Assistance for Teams Attending Competitions
At
its meeting of 13 February 2008, the FRFANZ Committee agreed to make available
up to $5000 of its funds to sponsor teams wishing to attend the annual
National Rural Fire Competition. The Committee has done this in recognition of
the considerable benefits that ensue in skills with firefighters training for
competitions, and from networking of firefighters from around the country.
Travel and accommodation costs can impose a significant barrier to this, and
it is hoped that FRFANZ's sponsorship will encourage and promote future
participation of teams.
The
method of selecting sponsored teams, and the level of subsidy, has yet to be
finalised. Clearly, a Northland team should receive more that a Canterbury
team in going to a competition hosted in the south. As New Zealand is covered
by 13 Rural Fire Committees, several of which hold local fire competitions, it
is likely that these committees will be asked to select a team to
represent their region, and this team will receive the sponsorship for that
region. The selected team must be a FRFANZ member. Other teams from that
region would still be able to attend, but would not be eligible to receive
FRFANZ sponsorship.
If
you have any views on this proposal, please contact a member of the FRFANZ
Committee.
2008
National Competitions
The
2008 competition will be held at the Blenheim A&P Showgrounds on Sat. 22 November.
A map
is available, and you can download the registration
form. Note that substantial discounts have been arranged for the
Bluebridge ferries, and early registration birds are rewarded.
2008
FRFANZ Competition Promo 7.06.08
Well done, team! Note: some terrifying
chopper accidents are also available on this site.
2007
National Competitions
The
2007National Rural Fire Competitions, hosted by the Wainuiomata Bushfire Force
and Hutt City Council, were held on November 17 at Hutt Park, Seaview. The
visitors found the blue skies and no wind hard to reconcile with the Capital's
reputation for bad weather! 11 teams competed, 5 local with 4 from the South
Island, and the run times were excellent. The runs were 2
Standard Wajax and 1 Replacement Length Event, with the aggregate (and
National Champions) being decided by the best Standard time plus the
Replacement time. The only local team to impact on the visitors was the hosts
#1 team that took 3rd in the Standard Event; the Short Hose Boys from DOC
Whangarei were consistently 3rd in the other events. The battle for the
top places was largely a resumption of the Canterbury Competition (see below),
but times were much faster, and the national championship switched between the
winners and runners-up of last year's competition. There were two teams in the
Ladies Grade, and the Bomberas of DOC Whangarei made it a clean sweep from the
WBF Pussycats. Both Ladies teams were significantly faster than last year.
Maybe
we should consider a kiddies event! 
Prize
presentation was held later that evening at the Fireman's Arms pub in nearby
Petone, an appropriate venue full of fire memorabilia. The HCC PRFO Paul
Nickalls presented the Wellington regional trophies - a clean sweep to the WBF
#1 team who put in personal bests on the day. He also presented the trophies
decided between the best South Island teams at the Nationals. NRFO Murray
Dudfield presented the National trophies shown in the table below. Next
morning, breakfast was held at the Wainuiomata Fire Station, and the
out-of-towners were given a tour of the firebreaks between Waunuiomata and
Lower Hutt in the new Canter rural fire trucks. They were impressed with the
off-road performance and comfort. It was a great weekend for all.
Next
year: the venue will be in the South Island, hopefully Picton and hosted by
Kenepuru RFF.
|
2007 National Trophies
|
Records
|
Standard Wajax Event
Open Grade: DOC Shield
Hawarden/Waikari
1:05.09
Ladies Grade: Whakatane VRFF Trophy
DOC Bomberas
1:31.02
|
[Central 1989]
DOC Tararua 1:00.08
[National 1993]
DOC Rimutaka
1:15.40
|
|
Replacement Length Event
Open Grade: Grinnell Trophy
Kenepuru
1:56.88
Ladies Grade: Wainuiomata CWI Plate
DOC Bomberas
2:35.69
|
[Central 1990]
DOC Rimutaka 1:37.23
[National 2001]
Aquanauts 2:11.59
|
First Water fastest time
Open Grade: Phillips &
Smith Shield
Scargill
0:42.41
Ladies Grade: Phillips & Smith Trophy
DOC Bomberas
1:00.78
|
[Central 1989]
DOC Tararua
39.96
[Canterbury 1994]
CHH
49.00
|
National Champions (fastest 2-event aggregate)
Open Grade: FRFANZ Cup
Hawarden/Waikari
3:02.22
Ladies Grade: FRFANZ Cup
DOC Bomberas
4:06.71
|
(fastest 2-event aggregate)
[National 2007]
Hawarden/Waikari 3:02.22
[National 2003]
Whakatane DC II 3:57.63
|
2007
Canterbury Rural Fire Association
Attached are the
results from the Canterbury Regional Competitions held at Hinds in the
Ashburton District and hosted by the Hinds Volunteer Rural Fire Force. 8
mens teams and one ladies team ran and the weather was perfect...overcast
and not too hot. Water supply was a 2,200 litre flexidam with only one
competitor having to partly dive in to retrieve the suction hose. The usual
penalties were awarded....earmuffs and hand signals, but generally, a
noticeably high standard of running from all teams. We still retain the
Monsoon Bucket event here in Canterbury and once again there was unanimous
support for retaining it. This time around, the pump for this event was
started and run by the competing teams and with all morning to check out the
supplied pump, there was no excuse for getting it wrong.
Bob King
West Melton
|
OPEN
SECTION
|
|
Standard
Wajax Event
|
|
Winners
Of The Roy Knight Trophy Presented By:
|
Roy
Knight
|
|
1
|
Scargill
|
1.23.46
|
|
2
|
Canterbury
High Country Fire Team
|
1.23.74
|
|
3
|
Ashburton
|
1.25.30
|
|
Replacement
Length Event
|
|
Winners
Of The DOC Fire Depot Trophy Presented By:
|
Greg
Heaven
|
|
1
|
Harwarden
Waikari
|
1.58.58
|
|
2
|
Scargill
|
2.01.48
|
|
3
|
Ashburton
Rural Fire Team
|
2.35.11
|
|
Monsoon
Bucket Event
|
|
Winners
Of The Mike Grant Trophy Presented By:
|
|
|
1
|
Harwarden
Waikari
|
2.44.23
|
|
2
|
Peel
Forest
|
2.59.17
|
|
3
|
Pendarves
|
2.59.51
|
|
Best
Aggregate
|
|
Winners
Of The ? Trophy Presented By:
|
|
|
1
|
Harwarden
Waikari
|
6.12.48
|
|
2
|
Scargill
|
7.08.94
|
|
3
|
Ashburton
|
7.13.36
|
2007
National Competitions
This years
FRFANZ Rural Fire Competition will be
held in Petone on the 17th
2007 Rules
General
Rules can be downloaded. The Committee have simplified the
National Competition: the Monsoon Bucket run has been eliminated, and is
replaced with a second Standard Wajax
run. The best of these two runs is combined with the Replacement
Length run to form an aggregate time from which the National Champions
are found. The rules for these events are the old ones, but some additional
notes have been added to aid clarification.