Fire preparedness a priority

Avoiding forest fires, and preparing for them if they do happen, has been a focus for Aratu Forests this fire season. File picture

Providing extensive training to Aratu Forests Ltd staff to respond to a fire has been one way the Gisborne forestry company has been preparing for fire season.

Summer brings the threat of fire to the front of mind for Aratu, and it has been actively monitoring the risk every day as it gets warmer.

The forecast of the El Niño weather pattern also suggests it could be a hot and dry summer.

The weather pattern can also lead to stronger and more frequent westerly winds, which can result in drier conditions in the forests.

Aratu Forests Ltd chief executive Neil Woods said the priority was always keeping people safe.

“Looking after our crews, our neighbours, and our community is at the forefront of everything we do. To keep people safe, we need to be prepared, and we’ve got the plans and the equipment on hand should we need them.”

Aratu has a significant store of firefighting equipment near Gisborne city. This includes the company’s own rural fire truck as well as first response vehicles and a variety of hoses, shovels, and fire pumps.

“The majority of our staff, from our office staff right through to those out in the forests, have completed training to use all the equipment,” Mr Woods said.

“In an emergency, we’ll need all hands on deck — so it is important to us that we can call on as many people as possible.”

Additional contractors have also been trained by Aratu, further bolstering the personnel that can respond. However, the company also notes a major part of preparation is prevention.

“We have reminded our contractors and staff of our expectations, including that forests are smokefree and that chainsaw crews will be asked to stop work earlier in the day if the fire risk is high or extreme, to mitigate the risk of sparks,” he said.

“Our community also plays a huge role in prevention too — and we’d really encourage people to take care with their surroundings.

“Please don’t throw lit cigarettes out of your moving car on to grass and avoid using power tools that might spark during the hottest parts of the day.”

Mr Woods said some outdoor fires will require permits, and Aratu encourages people wanting to light fires to check Fire and Emergency NZ’s website to see if one is needed.

While the fire season runs from October 1 through to April 30, Aratu spends the

off -season reflecting on what it has learned in the past season, reviewing its plans, and auditing its firefighting equipment, he said.

“A key lesson has been that while we know our forests well, emergency services may not.

“As a result, we’ve helped set up a voluntary rapid response team of forestry workers.

“These workers will be on standby, so if there is a fire in their forest, they can be stood up quickly to feed the right information to responders and help coordinate efforts quickly.”

Aratu was also in regular communication with Fire and Emergency NZ and has an agreement in place to loan our equipment if there was a need, he said.

“While we are doing everything in our power to prevent fires, we have put in the work to make sure we are prepared to respond in case of an emergency to keep our community safe.”