Volunteers say lives would be at risk if number of engines cut

Volunteer fire brigades say any cuts to their fleets could put lives at risk and would be likely to lead to a revolt by volunteer firefighters.

Chief fire officers contacted by the Herald yesterday were angry there had been little or no consultation over the fleet review strategy, which the Government claims is now out of date.

The chiefs said they would be asking questions about plans for their stations.

A leaked document showed Opotiki would be left with no appliances under the plan.

Opotiki chief fire officer Vic Carter said the proposal was ludicrous.

The volunteer brigade responded to an average of 100 calls a year and covered a large area.

The town, right at the edge of the "Bay/Waikato" fire region, covers SH2 through to Gisborne and the east coast road to as far away as Cape Runaway.

Mr Carter said he would be surprised if any cuts went ahead. The town has a 3-year-old heavy pump and a rescue tender about 18 years old.

"It just can't. It's just ludicrous. People in Opotiki do pay their insurances and that's where the bulk of the funding for the New Zealand Fire Service comes from." Te Kuiti chief fire officer Grahame Howell was concerned the town, especially its hospital and two meatworks, would be left vulnerable by any cut to the town's two appliances.

The brigade has a small pump and a rescue tender fitted out for road crashes.

The light appliance, which replaced another appliance three to four years ago, was on the list.

Mr Howell said Te Kuiti was often called as backup to Benneydale and Piopio, leaving the town covered by the other appliance.

The closest station to cover Te Kuiti would be Otorohanga, 25 minutes away.

"If you're talking a house fire, then 25 minutes - you may as well stay in bed."

The document said Laingholm in west Auckland would lose one of its two fire engines but chief Graeme Booth said he had negotiated with the Fire Service and the station would not lose anything.

"The first thing we heard was that we were going to lose one completely and I jumped up and down and shouted and carried on.

"I was told they had changed their mind and would replace the old pump with a small appliance and keep the second vehicle until it's life was over."

Mr Booth said the service had told him the appliance would then be replaced by an ultra-light appliance.

"The little one we're getting eventually will do the job all right and ... suit us more [because of narrow roads in the area]."

Mr Booth said the service had not revealed any further plans "after I started hitting the roof".

"What they don't understand is that we do this for nothing and if they start taking fire engines away from brigades, people are going to just throw their hands in the air and say 'Why am I bothering' ... and we're going to start losing people."

His concerns were echoed by Whangamata chief Peter Waters.

"If they try to take our resources they'll probably find they won't have too many volunteers."

Mr Waters had not heard of any plans that would affect the Coromandel township but, according to the leaked paper, it would lose one of its two appliances.

Lives would be at risk if it had to rely on only one.