says.
The volunteer crew of nearly 40 typically turns out to
more than 300 calls a year. In the year to the end of June
2006 that included 181 false alarms (including good
intent), 46 vehicle accidents and 13 structure fires.
The transient nature of the resort has meant a high
turnover of staff, around 13 members a year, and a focus
on training within the brigade.
Deputy chief Terry O’Connell says most new recruits are
at their first major course within four months – a credit to
the brigade’s training officers – and those that do leave
usually join other brigades where their skills and training
are appreciated.
CFO Bob Robertson with
the Queenstown hardware.
In recent years the brigade has received a huge boost from
sending seven Queenstown members and one from nearby
Frankton to the two-week Brisbane-based Volunteer
Officer 1 course.
“That course is worth 10 to 15 years experience,” Terry
says. “It’s live action and real heat and man do they get
some confidence and know-how out of it.”
A full contingent of engines – a front-runner, 3-stage
pumps, tele-squirt and specialist 4WD rescue and caff
unit, enables them to carry out their work.
My Patch
The 4WD is essential given the mountainous
and often snow covered terrain the brigade
works in and the number of call-outs to ski fields (where
there are up to 3000 traffic movements a day) and
secluded, bush-clad million dollar homes, O’Connell says.
“We’re bloody isolated here. It’s all very well having
helicopters to use but there are times when they’re
simply not practical.”
The other big change at the brigade recently has been
the end of the night-time fire siren since the introduction
of new and more efficient pager systems to alert
volunteers.
SO Doug Smith and partner
Nikky Harvey relax in one
of the new bedrooms.
Queenstown’s mountainous terrain meant the former
signal had limited reception and many firefighters were
forced to carry two pagers.
The fire brigade bell and later the siren have been a
familiar sound to locals since 1863 and a curiosity
to millions of overseas tourists who were never sure
how to react.
Queenstown hoteliers, who were not fans of the night
time noise when their occupants were woken, sometimes
more than once a night, are thrilled with the
new system.
Life does not stand still in Queenstown and now that the
changes to the station are complete the brigade is fast
moving on to its next project – preparing for the United
Fire Brigades Association (UFBA) conference and
competition in 2009.
“We know that the conference and competitions we held
in 1977 and 1995 were very popular so we’re expecting
a big crowd in 2009,” Bob says.
He is confident that with the recent developments the
Queenstown volunteers are ready to meet any challenge
the future may bring.
“I am very proud of the team we’ve got here at the
moment. They’ve got really great skills and they’re
dedicated to looking after the people of this district.”
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
Pictures: Johanna Parsons
15

Life was a beach for Ken
Ken Parker QSM, CFO, Beachlands Volunteer Fire Brigade
16/3/1941 – 18/1/2007
Ken Parker, Beachlands CFO for
42 years, was awarded the Queen’s
Service Medal in the New Year’s
Honours late last year.
At the request of his many friends in
the Beachlands brigade and elsewhere
in the Fire Service, Fire & Rescue
went to chat with him in January
about his time as a volunteer.
Sadly, Ken died just days after giving
this interview.
He had amassed many a tall tale in
42 years, but one of the best remains
the story of his first day in the brigade.
“My teacher talked to me a lot about
joining, and one Sunday [the brigade’s
training day] I was out washing my
car as he came past. He wouldn’t take
no for an answer, so I went along.”
Five years later, he was promoted to
chief, the decision made by the
outgoing deputy who saw the need
for someone young at the helm.
16 Issue No. 27
Obituary
Ken was immensely proud of the
brigade – wife Judy joking he lived
there for most of the past halfcentury.
Ken said the brigade had grown as
the seaside community had grown,
from retirement haven to commuter
suburb of booming Manukau.
“It’s changed all right, but so has
everything. The nature of the calls
have changed, so you must change
accordingly.”
The brigade make-up also changed,
with younger recruits and more
women taken in as the proportion of
working-age people in the town
increased.
They also benefitted from the annual
charity golf tournament at the
luxurious Formosa Golf Course,
which raises money for Beachlands’
medical response and surf lifesaving
volunteers.
Ken retired in 2006, poor health
preventing him from attending a
function in his honour in December.
He was determined to be involved
with the brigade for as long as
possible, saying he wanted to continue
coaching the waterways team for as
long as he could.
Ken’s funeral was held at Beachlands
Fire Station, just a few metres from
the home he built with Judy.
Pictures: Nigel Marple

League of honourable gentlemen
There were a few firefighters past and present among the Queen’s Service Medal
recipients in the 2007 New Year’s Honours list.
Jim Guyton, CFO, Mossburn
Volunteer Fire Brigade (retired)
Jim was Mossburn chief fire officer
for 33 years, having been given the
role just two years after joining. He
retired last year. He is a life member
of the Otago Southland Provincial
Association and was an inaugural
member of the Southern Regional
Operating Committee.
Like many civic-minded individuals,
Jim doesn’t confine his volunteer
activities to firefighting and is the
current chairperson of the Lumsden
Community Board, the custodian of
the local community centre, and has
given tireless service to Mossburn
through the Centre Hill Cemetery
Trust, school committee and RSA, to
name but a few.
Ray Walker, CFO, Woodville
Volunteer Fire Brigade (retired)
A Woodville citizen all his life, Ray
spent the best part of 40 years as a
firefighter in the Tararua town, including
23 years as chief fire officer.
Under his stewardship, the brigade
has become renowned for its skill and
competence dealing with incidents in
the town and on the surrounding roads,
including the Manawatu Gorge.
David McFarlane, CFO,
Renwick Volunteer Fire Brigade
David joined Renwick brigade, in
the heart of Marlborough’s wine
district, in 1972. Between then
and now he gained considerable
respect within the UFBA, working
his way up to the executive in
2000, before being named president
in 2005.
Current president Peter Guard said
of David: “His leadership…was of
particular significance. He assumed
office at a time of serious difficulty
for the association. His astute
leadership, relationship skills and
dedication to the volunteer ethic
ensured that the difficulties were
successfully overcome.”
David also did a stint as a rescue
firefighter at the RNZAF base at
Woodbourne. He is president of the
local Lions – for the second time.
Alan Clearwater, CFO,
Palmerston Volunteer Fire
Brigade (retired)
Alan served Palmerston for 52 years
as firefighter, including 10 as chief
and 25 as deputy chief. In retirement
he is still involved in the brigade, as a
support officer and mentor.
One of two Southern Regional
Operating Committee members to
be honoured over the New Year
break, Alan also served with the
North Otago Provincial Association
of the UFBA, and as an active
Lions member.
New Chief Fire Officer Geoff Davis
says Alan’s mana in the brigade
remains with young and old
members.
Service
Others with Fire Service
connections awarded a QSM
Doug Cowan, former DCFO,
Kaiapoi Volunteer Fire Brigade
Doug served for 45 years with the
Kaiapoi brigade in Canterbury before
stepping down in 2002. He started
out as a runner, working his way up
to deputy chief.
He celebrated his QSM by getting a
tattoo of a firefighter on his right
shoulder.
Doug was also recognised for his
work with the Kaiapoi Working
Men’s Club, where he is a past
president and current trustee.
Barry Hartley, former firefighter,
New Plymouth Fire Brigade
While Barry has given creditable
service to Taranaki through his
firefighting endeavours, serving for
over 30 years in New Plymouth, he
was actually recognised for his
conservation work.
Barry discovered an important
dotterel nesting site south of Cape
Egmont and helped construct a
predator proof fence to protect
petrels at Rapanui.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
Pictures: Rachel Trusler, Deb Stringer/Northern Outlook
17

There were a few firsts at a
Gold Star ceremony on the
East Coast recently.
In 1979, the UFBA voted to let women into its
ranks. A few joined, growing over the years
from a trickle into a steady flow.
On October 28 last year the UFBA presented
Gold Stars to three members of the Te Karaka
Volunteer Fire Brigade – firefighters Sarah Brown
and Henry and Hinetau Ngatoro.
Sarah and Hinetau are the first female operational
firefighters to receive Gold Stars and it is also
the first time two women were so honoured at
the same time.
With Henry and Hinetau the first husband and
wife team to receive Gold Stars it made the
whole occasion exceptional.
Sarah is the daughter of the late CFO Jim Rutene,
QSM, who received his Gold Star in 1987.
By Darrel Surman
At a gathering to farewell Pat Brosnan, the secretary of
the NZ Firefighters’ Welfare Society, four secretaries
posed for a picture. They represented 270 years of
knowledge and wisdom, a truly formidable and, some
might even venture to say, scary sight. Four Tenors eat
your heart out. Tua Cummings served over the years
between 1998 and 2001, Vern Macartney between
2001 and 2002, Pat Brosnan between 2003 and
18 Issue No. 27
Service
Pioneers get their due
270 years of wisdom
Oct 2006, and Darrel Surman replaced Pat in Oct 2006.
Welfare Society chairman Keith Nixon, members of the
board and many friends gathered to farewell Pat Brosnan
and present with him a wall plaque to remember his time
of tenure.
Thank you Pat for all the time, effort and dedication you
have expended over the past three years serving the needs
of the members. Knowing Pat, he will not sit around idle
but will be off seeking new challenges.
Picture: Ben Winiata

If the fits…
Sixteen agencies and more than 150 people
gathered in November to participate in
Exercise Capsize, the largest inter-agency
agency exercise West Auckland has ever seen.
By CFO Peter Wilding
Staged at Cornwallis beach, near the heads of the
Manukau harbour, the scenario involved a chartered
vessel filled with college student revellers catching fire and
sinking 300m off the coast in treacherous waters.
Surf lifesavers were strategically placed in the water
(wearing life jackets and watched over by surf crews on
jet skis) to simulate “drifters” in the rapid tidal currents.
An inflatable raft known as an air bridge was deployed
from the helicopter to gather those in the water quickly.
Stragglers (represented by real college students) were
located along the beach and coastal area.
The objective was to rescue and account for all the vessel
occupants. This proved difficult given the rugged terrain
and thick vegetation limiting access.
Agencies taking part run the gamut of safety-conscious
organisations from the Fire Service, Police and Ambulance,
to Water Safety, DoC and the Air Force.
Acting DCFO Jim Maclean was exercise
co-ordinator and received a district
commendation for the excellent job
he did in bringing it together.
Training
Generally agencies performed their own roles well, and
the biggest challenges came when inter-agency
communication was required and a combined incident
management system formed.
CIMS is clearly permeating through the various
agencies, however the exercise clearly demonstrated the
need for continued CIMS training and future large interagency
exercises.
The exercise concept came from of a West Auckland
inter-agency group comprising emergency service
managers, of which I am part. While our core business
objectives are varied, the uniting factor amongst our
group reflects the Government’s drive of promoting
safer communities.
Our fire district has supported inter-agency meetings in
an effort to build these essential strong relationships
and we have already seen good results from
improved co-operation and communication at
several large incidents last year.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
Pictures: Western Leader/Fiona Goodall
19

Pictures: Stu Ide
Central Otago is the driest place in New Zealand,
a climate that leads to frequent fires. Fortunately, the working relationship
between all local fire authorities is one of the best in the country.
A great day for fires...
20 Issue No. 27
Training
By Mark Hutton
In November the Fire Service, Central Otago District
Council, Department of Conservation and ground and
aerial contractors combined resources and 125 personnel to
be part of Operation Hillview, a one-day rural training
exercise at Alexandra airport.
Brigades from throughout Central Otago, as well as two
assistant fire region commanders, and training and
support staff from Southern Region, joined ambulance and
police staff in the exercise.
Training comprised fire ground safety, command and
control, CIMS, communication equipment/units (set up and
use), use of rural and local “contractor” tankers, aircraft
safety, helicopter transportation of crew and equipment,
filling of monsoon buckets and fixed wing aircraft.
It was a great day for fires with a typical strong NW wind
and a temperature of 28 degrees arranged for the day.
The training was completed with a fire simulation using
flares, and a wayward flare added a bonus fire.
Special thanks must go to the aircraft operators and
contractors.
... and a P lab or two
Western Fire Region held a
major training camp in
November at Landguard Army
Camp near Wanganui.
The camp was oversubscribed, such
was the demand for hands-on
training, and included scenarios as
diverse as car fires and P labs.
Pictures: Wanganui Chronicle

Pictures: Darren Shackleton
Staying afloat
The Nelson Fire Brigade and local coastguard got practical
in a recent test of life jackets.
The aim was to see if the current
coastguard-issued life jackets (150n
rated) could keep a firefighter in
level 2s afloat for the amount of
time it would take to be recovered
by a rescue vessel, between five and
30 minutes in heavy seas.
The lucky water test dummy was
SO Grahame Kurth from Nelson
red watch.
Following 25 minutes in 12-degree
water, Grahame demonstrated that,
despite waterlogged level 2s, he
remained buoyant, with his head up,
and was able to roll back from a facedown
position.
This means that even an unconscious
or semi-conscious firefighter in a life
jacket would stand a good chance of
surviving.
The downside was that the wet (and
therefore very heavy) gear made it
difficult to get the firefighter out of
the water and into a vessel.
The tests have practical applications
for Nelson firefighters, who frequently
have to take to water to deal to fires
Training
and other emergencies on boats and
off-shore islands.
One such fire, on December 20 at
Haulashore Island, gave an example
of the logistics of such activities.
The Coastguard and local surf rescue
were pressed into service to transport
six firefighters, complete with BA and
cylinders, to the island to put out a
scrub fire.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
21

22
Wising
UP
After a considered redesign,
the FireWise programme for
Years 7 & 8 is almost ready
to roll.
The programme builds on the Year
1 & 2 equivalent, but tackles that
infinitely more challenging age group –
intermediate students.
The programme messages are largely
unchanged, but the method of delivery
has been revolutionised.
Kids in the 11 to 13 age group are far more
technologically savvy than they were a
generation ago, and to get through to them
the programme needs to employ far more
interactive methods than has been the case
in the past.
Developed with curriculum development
firm Educating New Zealand, the new
FireWise Years 7 & 8 pack contains an
interactive CD-ROM featuring games, fact
sheets, media clips and quizzes.
Issue No. 27
In the Community
A firefighters’ guide
book and
CD-ROM is
included. It
introduces
the new
content and
outlines the
role of
firefighters in
school visits.
It contains
suggestions
on how to
approach
schools, and
questions
firefighters might
ask principals
and teachers.
Blanket security
A South Auckland business is being recognised by the
Fire Service for making local homes safer.
Picture: Nigel Marple
Counties Manukau community education officer George Stephens
recently presented Gary and Shirley Welch of Blanket Care a
certificate of appreciation in recognition of the focus, commitment
and professional support in raising the preventative awareness of
fires by electrical appliances in the community.
Blanket Care has been checking and fixing Auckland’s electric
blankets for over a decade. Manager Gary Welch says the
company began checking Mercury Energy clients’ blankets,
and rapidly expanded.
He now displays Fire Service safety material along with an array of
charred and singed blankets and appliances that were brought
to him for testing.
Blankets are either repaired or thrown out, depending on the extent
of their wear and tear.
George says Gary and his team proactively bring him examples of
unsafe blankets, cords and appliances for use in home fire safety
demonstrations, but he is especially pleased with the company’s inhouse
safety display.
“The availability of space in their premises to display fire safety
posters, handouts and regularly placing Fire Service educational
literature in the repaired appliances packages, support both
organisations towards awareness, care and repair, plus the prevention
of accidental injury or fires from these appliances.
“It’s a genuine partnership, and it’s seeing some good results in terms
of hazards that are being identified and removed from the home.”

Pilot still
under control
The DVD has been played, the stories told, and the text messages are flying out at
weekends – the Take Control programme has got through its first school term.
A large audience turned out to the official programme
launch at Napier Fire Station in September, including Toni
and Chris O’Kane, the parents of teenager Sam O’Kane,
whose death is the main feature of the Take Control DVD.
Others to turn out included senior officials from ACC, which
is funding the programme, some of Sam O’Kane’s friends
and members of Taikura Rudolf Steiner School in Hastings
who played the various fictional roles in the DVD.
The programme started in earnest in November, shocking
local high school students into the reality of road crashes
– not just for drivers, but for those who choose to share a
ride with them.
Some comments to Radio New Zealand reporter Heugh
Chappell revealed the impact of speaking frankly with
At the launch.
In the Community
Napier/Hastings DCFO Collin
Littlewood talks to TV3.
Napier High School pupils look
over a genuine crash vehicle.
teens about their chances of walking away unscathed
from a crash:
“I didn’t, like, realise how vulnerable we were. I thought
we were going to get protected a bit better from the car,
and you don’t really think it’ll happen to you,” said
one pupil.
Another said she had “butterflies” after seeing a real crash
vehicle immediately after the DVD: “Just looking at
the wreckage, it kind of makes me sick in the stomach...
It’s quite scary to think what happens.”
As unpleasant as it may be, Hawke’s Bay firefighters
hope the “butterflies” may keep a few local teens from
making a fatally bad decision in a car.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
Pictures: Kerry Marshall
23

Picture: John McCombe
No practise
makes perfect
The 2006 Fire Service Sportsperson of
the Year reveals what got him to gold in
Melbourne last year.
24 Issue No. 27
SPORTS
COUNCIL
Fun & Games
Event Calendar
2 0 0 7
National Surfriding
Championships
New Plymouth
March 4 – 8, 2007
Email: a.j.pidwell@clear.net.nz
After 12 years in retirement, Southbridge volunteer
firefighter Graeme Ede had some unfinished business in
the sport of shooting when he qualified for the 2006
Commonwealth Games.
“I over-trained in 1994 [The Victoria, Canada
Commonwealth Games] between qualifying and final,
and missed out on gold.”
This month Graeme will be named the 2006
Sportsperson of the Year by the Fire Service Sports
Council, following the gold medal he picked up in
March last year.
Graeme did his training for Melbourne in New Zealand,
part of a three-year plan to get back into form for
another crack at a medal, and opted not to wear himself
out in Melbourne.
“I only did three [practise] rounds in Melbourne,”
he says.
Working on his nutrition with then Crusaders rugby
team doctor Deb Robinson – now the All Blacks’
doctor – was more important for Graeme, and saw
him join the red and blacks in Melbourne for a couple
of hours to see how they dealt with the heat.
It was the background work, as much as his form,
which Graeme credits with the gold.
“There were a whole lot of services not available in
1994 that helped me.”
Funding from Sparc was one such service, and
funding was one of the reasons the Fire Service
recognition was so special. In 1994, the sports
council was one of only a handful of funding
sources, including Graeme’s own pocket.
Money is not easy to come by even now he is
Commonwealth champion, and Graeme has not
competed internationally since his win.
This year, though, the bid begins for Beijing 2008.
Just don’t ask him to practise too much.
World Police & Fire
Games
Adelaide, Australia
March 16 – 25, 2007
Register: www.2007wpfg.com
Entry forms and contacts for some events are available online at Firenet or fire.org.nz
National Lawn
Tournament
Taupo
March 28 & 29, 2007
Contact: Jim Rogers
jim.jan@xtra.co.nz

Pictures: Nigel Morrit, Daryl Sayer
Bowls
(07) 378 5726
Hair today, gone tomorrow
Wellington, Nelson and Wakefield firefighters, including one
chief fire officer, took part in the national Funrazor event late last
year, raising money for the Children’s Cancer Society.
The event drew people from all walks of life to shave off their
locks for charity, giving not just money, but solidarity to kids
who lose their hair to chemotherapy.
Reverse psychology
National Volleyball
Tournament
Auckland
April 13 & 14, 2007
Website: www.nzfs.visiononline.co.nz
Fun & Games
The Movember challenge was all about growing
things, but one firefighter went about it backwards.
While the men in the Sumner Volunteer Fire Brigade
were grooming their newly formed lip adornments,
CFO Alan Kerr decided to go the other way, giving
up his 25-year-old handlebar for charity.
The deal was that Alan, known as “Wing
Commander” because of his face fuzz, would make
the ultimate sacrifice if he could raise $1000 for the
Prostate Cancer Foundation – money that was duly
raised on November 30, the last day of Movember.
Celebrity mo’ mower Simon Barnett did the honours
– until firefighter and former shearer Paul Groufsky
took over.
Just remember to sunscreen that top lip, Alan!
National Squash Tournament
New Plymouth
April 27 – 29, 2007
Contact: Sam Bennett or Rachel Lind
New Plymouth Fire Station
Email: rachel.lind@fire.org.nz
Pictures: courtesy of
Darren Shackleton,
Fire & Rescue
Taranaki Toughest
Firefighter
Oakura
April 29, 2007
Email:
thescottys@paradise.net.nz
To list your sporting event on this space please send details to: warren.dunn@fire.org.nz
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
25

26
Issue No. 27
Fun & Games
Only kidding
Being out of the way can mean waiting a while for new
things to arrive, but kids in Mamaku, in the Bay of Plenty’s
forestry area, were among the first in New Zealand to try
out the new pre-school fire safety kit Get Out, Stay Out.
Rotorua fire safety officer Stuart Bootten took the kit to
Mamaku Early Learning and Childcare Centre in
April last year, with kids and teachers alike
enjoying the results.
Whetu Grooby (right, with Paige Lett, both
four) could recite the programme’s main
message “get out and stay and yell ‘fire,
fire, fire’”, while teacher Olivia Brake told
Rotorua’s Daily Post the kids wanted to
practice every day with the catchy song
and pop-up book.
Picture: Daily Post
This photo was one of the Daily Post’s
photos of the year.

Fire Service Rugby
Tournament
The annual Fire Service Rugby Tournament
will be hosted by Wellington this year, on
September 7 & 8 at Kilbirnie Park.
Brigades or districts looking to put
together a team for this prestigious
tournament – or just looking for an
excuse to spend a weekend in the events
capital of New Zealand – should contact
John Rowe (red watch) at:
Porirua Fire Station
PO Box 50471
Porirua
Or Phone 04 23799903 or
0274 428587
An information pack including maps
showing the location of the tournament
venue and suggested motels and hotels in
the area is also available.
Picture: James Young
Noticeboard
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine January / February 2007
Pictures: Pierre Cardon
27

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