A bad month of drivers
August was a bad month for Ōmokoroa Volunteer Firefighters who attended six motor vehicle accidents. Three of these were head on crashes, all on side roads which causes concern. One head-on was on Whakamārama Road while two were on Esdaile Road. Two cars over banks, one on Ōmokoroa Road the other on State Highway 2, and a rollover also on State Highway 2 were attended. This has been very concerning for all our volunteers. Drivers need full concentration whenever they are behind the wheel. Please don’t put yourselves and others at risk.
September started slowly for firefighters with a car fire on the 3rd. This was followed by two calls on the 17th, one to set up a helicopter landing zone for a chopper picking up a seriously ill patient, the other to a small vegetation fire which was out on arrival.
There were two calls on the 21st, the first to a person who had fallen on the Tinopai walkway in the afternoon, the second to an electrical fire in a house in Charlotte Drive just before
bedtime. A vegetation fire in Beach Grove on the 23rd was extinguished and the next day, an MVA on the corner of State Highway 2 and Youngson Road resulted in no injuries, just a slow trip home for peak hour commuters.
For the First Responders, the last day of August was a busy one. They attended four callouts during the day, concluding with the MVA in Esdaile Road. September has been busy with the team responding nine times to: three cardiac arrests, three cheat pain complaints, breathing and convulsion problems and one injured person who fell on the Tinopai walkway.
With the 1st of October nearing, the restricted rural fire season will begin. All fires require a fire permit. Please check www.checkitsalright.nz for advice and to apply for your permit. Also, the Regional Council have introduced new laws for urban fires. You can no longer have an open fire on an urban property. Exceptions to this rule include braziers, BBQ, pizza ovens, smokers and hāngi.
Please check their website boprc.govt.nz/environment/air/air-pollution and familiarise yourself with the rules.