Source: Radio New Zealand
Firefighters working at Taupō -nui-a-Tia College. LES WILLS / SUPPLIED
Fire and Emergency is pouring cold water on a claim from the firefighters’ union that four cities are without life-saving high-reach ladder trucks.
On Thursday, the Professional Firefighters’ Union (NZPFU) said the specialised trucks in four cities were broken and communities faced hours of waiting for back-up if needed.
However, Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) said the claims were untrue and that it could provide alternative vehicles whenever they were needed.
It comes as union members are set to strike again today, stopping work for an hour at midday over their collective employment agreement.
What the union says
NZPFU said the Rotorua aerial truck broke down at a fire at Taupō-nui-a-Tia College on Sunday, resulting in an almost two-hour delay for back-up from Hamilton.
It said New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Gisborne’s aerial trucks were also all broken.
The union pointed to a national aerial strategy, which was meant to come off the back of a 2019 fire at Auckland’s International Convention Centre.
“Seven years later, that strategy is still to be completed. Instead, the organisation has prioritised corporate restructuring, cost-cutting, and the elimination of frontline emergency services to communities,” it said.
FENZ responds
However, FENZ said it was “not true that four Type 4 aerial trucks are out of action”.
It said Rotorua’s appliance was now back in service, and Gisborne’s was available despite being in the workshop for a minor issue.
Palmerston North’s truck was having a scheduled service and would be available again on Friday, while New Plymouth’s aerial truck was also in the workshop getting an intermittent electrical issue diagnosed and repaired.
“For scheduled services and minor repairs, we generally make arrangements that if a truck [is] in the workshop overnight it will be left in an operational state so the station can use it if needed. Similarly, if they need it during the day the workshop will endeavour to stop what they are doing and make it available,” a spokesperson said.
“It’s important to understand that we have 16 operational aerial appliances the same type as the Rotorua aerial, that get a proactive service 4 times a year. These services typically take 1-3 days each, plus any time for repairs. This means on average there is a Type 4 in the workshop for a proactive service for about 2.5 days for every week of the year. This is good maintenance practice, and demonstrates our investment in looking after our fleet.”
FENZ had a fleet of about 1300 trucks, the spokesperson said, and the agency was investing more than $20 million per year over the next three years to upgrade its fleet, plus an additional $12.5m on new heavy aerial trucks.
“Our firefighters are trained to use a range of tactics for different types of incidents. This means that if one particular type of fire truck is unavailable, they can adapt their tactics to the resources that they have.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
