Southern volunteer firefighters answer the call

21 March 2016

Volunteer firefighters from the Southern Lake Taupo Volunteer Rural Fire Force put their newly acquired skills to the test last week after a fire took hold in a swamp off State Highway 41.

The fire started last Monday afternoon at the turn off to Waihi village, and both the Southern Lake Taupo and Taupo rural fire forces turned out to battle the blaze. A helicopter with a monsoon bucket flew in to bring the fire under control. It is believed the fire started at the road side.

The volunteers have been training since late last year with the formation of the new force to cover the southern and western parts of the district.

Taupo District Council's rural fire manager Roger Nelson said it was fantastic some of the volunteers were able to use the skills they have been learning in a real emergency. The volunteers were really rapt - they came out of it with massive smiles on their faces. They were glad to finally get their hands dirty, he said.

The volunteers were paired with more experienced firefighters from the Taupo Volunteer Rural Fire Force so the new recruits could learn as they went. They were also given a full briefing before they went out, armed with hand tools and backpack water pumps.

The firefighters from Taupo and the southern settlements worked really well together and that was great to see, he said. It's all about getting the job done and looking after the community, and the two teams really embodied that with this job.

The district remains in a restricted fire season until the end of April at the earliest, when it is likely to revert to an open season, conditions permitting. The restricted season means anyone lighting an open fire in a rural area needs to get a permit from Taupo District Council at least 48 hours before the fire.

Mr Nelson said although it was a less dangerous time of year for fires than mid-summer, it was still critical to take care with fire. This fire showed they can quite easily get out of hand quickly, despite of a bit of rain, he said.

Since September, the rural fire teams have responded to 30 call outs across the district.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lisa Nairne Communications Manager 07 376 0762 027 839 8410

Vicki Waterhouse Communications Advisor 07 376 0718 027 484 2549

Taupo District Council

www.taupo.govt.nz