Te Puke Fire Report

Te Puke Volunteer Fire Brigade's new water tanker

Emergency Calls as of March 4: 52.

The brigade last week took delivery of our new 2023 Hino water tanker, which is effectively identical to the old one but bright red, just like a fire truck should be, instead of yellow. One bright spark commented that this one is fully ripened.

Water capacity is 6800 litres, which doesn’t sound much for a tanker but is generally sufficient for our needs and is in fact ideal for our area as it is usually capable of accessing orchard shelterbelt fires.

The old tanker is only four years old, and we believe is being cascaded to the Waipara Fire Brigade in Canterbury.

There have been 12 calls in the past fortnight — two vegetation/rubbish fires, two motor vehicle crashes, no extrication required and five false alarms.

There was one medical call to assist a St John ambulance with a patient on Pāpāmoa Hills which was, sadly, fatal.

We also assisted with setting up a landing zone for the rescue helicopter in Jubilee Park for a patient transfer.

There was a call to a young person who had fallen over the bank at No 4 Rd falls. He and a couple of mates turned out to be okay with just some minor bruises and abrasions — they were able to walk out unassisted, albeit somewhat sheepishly.

Keep safe out there.

Check out the Brigade Facebook page: facebook.com/Te.Puke.Fire.Brigade

Te Puke Fire Chief Dale Lindsay