New emergency services equipment showcased
New emergency services equipment showcased. Photo: Maria Polglase
Last weekend’s Emergency Services Open Day was a first for the Takaka Fire Station, said station officer Andy Grey.
The Takaka and Upper Takaka brigades were present, and other services represented by staff and vehicles included the Police, St John, and Land Search and Rescue. Plenty of officers were on hand to answer questions, display equipment, and turn sirens on for happy children seated in fire engines.
“Our water deliveries have raised money for new equipment, and it was a good opportunity to show the community what we’ve bought,” said Andy. The Takaka Volunteer Fire Brigade Trust’s 11,500-litre tanker has paid for a $13,000 generator, “which means we can be self-sufficient in a power cut. It runs the whole station,” and also cutting gear worth $60,000.
The firemen demonstrated a mock response and rescue scenario for the crowd, removing the roof from a car while St John stabilised and rescued the “victim” inside.
Chief fire officer Philip Woolf talked the audience through the demonstration, saying: “The Holmatro equipment is made in Holland and regarded as the best in the world. The old rescue equipment used to weigh 800 to 900 kg, but the new gear is much lighter. We’ll basically turn a three-door hatchback into a four-door convertible by the time we’ve finished.”
Senor station officer Alf Reid said the new equipment saved critical time and was worth every cent. Other upgrades are on the wish list.
“We’ve also applied to Pub Charities for funds for a cutter to remove pedals, and a hand pump to use as a backup in case the other one breaks down.”
Wouter de Maat and Search and Rescue branch chair Graham Pomeroy were among the team members hosting their display and answering questions about equipment, such as their portable repeater and new radios and GPS units to replace the older, less effective models.
“The new GPS units have very much better aerial pickup in the bush under the trees,” said Wouter.
The recent Harcourts auction raised “fantastic money” for S&R, he added. “Now the committee will be making a wish list. We want to make sure we’ll be spending it wisely.”
S&R is most commonly asked how many callouts it has, said Wouter. “It’s never one you can really answer. The last couple of years have been fairly quiet, which is nice, but not everyone realises how many non-operational hours the group puts in between callouts—3419 this year, or 65.7 hours a week.
“We train really hard, and then we’ve also done the open day, the A&P Show, the Gibbs Hill Race and the Rollos 24-hour Race, for example, manning checkpoints.”
Maria Polglase
