The real thing
REGION: About 20 volunteer firefighters got to practise their fire and emergency skills as part of a controlled house burn on Saturday afternoon.
"This is the most realistic training that we can give our firefighters." Chris Kennedy, training officer
A roaring blaze has engulfed a house in Palmerston North, but it was all for a training exercise.
About 20 volunteer firefighters from Manawatu¯ and Horowhenua got to practise their fire and emergency skills as part of a controlled house burn on Saturday afternoon.
Fire and Emergency NZ training officer Chris Kennedy said the exercise on Fitchett St was about giving volunteers the skills they needed to fight a real fire.
‘‘This is the most realistic training that we can give our firefighters.
‘‘It gives them the skills, the tools and the ability.’’
For some of the volunteers it was their first time experiencing a real house fire, he said.
The firefighters had three attempts at battling the blaze.
Kennedy said each stage increased in difficulty and was designed to create a realistic emergency scenario.
The day was heavily resourced with about 12 instructors and six operational support people involved, he said.
A group of onlookers watched the house engulf in flames while standing in the rain, some wearing T-shirts and shorts due to the heat, he said.
There were about six controlled burns a year organised in the Central District. Kennedy would next organise a controlled fire in Hawke’s Bay.
Last year, a controlled burn on Ngata St in Palmerston North was used to record virtual reality footage. Six or seven cameras were used to broadcast the footage back to a receiver before they were consumed by fire.
A virtual reality experience called Escape My House was created as a result, placing people inside a burning house.
Kennedy reminded the public to have an escape plan and a safe meeting area in the event of a fire.