Issue 56 - New Zealand Fire Service

Unattended cooking –
a recipe for
disaster
February 2010
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
ISSUE
56

February 2010
Issue No. 56
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.
Front cover: Terror in the kitchen,
a photo from the new television
campaign.
Back cover: The Get Out! Stay Out! Song
from the Get Firewise programme.
Contributions to Fire & Rescue
We welcome ideas for articles, news
and events that would be of interest to
other Fire Service staff and volunteers.
Draft articles and photos (pictures
need to be at least 1MB) can be
emailed to fire.rescue@fire.org.nz or
contact the editor Karlum Lattimore
on 04 496 3702.
Post written material and photos,
or photo CDs to:
Fire & Rescue magazine,
PO Box 2133, Wellington.
(These will be returned on request.)
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
Cutting Edge
Technology
Cover Story
Partnerships
Need to Know
Equipment Update
Firewise Update
Training News
Incidents
Staying Safe
News
People
Last Words
10
6 9
Rolling out the hazmats ................................................................3
Stand by your pan ............................................................................4
Working with the council –
Waitemata’s success story ..........................................................5
Joining forces to promote fire safety ......................................6
Canterbury initiative ........................................................................7
Looking for information? ................................................................8
The next generation of BA ..........................................................9
New standard for PPE ...................................................................9
Noticed the difference in PSL standpipes? .........................9
Get with the programme ..........................................................10
New volunteer training material on its way ...................12
Saved by the sprinkler .................................................................14
Think safety .......................................................................................15
Stage 2 National Training Centre..........................................16
New online ordering .....................................................................17
A couple of minutes with... Gary Quigan ...........................18
The ‘no limits’ attitude .................................................................19
16
19

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

Cover Story
Stand by your pan
Unattended cooking is the single biggest cause of fire in New Zealand homes and
accounts for a third of all fire deaths.
In 1999, a quarter of all house fires
were caused by people who’d left the
room while something was cooking.
Ten years later, even though the
number of house fires has reduced
significantly, the percentage caused
by unattended cooking hasn’t
dropped at all.
So, following on from our campaigns
to encourage New Zealanders to
‘keep looking when you’re cooking’
we are now taking a more hard
hitting approach to get people’s
attention and change their behaviour.
A few weeks ago we launched two
dramatic television advertisements
designed to shock people into recognising
that a moment’s inattention in
the kitchen can devastate a family.
One advertisement graphically
portrays a mother’s helplessness and
4 Issue No. 56
horror at being unable to save one of
her daughters from the fire.
This new ‘consequence-based’
advertising approach is also obvious
in our other current television
commercial ‘Consider yourself dead’
which shows what happens when fire
strikes at night and there is no smoke
alarm to sound a warning. Eight in
10 fire callouts are to homes where
smoke alarms had either not been
installed or they were not working.
In fatal house fires, 93 per cent did
not have smoke alarms.
The Fire Service is continuing to
emphasise the personal responsibility
people have for ensuring their homes
and families are safe from fire.
The main focus of our advertising
this year is on reducing the incidence
of unattended cooking fires,
increasing the number of smoke
alarms installed and reinforcing
messages on just how quickly a fire
can take hold.
Advertising is just one element of a
campaign. As always it is the work of
front line staff and volunteers that
underpins our success in promoting
fire safety. Please continue to hand
out the brochures, repeat the
messages, take part in public events
and meetings and do all the other
work you do to build understanding
and awareness of the ways to reduce
the risk of fire.
Reminder – If you’re asked to
recommend a smoke alarm type,
please ensure you recommend
the photoelectric variety. This is the
official Fire Service position.

Working with the council –
Waitemata’s success story
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Partnerships
If you want to be able to cut through the red tape at your local council it could pay to talk
to a couple of guys in Waitemata.
Denis O’Donoghue, Area Manager
Waitemata, swears by the MOU
(Memorandum of Understanding)
his area has developed with the
North Shore City Council.
The project was driven by Takapuna
SSO Mark Neville who worked with
the North Shore City Council to
develop a document that now sees
them working closely and effectively
together on a wide range of areas of
mutual interest and responsibility.
“For instance, the council owns a lot
of pensioner flats. Together, using the
MOU’s guiding principles, we worked
out a process that sees the council
supply smoke alarms and send out
letters about how to get them installed
while the Fire Service installs and
checks them. We also now have
a system for working together on a
water and hydrant testing programme.
And we have sorted out our map data
so that our ICAD maps and their
street maps align with each other,”
said Mark.
Local authorities are the Fire Service’s
closest partner in the protection of
communities. Each collects and
maintains large amounts of mutually
beneficial information says Mark.
“While we did exchange information
before, it was on an ad hoc basis.
We realised how important it is for
the process to be independent of any
individual, so that it will carry on
despite changes of staff.”
The better communication, understanding
and process provided under
the MOU benefit both parties.
“For example, we now receive a
monthly building consent report from
the council which we use to update
Taking fire safety to council tenants: SO Steven Jones shows Cambria Court resident
Alec Moffat how to operate his smoke alarm.
community fire risk management
information in SMS. This helps us to
identify possible areas of building
non-compliance which we report to
the council and building owner.
“We have also begun to look at ways
to work together to better respond to
severe weather incidents such as
flooding,” he said.
Mark says it is important to keep
taking stock of how the relationship
is being managed and maintained.
“We need to be careful not to bite off
too much at one time. Once each
relationship becomes established
I would like to see its ongoing
management delegated to a role in a
district with the CFO/AM taking
overall responsibility. We need to
have a good in-house process to
manage external relationships,
something that we are working on as
the MOU beds in,” he said.
Anyone wanting more details can
email Mark Neville or Denis
O’Donoghue directly.
At a national level the Fire Service
has a joint MOU with Police and
Ambulance that guides the way we
cooperate and work together on
issues of mutual interest. NHQ is also
reviewing the MOUs it has with other
agencies and organisations (such as
Ministry of Education, Energy Safety
Service and IHC) that help us work
together to develop specific fire safety
protocols. For further information on
these, contact Alan Merry at NHQ.
February 2010
5

Partnerships
Joining forces to
promote fire safety
More and more staff around the country are drawing
on other organisations for help to promote fire safety to
those most at risk of fire in their local community.
George Stephens (left) and Terry Hewitt show off the Team Racing for Safety rally car.
The Team Racing for Safety: from left: Terry Hewitt (Driver), Michelle Noakes,
Cameron Baddeley, Adam Lelo (Co-Driver), Richard Noakes (Flint) & Shae Noakes (Amber).
6 Issue No. 56
Whether it’s working with Age
Concern to meet with the elderly,
or working with councils to get smoke
alarms into council flats, there is now
a wide range of projects under-way
and being developed. This is part of
the 10-year Fire Safety Promotions
Plan (available from Firenet/
NationalHQ/MPC/Resources).
The success of this plan is showing
in our research which reveals that the
public is steadily building a better
understanding of the danger of fire
and how to reduce the risk of fire.
We are also building a more consistent
and strategic approach to these
community partnerships.
Recently, the Auckland Fire Region
appointed Senior Fire Risk Management
Officer George Stephens as its
dedicated coordinator of Strategic
Partnerships.
“I am looking at ways to work with
the many community organisations
that have ties to those we want
to target. We already have strong
partnerships with some of them and
the intent is to build on these,
and develop new relationships with
other organisations.”
For instance, 10 per cent of the
population has a problem with their
hearing so George is working with
disability groups to promote fire
safety messages and alarms that
will specifically meet their needs.
He’s also finding ways to encourage
people with disabilities to take over
the community education aspect of
this work.
“The number of elderly New
Zealanders is growing steadily so I
am working with organisations such
as Age Concern and the Alzheimers
Society to get them to help take fire

safety information and support into
the homes of older people.”
George has a long-term project
underway to develop a paper for
senior management that will propose
a strategy that could be used by other
regions for targeting those most at
risk: children, older adults, lower
socio-economic families, people with
disabilities and special needs, Ma - ori
and Pacific people, those in rental
accommodation, rural families and
the commercial/industrial sector.
“There’s no formula or prescription
to follow – the only limit is your
imagination,” he said.
For instance, for the past few years,
George has helped promote the
Firewise message with an internal
partner – Operational Planning
Officer Terry Hewitt. Terry is the
driving force behind the Fire Service
Motorsport Club and an active
member of the Targa rally circuit.
Terry is also a volunteer station officer
with East Coast Bays and his racing
team, made up largely of his volunteer
colleagues, displays the Firewise
message on their two rally cars.
Late last year the decals were updated
to feature Flint and Amber.
The characters also accompanied the
November rally to help out other
volunteers from Terry’s brigade who
took part in fire safety displays at
stopovers during the seven-day circuit
through Auckland to Wellington.
The highlight for Terry was their stop
at Whangamomona (south of
Taumaranui).
“It’s quite an isolated township and the
kids there haven’t seen much of the
Fire Service. They just loved Flint and
Amber and the Firewise bits and pieces
we were able to give them,” he said.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Canterbury
initiative
Over the past two years
Fire Risk Management
Officer Mark Thomas has
developed a good relationship
with the Department of
Corrections in Christchurch
and holds several fire
safety seminars a year
for Christchurch prison
inmates that discuss risks
both inside the prison
and on the outside.
For example, one of the
components discusses
the consequences of setting
off a cell sprinklerhead.
His programme Firewise on
the Outside was originally
developed for use in the
Christchurch Youth Prison
but has since been taken up
by the Education Officers
in the Paparua and Rolleston
adult prisons.
“We also talk about risky
behaviour after release such as
getting smashed and crashing in
bed but not using smoke alarms.
We also look at safe unlawful
practices that might put them and
their families at risk from a fire.
Mark has developed a workbook,
a DVD and other information to
use for the presentation which
he is happy to share. Recently,
a Palmerston North FSO tapped
Mark for advice after being
approached by his local youth
justice prison for a similar
programme.
Mark also works closely with
Age Concern which hosts seminars
around Canterbury that focus on
personal safety and feature
speakers from Police, Neighbourhood
Watch, the Fire Service
Partnerships
This illustration above is used in the
workbook to prompt discussion on what
might happen if the cell sprinkler is set off.
All the graphics and fonts in the material
used in the prison were done by former
tagger Nick Tam.
and Civil Defence. Mark’s fire
safety presentation looks at issues
pertinent to older people, such as
the hazards of blocked and locked
doorways, and the importance of
loud smoke alarms. Presentations
are conducted mainly in
Christchurch Metro Area with
assistance from FSOs Graham
Davies and Graeme Reid, but also
as far away as Ashburton and
North Canterbury with local
FSOs presenting. As part of the
deal Age Concern provides each
person with a 10-year smoke alarm
which the Fire Service installs and
checks. Both initiatives have
proved popular and are ongoing
and expanding.
February 2010
7

Need to Know
Looking for information?
Start with the Fire Service library at headquarters.
Firefighters who’re studying for TAPs,
looking for ideas on operational
concepts or developing their management
skills are just some of the staff
and volunteers who use the Information
and Library Centre, also known
as the library.
The Fire Service Information and
Library Centre has the best collection
of books, DVDs and articles on fire
fighting in the country.
Library Manager Trish Wilson says
“Most people probably know we
provide nationwide access to core
business tools such as standards and
legislation. We also have a great
selection of other resources that
firefighters and non-operational staff
find useful for their everyday work.”
These include practical illustrated
manuals on firefighting, DVDs on
firefighting tactics, books on leadership
and access to online journal articles
on a variety of topics. “And if we don’t
have it, we can often get hold of it for
you,” Trish says.
8 Issue No. 56
Trish says the team members are
experts at carrying out searches online
for information that is difficult to find
and they have access to other libraries’
resources and databases from around
the world.
Maki Tumu sends out a monthly update
of new books and journal articles. “People
find this a useful way to keep up to date
with the international scene in emergency
services,” she said. “A lot more is available
online now, so people can often get access
to what they want straight away.”
Although the library is based in NHQ,
all NZFS staff and volunteers can
borrow material or ask for help with
research and study. “We get asked all
sorts of questions,” says Emma Roache.
“From finding research on tunnel fires,
to practical information on compartment
fires.”
The library catalogue is on Firenet/
Fire applications/Information Centre.
Or just give them a call – they love to
hear from you directly. “If you are in
Wellington, stop in and see us,” says
Maki. The library is on Level 11, NHQ.
From left: Trish Wilson, Emma Roach, Maki Tumu.
Hokitika volunteer Jackie Breen is
researching the history of Kiwi
women firefighters and is getting
the bulk of her material from
the library.
The results of her project will
eventually be used to update the
http://women.fire.org.nz/ website.
“I really like the search interface
and am particularly impressed by
how many articles have been
scanned and put into the system.
The librarians are incredibly
helpful and have been getting stuff
out of storage and photocopying
pages for me.”
Auckland firefighter Mike Candy is
studying fire engineering and doing
management papers at university.
“Their resources for fire engineering
are really useful and the
librarians are very responsive to
any requests for help. For instance,
last year I took out a book that
was quite out of date and so they
went and bought the new edition,”
he said.

The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Equipment Update
The next generation of BA New standard
for PPE
The Fire Service is soon to make its largest-ever
purchase of breathing apparatus sets.
“We are going to replace all 3,500 sets with the next generation of
BA,” said Rob McMahon, National Plant & Equipment Manager.
“Most of our BA are now more than 10 years old; some are as old as
20 years. Total replacement gives us the chance to take advantage of
technology improvements that provide additional safety and comfort.”
Rob says the project team is looking at
options for functionality such as builtin
communications, remote monitoring
of air consumption and heads-up
displays. It is also considering the
servicing support offered by suppliers.
Rob expects to have a shortlist of
preferred suppliers in a few months
and there will be comprehensive
operational trials of their different
BA sets in a number of places around
the country.
“It is important we involve firefighters
in the process as they will be using the
chosen set for the next 15 years or so.
We have to be sure that whatever we
pick meets their needs.”
Once the supplier has been chosen, the
new sets will begin rolling out early
next year. All brigades will have their
new equipment by the end of 2012.
“There will be a major training
element to this replacement. It’s not the biggest project the Fire Service
has ever done in terms of cost but it will impact every firefighter in
the country in some way as they all wear BA,” said Rob.
Noticed the difference
in PSL standpipes?
Some of you may have heard that there
is now a new joint Australian and
New Zealand standard covering personal
protective clothing for firefighters.
Keith Whale, National Advisor Operational
Resourcing and Research, says the new
standard, which was developed with
input from the NZFS and
NZPFU, is very similar to the
European standard we have been
using since 1997. It does, however,
increase the performance
requirements for important areas
such as radiant heat protection,
flame exposure protection and
breathability.
“One of the reasons for developing
this new standard for
Australia and New Zealand was
to take advantage of recent
developments in fabrics and
design and of the best overseas
practice and then to push the
envelope and improve garment
performance. The new Australia/
New Zealand standard takes the
best from both the United States
and European standards and
applies it to reflect our operational
conditions,” Keith said.
“Future structural clothing purchases will
be certified to the new standard but unless
you’re really technically-minded you won’t
see a difference apart from a description on
the label,” he said.
They’re coming out of the factory with a silver epoxy paint finish rather than a
polished finish as the manufacturer has committed to meeting a new international
environment standard.
The two coat expoxy will keep its finish far longer than a polished standpipe –
and eliminates the need for continual polishing. This reduces the impact on the
environment as metal polishing produces contaminants. It also reduces
the byproduct – firefighter elbow grease.
Wellington QF Chris Ryder of Wellington Area shows the new and old.
February 2010
9

Firewise Update
Get with the
programme
The new Get Firewise school resource kit
is now ready for firefighters to take into
primary schools for Years 1 and 2 children.
As well as the new school kit, the
Get Firewise resources include a new
firefighters’ guide – with tips to help
promote the programme to school
principals. There’s also a checklist in
the guide to complete with teachers
before making your presentation.
This is to make sure that the class has
covered the first six sections of
10 Issue No. 56
Get Firewise before your visit.
Our research shows that students
gain little benefit or no benefit from
the firefighter’s presentation unless
they’ve already learnt most of the
programme.
And to help you with your
presentation, we’ve developed a new
training DVD and cue cards.
The resource kit includes a Get
Firewise Family Book/DVD which
we hope schools will use to encourage
families to get involved with the fire
safety message.
Get Firewise replaces the old
Be Firewise many schools have
been using since 2000.
The updated programme teaches
children fire safe behaviour such
as not playing with matches and
lighters and what to do to get out
of a burning building quickly
and safely.
Year 1
There is a strong literacy focus,
and the programme is aligned to the
New Zealand Curriculum 2007 and
supported by Ministry of Education
advisors.
The features of Get Firewise include a
flexible learning programme with lots
of repetition and a minimal number of
messages. Teachers and firefighters are
encouraged to use the same messages.
Children learn by seeing, hearing and
doing so Get Firewise has been
designed with that in mind. There is a
range of supplementary activities to
help children process their learning
and schools are also encouraged to
revisit the messages whenever they
have a fire drill.
Get Firewise features the new character
Tamati, his dog Sam and his family.
resour
This character was chosen because
research suggests five- and six-year-olds
learn safety messages best from
characters who are children like them.
However, our Flint and Amber
characters appeal to children over
seven years old. More information
on the research about behaviour of
five- and six-year-olds, is at: www.
getfirewise.org.nz/y_behaviour.html

and 2
ce kIt
The new Get Firewise
resources include...
Get Firewise Teachers’ Guide
This guide contains the complete
Get Firewise fire safety education
programme. It outlines two main
ways that Get Firewise can be taught:
as a major term topic or a two-week
short focus topic.
Tamati and Sam Get Firewise/
Our Firewise Family
A large story book for shared reading.
Also available as an interactive story
to be used on an interactive white
board or on a computer.
Get Firewise Family Book/DVD
A free activity book and DVD for the
students to take home and complete
with their family. Additional copies
can be ordered.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Get Firewise Certificate
A certificate that can be awarded to
students when they have completed
the whole (or parts of), the Get
Firewise programme. Additional
copies can be ordered.
Safe Meeting Place Sticker
A sticker for your students’ families
to mark their safe meeting place in a
fire emergency. It is usually attached
to a letterbox. Additional copies can
be ordered.
Tamati Magnetic Picture Set
Students can retell Tamati and Sam
Get Firewise using this set of eight
magnetic pictures.
Get Firewise School DVDs
For use in the classroom, the DVDs
feature: The speed of fire; Song –
Get out! Stay out! Well done!;
Fighting fires; The firefighters’ gear;
and the interactive story Tamati
and Sam Get Firewise.
You can view and order the resources through the
new online ordering (OLO) system in the usual
way. (See page 17 of this month’s Fire & Rescue for
information on the new online ordering system.)
Display Photographs
Firewise Update
Set of eight large display photographs
used in various activities throughout
the Get Firewise programme.
Get Firewise Poem Poster
Don’t play with matches and lighters
poem poster.
Get Firewise Song Poster
Get Out! Stay Out! Well Done! song
poster. There is a soundtrack provided
to accompany this on the Get Firewise
School DVDs.
Get Firewise Frieze
Get down, get low, get out –
FAST frieze.
Get Firewise Puppet Master Set
Students can make plays about
getting out of a room that has smoke
in it and the firefighters putting the
fire out with this puppet master set.
Requires assembly.
Smoke Alarm
A smoke alarm is provided so that
students can learn to recognise the
sound of a smoke alarm and leave the
room quickly.
February 2010
11

Training News
New volunteer training
material on its way
Better, brighter, simpler, and way more fun!
Tawa volunteers Bridgette Strid
and Teresa Derbyshire were among
the many people who helped with the
development of the new recruit
pre-course modules. They were
recently the first volunteers to see
the final product.
Their feedback on the original
concepts included suggestions to
reduce the amount of content on each
page. They were pleased to see this
had carried through to the final
stages and were enthusiastic about
12 Issue No. 56
the new colour photos and the colourcoded
presentation of keywords and
main points of each topic.
Teresa says she can see the new
modules being easier to learn.
“The theory in the material we used
when we first started as volunteers
wasn’t always easy to read and
we’d have to practise a few times to
fully understand it. I think this new
way of presenting the information
could mean it would take less time
to learn.
Tawa SO Training Pete Theobald
says over the years he has noticed a
growing number of urban recruit
volunteers are coming from officebased
backgrounds. “So some of
them have limited experience with
using a range of machinery and tools.
I think this new training material
will really help them understand and
operate our equipment.”

Each year, between 800 to 1,000
volunteer firefighters work their
way through the recruit precourse
modules before they join a
practical course.
The black and white photocopied
pages of the current training
manuals, while informative, don’t
make for the most exciting
training material – which is why
there’s been a major overhaul.
The new material will be officially
introduced later this year.
“We don’t want training to be a
barrier to being a volunteer,” said
Mitzi Austin, Education Training
Services Manager.
“The new material has been
designed to meet people’s different
learning preferences – the core of
the package is still the printed
workbooks, but they are in full
colour, and are supported by DVDs
so that recruits can see the skills
being performed. The information
is also presented differently – with
lots of photographs, eye-catching
graphics to separate it into different
categories, and each module
has key words and summary
information,” she said.
The end result is easier to
understand and work through,
and much more interesting.
“As part of the overhaul we have
also made sure we only included
what recruits really need to know
and left out additional material
that, while it was nice to know,
wasn’t actually necessary to meet
the requirements of the practical
course.”
Bridgette (left) and Teresa take a
closer look at the new recruit
pre-course information.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Training News
February 2010
13

Incidents
Saved by the sprinkler
In the Bay of Plenty recently there was a fire in a large packhouse and storage complex
that left only a scorch mark.
The sprinkler system had saved the jobs of 600 people,
protected nine buildings and avoided the waste of
hundreds of thousands of litres of contaminated water.
Fire Safety Officer Jon Rewi says it’s the first time he has
seen the results of a fire that had been contained by a
sprinkler. “It’s very rare for Fire Safety to be called in
afterwards because there’s no real damage. I doubt if
many firefighters realise the significance of what has
happened and in this case the brigade was only too glad
to have a quick turnaround and be able to get back to
their jobs.”
The sprinkler kept the flames in one place and down to a
two metre blaze until the Te Puke brigade arrived.
All that showed afterwards was a smoke mark on the wall.
“The whole shed was filled with packaging and dry
wooden crates all within a metre of the flames. There are
around 40 packhouses in this area and this is the only
one that has sprinklers.” He will be using this example to
show the other packhouse owners just what the benefits
are of a sprinkler system. “If there hadn’t been one,
this whole complex would have gone up in flames –
there would have been no saving it.”
Jon knows the other side of the story only too well. He was
stationed at the Trentham Fire Station and provided
advice to the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club when it
14 Issue No. 56
was renovating its building. The club decided not to
install sprinklers due to the cost. Shortly after the renovated
building re-opened it was reduced to rubble by fire.
Within days, the Cosmopolitan Club management met
with the Fire Service for advice on the systems they should
prioritise when rebuilding the club and it is now fully
sprinkler-protected.
Jon said the example of the Bay of Plenty kiwi fruit
packhouse fire is something all Fire Safety Officers can
use when discussing the benefits of sprinklers with
building owners.

Think safety
Look out for the new, flasher and easier-to-follow model for carrying out
a dynamic risk assessment during an emergency.
All firefighters learn how to make this
assessment as part of their Safe Person Concept
training, but it’s been several years since it has
been reviewed to make sure the system is
working well and fits with current demands
and incidents.
Operational Standards Manager Brian Davey
says the review of the Safe Person Concept is
now finished. “We took account of various
recommendations from accident investigations,
operational reviews, overseas experiences and
comments from a number of operational staff.
The final result hasn’t changed the concept or
the principles of dynamic risk assessment but
we have developed simpler methods for
explaining the thought process and decisionmaking
that is used.”
The Safe Person Concept balances the need to
carry out inherently risky fire suppression and
rescue tasks with the need to maintain
everyone’s safety. The dynamic risk assessment
process is used by the senior officer at the
incident to make sure all tasks, and everyone’s
actions, take account of the risks and manage
them safely.
There are new diagrams for both the Safe
Person Concept and the dynamic risk
assessment model. These are included in the
refreshed training material and will be rolled
out this year to everyone undergoing recruit,
qualified firefighter and officer training.
A scenario model will also become part of the
OSM module. The training itself will change
to foster more discussion and an in-depth
understanding of the concept and the process.
“The end result is that everyone at the incident
will have more certainty and confidence when
they put the ideas into practice,” said Brian.
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Proceed with tasks
(continual process)
Dynamic Risk Assessment
Evaluate the situation,
tasks and persons at risk
Select strategy
AND tactics
Carry out risk
assessment of
tactics
Are the risks
proportional to
the benefits?
Yes No
Can additional
control measures
be introduced?
No
Consider
alternatives
Implement
control measures
and reassess
tactics
Yes
DO NOT PROCEED
Staying Safe
February 2010
15

Staying Safe
Stage 2 National
Training Centre
Designs for the second stage of the National Training
Centre are now well advanced with the project team
nearing the point where they will seek resource consents.
“We are on track to start building
late this year, all going well,” said
Director Operations and Training
Paul McGill.
Stage 2 includes a streetscape to give
firefighters a feel for working in
everything from a shop to a bank,
a three-storey tower block, a town
house and a house with garage and
sleepouts. A separate area will
house a train and tunnel scenario.
16 Issue No. 56
The three-storey tower can also be
configured using gantries to simulate
a ship or a rest home or other similar
buildings.
There will also be a motorway and
a separate motor vehicle crash area.
The plans also include extending
the current burn building and
administration block.
Building Key:
A0 Administration Building Addition
A1 Simulation Building
A4 Burn Building Addition
A5 Tower, Hotel, Ship
C1 Petrol Station
C2 LPG Tank Farm
C3 Petrol Station Kiosk
C4 LPG Control Point
H1 House
H2 House
MVA Motor Vehicle Accident
R1 River/Stream & Pool
T1 Sate Highway
T2 Railway Crossing
T3 Road Crossing
TH1 Town House
TH2 Town House
W1 Workshop
W2 Toolshop

New online
ordering
Our new online ordering (OLO) system is
now up and running.
The Fire Service has changed its print supplier and as a
result now uses that company’s (Geon Group) OLO
system.
The new OLO looks a little different from the old
Blue Star system but is easy to use and allows for better
searching, viewing, reporting and keeping track of
your orders.
The new User Guide on Firenet/FireSafety/Promotions
will help you to get started.
You can access the new OLO through SMS as per usual,
or you can click on the new OLO icon short-cut that has
been pasted onto the desktops of all registered users.
If you do not have access to online ordering and
need to order resources on a regular basis, go to
www.geonline.co.nz/nzfs and click on the register me
button and your application will be processed.
For occasional orders, check with your manager to find
out the best way to get what you need.
Protect what you value
Fire safety in your home
After a fire,
flood or natural disaster
What to do next...
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine February 2010
News
17

People
A couple of minutes with...Gary Quigan
Where are you stationed?
National Headquarters.
What’s your title?
Application Support SMS/SMART.
What’s been your progression within
the NZFS over the past 25 years?
Joined NZFS in 1995 as the FIRS (Fire
Incident Reporting System) Coordinator
(ie looking after the input and quality
assurance of all incidents). Have stayed
in this role as FIRS progressed from a
paper-based system to a computerbased
system. I still check on the quality
of data in the incident reports, liaising
with people around the country when
I discover anomalies.
I have also picked up the role as SMS
Helpdesk person. This last role has
expanded enormously to include such
things as OSM, building data, Tasks and
Smart Maps/Reports.
Family?
Married to Cushla, have two adult sons
and one beautiful granddaughter
(unbiased opinion).
18 Issue No. 56
What’s the one thing that sticks in
your mind about the job?
Always plenty to do.
If you could make one change to the
Fire Service what would it be?
Ensure people get adequate training in
our computer-based systems, especially
volunteer brigades.
Your most embarrassing moment
on the job?
Spending 10 minutes frantically trying to
find out why someone had lost a lot of
his files, and discovering he only needed
to scroll across the screen to find them.
What’s one thing people would be
surprised to learn about you?
I sang in the school choir for five years.
This is possibly the reason I like songs
which involve great harmonies.
Favourite book?
To Kill a Mockingbird.
Favourite music group?
The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel.
Favourite movie?
I haven’t really got one, although the
movie of my favourite book would
be right up there. Others that spring
to mind include Sophie’s Choice,
Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind,
As It Is In Heaven. Years ago I was
a fan of the Pink Panther movies
(the Peter Sellars’ ones).
Favourite TV show?
When the Boat Comes In (an old
British drama – they don’t make them
like that any more). Also MASH and
Hill St Blues from earlier days and ER
and Outrageous Fortune in more
recent times.
Favourite sport?
Rugby, Tennis.
Favourite holiday destination?
On a beach that has good waves for
body-surfing.
If I wasn’t in the Fire Service I’d be?
On a permanent camping trip with
my wife.

The ‘no limits’ attitude
The Dunedin duo Brodie Carvalho and his firefighter trainer Richard Yeardly are back
with their latest challenge to firefighters.
Brodie, who has Down’s Syndrome, is a huge fan of
firefighters and takes an active role in Otago fire safety
promotions. With the help of Richard, he also raises
funds for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation.
In 2008 Brodie competed in the Sky Tower Challenge
and his 20 minute-23 second effort in full firefighting
kit plus BA raised $15,000.
Brodie also wears his firefighting kit (donated by
the Fire Service management in Dunedin) to
promote smoke alarms at events the Fire Service is
involved with.
“He loves connecting and chatting with people and
pushes the hell out of smoke alarms – often he will
follow people down an aisle convincing them they need
them in their homes,” said Richard.
For the past 18 months Brodie, under the direction
of Richard, has been training for his first triathlon at
the end of March.
He will swim across Lake Dunstan in Central Otago
and then bike from Cromwell to Clyde where he
joins a firefighters duathlon and runs to Alexandra.
Once again, Brodie is raising funds for the Leukaemia
and Blood Foundation.
Woodville Volunteer
Fire Brigade
125th Jubilee Celebration
2–4 April 2010
Contact
Steve Peretini
VSO / Deputy Chief Fire Officer
027 2856064
steve.peretini@fire.org.nz
The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine
Eketahuna Tug O War
28 February 2010
The local volunteer brigade
issues a challenge to others in
the region
Contact
Terry Carew
021 1455957
terry@brookfieldslodge.co.nz
Last Words
Brodie’s bike: Richard and Brodie get some practice in ahead of their
triathlon at the end of March.
February 2010
Photo: Linda Robertson/Otago Daily Times.
19