Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade
May has been a busy month for firefighters of the Ōmokoroa Volunteer Fire Brigade, the team responding to nine callouts so far. Three calls to a private alarm system took volunteers away from work responding to a structure fire, only to find it was a fault in the system. Brigades must attend in case the alarm is for real. Hopefully, the system has been repaired.
Two minor vegetation fires were responded to, and two calls to power wires down resulted in no Brigade action. A basement fire in the early morning of the 9th May resulted in all hands on deck to extinguish and try and eliminate as much damage as possible. On Friday 22nd a car and loaded tandem axle trailer ended up over a three-metre bank on State Highway 2 by the Whakamārama passing lane. Considerably damage resulted to both the vehicle and trailer.
Our team of First Responders began the month slowly, the first call to standby at the structure fire as a precaution in case of injury. Thankfully, they were not required. Four more calls to date, two with breathing problems and one with chest pains have been responded to.
With Covid Level 2 now operating, traffic on State Highway 2 has increased significantly. During lockdown, our Brigade responded to one minor MVA. It was quite a refreshing not having to attend gruesome scenes. It would be really wonderful to be able to continue without having to attend MVAs, so I guess it is all up to you, the motorist, to obey the road rules, drive carefully with patience and courtesy and to arrive at your destination safely.