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Regional News

Woodhill-Riverhead
Rural Fire District
28.5.08
The Woodhill-Riverhead Rural Fire District is one of
the smallest Rural Fire Districts in New Zealand but is also one of the highest
at risk Districts. It totals 30,000 hectares of which 17,000 hectares is in
exotic pine plantation. Woodhill Forest (12.5 has) is a long
protection/production forest originally planted to prevent the inland spread of
creeping sand dunes. It has a large beach frontage (60 kilometres) which is
widely used by the public. The forest has three main zones; the sea frontage
consisting of maram grass and coastal vegetation both of which are very high
fire risks; the coastal protection zone of
malformed pines; and the production zone. Added to this is a very high public use for recreation.
Being only 40 kilometres from the centre of Auckland it is easily
accessible. Over the years many
commercial recreational ventures have developed within the forest including an
international mountain bike track, horse trailing, four wheel drive tracks,
an adventure playground, and trail
bike tracks. Over a million people
recreate in the forest each year.
Woodhill Forest is managed by Hancock Forest Management from Whangarei
for Taumata Forests.
Riverhead Forest also has high recreational use but not on a
commercial basis. It is managed by
Rayonier NZ for Matariki Forests. Originally
planted by the Forest Service on poor nutrient deficient soils it
totals nearly 4000 hectares.
Other members of the Committee include the Rodney District Council
,Watercare, NZ Fire Service and
Department of Conservation.
The Fire District averages about 50 callouts a year.
Many are burnt out cars. The
Principal Rural Fire Officer is Alan Flux, and Scott Marchant is the Principal
Rural Fire Officer for the Rodney District Council.
Southern Rural Fire Authority 23.1.08
Mission Statement
“The Southern Rural Fire Authority was formed to allow the
participants to enhance effective fire prevention, protection, suppression and
other fire control measures within the respective areas at risk from
uncontrolled fires”.
The Southern Rural Fire Authority formed on 7 August 2003 and amalgamated the
rural fire responsibilities of the Southland District Council, Gore District
Council, Invercargill City Council, Southern Plantations Rural Fire District and
Department of Conservation Southland Conservancy into one single organization.
In total approximately 3 million hectares or one ninth of the land area of New
Zealand is within the district of Southern Rural Fire Authority. Southern Rural
Fire Authority is governed by a Committee of representatives from the three
councils, DOC, forest organizations and NZ Fire Service. Dave Adamson of the
Southland District Council is the chairman.
The Southern Rural Fire Authority has two full time fire
officers, Mike Grant (PRFO) and Elton Smith (DPRFO). The Southern Rural Fire District also has 350 rural fire
fighters & IMT staff, of which 120 are part of seven Volunteer Rural Fire
Forces based at Athol, Garston, Blackmount, Hedgehope, Drummond, Beaumont and
Waikawa. Agreements area also in
place to use the NZ Fire Service and other fire suppression providers if
required, including aerial fire fighting capacity through the use of helicopters
and fixed wing aircraft.
All participants agree that the final result of the
amalgamation would:
 | Provide an
effective, efficient and focused Rural Fire Authority
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 | Ensure
there is no duplication of resources and administrative functions
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 | Provide an
improved service to the public
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 | Resolve
cross boundary issues between authorities
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 | Result in
operational improvements
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 | Provide
increased cost efficiencies for all organizations
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Equipment
checks for Blackmount Volunteer Rural Fire Force
Fire Season Zones
The Southern Rural Fire Authority manages the area under two main zones:
Zone A
Where the general risk is low the areas will be managed with an Open Fire
Season. This will be upgraded to a Restricted Fire Season or Prohibited Fire
Season when fire danger values reach certain thresholds.
Zone B
Because of the higher risk and values threatened areas will be managed with a
Restricted Fire Season 365 days a year. This will be upgraded to a Prohibited
Fire Season when fire danger values reach certain thresholds.
Fire
Suppression Resources
The Southern Rural Fire Authority maintains equipment for
fire suppression at 32 locations throughout the District. This includes Volunteer Rural Fire Forces, forestry fire
depots, contract fire crew depots and New Zealand Fire Service stations where we
have equipment located.
A brief summary of resources include:
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16 rural fire tankers of various size and capability
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7 4wd rural fire appliances
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9 Dedicated vehicles
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7 Smoke Chasers
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31 Fire trailers of various sizes and uses
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65 Wajax Kits (complete with 23km of operational hose – 4 packs
per kit)
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15 Heli Buckets
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Since its formation in 2003, the Southern Rural Fire
Authority has purchased and put into service seven fire response vehicles
including dedicated vehicles and 4wd fire appliances.
A further 4wd fire appliance and another rural fire tanker are planned
for the following six months. In
addition to this, a new fire station has been built at Drummond, with further
buildings being planned.

The
old and the new at Waikawa February 2007.

Fire
appliances at the Blue Mountains Forest Rural Fire Depot near Tapanui October
2007.
Fire
Training
The Southern Rural Fire Authority has put in place a standardised
approach to fire training; with an individual training plan for each fire crew
to meet the needs of that particular location.
Where some volunteer rural fire forces respond to incidents other than
just vegetation, appropriate training is provided by the authority to meet this
need.

Members
of the Athol VRFF receiving vehicle fire fighting training 2007.
Dry
fire fighting training with Te Anau rural fire crew 2007.
Vegetation
Fire Incidents
Since amalgamation, the Southern Rural
Fire Authority has had to deal with a number of significant fire events across
the district, ranging from peat & wetland fires, fires in mixed and heavy
native vegetation, pine plantation and hill & high country fires.
Often these events are associated with periods of high winds, which as a
result have seen multiple fires occurring across the district at the same time.
The fire authority is particularly proactive
with cost recovery issues, with over 90% of fire suppression costs recovered
directly from those responsible for the fire.

Graeme Miller from Ernslaw
One fire crew at Avondale Forest controlled burn off (200ha) in 2006.
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Papatotara Fire
January 2004, fire suppression cost over $500,000.
This fire burnt approx350ha, with spotting over distances of
5-700Metres during first day.
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Awarua wetlands fire
October 2005, fire suppression
cost $280,000 and burnt 1350ha. Fire
endangered power supply to Tiwai Aluminium Smelter, which had power been lost
would have caused serious economic harm locally and nationally.
Eastern Regional Rural
Fire Committee 3.04.07
The
Rural Fire Authority members of the Eastern Regional Rural Fire Committee
comprise of, Central Hawke’s Bay, Hastings, Wairoa, and Gisborne District
Council’s, the Napier City Council, Bay Forest Rural Fire District, Eastland
Rural Fire District, and the Department of Conservation.
Rural Fire Authorities are bounded in the East by the Pacific
Ocean from Potaka, just north of Hicks Bay, to Whangaehu, just South of
Porangahau. Inland the area of
responsibility ranges from the top of the Waioeka Gorge across the Huiarau
ranges, down to the Ahimanawa, Kaiweka and Ruahine ranges, to the Takapau
plains, just south of Takapau. Combined,
Fire Authorities are responsible for a total 2,122,350 hectares.
Territorial Fire Authorities are responsible for 58.77% of land within
the Eastern Regional Rural Fire Committees boundaries, Rural Fire Districts
21.30%, the Department of Conservation 18.44%, and the New Zealand Fire Service
1.59%.
The mountain ranges to the west of the region provide a
sheltering effect from the predominantly westerly wind flow over new Zealand,
resulting in a sunny, temperate climate that is susceptible to drought.
As a result, during the peak of the fire season, the region is
susceptible to rural fires caused by roadside operations, arcing powerlines, and
of course the most common ailment, man. The
District has suffered from a number of significant fires this current fire
season, and conditions are such that the entire region remains in either a
Restricted or Prohibited Fire Season.
McLean’s
Road Fire – Wairoa (12th – 17th November 2006)
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Omaranui
Landfill – Hastings (19th – 20th November 2006)
Rural fire equipment ranges from specially designed and built
tankers, to fire trailers and prehistoric ex-fire service appliances, a number
of which are thirty years or more in age. The region has benefited in recent years however in
proactively replacing geriatric appliances with the Class 4 Medium Rural
Appliance approved by the National Rural Fire Authority. The following Rural
Fire Forces have benefit from this subsidy scheme in the last three years,
Tiniroto, Ruakituri, Tuai, Tutira, Maraekakaho, and Puketitiri.
Puketitiri
(Hastings) – The old (40years) and the new.
Supported
by a large number of trained volunteer rural fire forces, forestry crews and
Department of Conservation personnel, the region manages its fire risk by
implementing Restricted and Prohibited Fire Seasons as required, and making
personnel available to assist in incident management with neighbouring rural
fire authorities when called upon. Members
of the Eastern Regional Rural Fire Committee meet six times a year with a
meeting hosted by each member in their respective districts.
The West Coast Rural Fire District
26.3.07
The West Coast Rural Fire District was the first amalgamated
fire district in New Zealand. It was gazetted in December 1997 covering three
and a half million hectares. It stretches from north of Karamea to south of
Jacksons Bay, a distance of over 800 kilometres or greater than the distance
from Auckland to Wellington. It comprises the former Rural Fire Districts of the
Buller, Grey and Westland District Councils and Department of Conservation.
These four Authorities, plus the forestry company Timberlands West Coast, are
the financial sponsors of the District. Over 90% of the District is in
Department of Conservation stewardship. The District also has about 35,000
hectares of exotic forest spread in small blocks mainly in the Buller and Grey
District Council areas.
The high, evenly spread rainfall on the West Coast prevents high
drought code or build up indices. But because of the large amount of fine fuels
of manuka and gorse, and the many areas of urban/rural interfaces, high fire
risks occur frequently. The Coast has had a record of some serious exotic forest
fires. In 1968 and again in 1973 serious fires destroyed over 800 hectares of
exotic pine forest. The District is divided into 4 zones for management
purposes. Each zone is responsible for providing a response force and these are
supplemented by five Volunteer Rural Fire Forces.
Over 350 people have obtained FRSITO unit standards and there
are over 80 fully fledged basic fire fighters with all the necessary unit
standards. Since the formation of the District there has been a marked increase
in the number of permits issued and an equally marked decrease in the number of
wildfires. The most serious fires are caused by arson in remote back country.
These are inevitably caused by hunters lighting areas of low scrub and pakahis
to induce fresh growth for deer.
Western
Bay Moana Rural Fire Authority 1.3.07
Western Bay Moana Rural Fire Authority was formed in 2003 with the
amalgamation of Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council,
the Department of Internal Affairs ( off-shore islands) and Department of
Conservation into one Rural Fire Authority. It administers about 145,0000 Ha,
mostly horticulture and farming land, a significant conservation estate on the
Kaimai Ranges but with most of the forestry plantation areas ceded to adjacent
Pumicelands RFA.
Councils, as a cost cutting measure, out-sourced council service
provision at the start of the millennium without consideration of rural fire
requirements and as a consequence resources are a concern. The attraction of
coast and climate creates a proliferation of townships each supporting a
volunteer Fire service Brigade that, under agreement, provides a rural fire
fighting service. The high proportion of ‘retirees’ also provides a barrier
to recruitment of volunteers within these communities. Potential changes in
legislation, the Fire service Review etc. have been seen as reasons to delay
improvement but ….
The 1973 Bedford rural fire appliance has been replaced! The need
for a 4x4, very manoeuvrable first response vehicle with sufficient water
capacity to handle the difficult access many rural properties present these days
was met through the purchase of an imported ex-diesel tanker.
 
The pics show the old
and new tankers. A mounted ‘vanguard’ pump on the new tanker provides
draughting capacity or re-filling of other appliances. A wajax pump stored in
the front lockers caters for vegetation fire fighting.
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