New garage will back up emergency response
The opening of a new facility at Twizel which will see emergency response organisations working closer together, will help reduce response times, the Mackenzie District mayor says.
A new four-bay garage which houses firefighting vehicles and equipment was officially opened on Saturday and has the Twizel Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade, Twizel Volunteer Fire Brigade and Twizel St John Ambulance all working from the same site.
‘‘With so many tourists we are very busy with emergencies and it is vital we have the services of Fenz and St John.
‘‘In Tekapo, as well as in Twizel, we have got a medical centre, the fire service and St John all together in one location,’’ mayor Graham Smith said.
He said the fire service had to be well resourced to manage emergencies and the new facility would be significant for damage limitation.
‘‘This is really good. We have a pretty big area with the dry summers in Mackenzie.
‘‘This quick response is definitely what is needed.’’
Twizel Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Simon Fox said the new garage meant the two brigades could provide a much stronger emergency response to Twizel and the rest of the district.
‘‘We are better able to respond to emergencies as 33 volunteer firefighters specialising in a broader range of fire and emergency skills, rather than 12 rural and 21 urban volunteer firefighters operating as separate brigades,’’ Fox said.
‘‘Twizel’s isolation means the nearest back-up brigade is around 30 minutes away.
‘‘With the completion of this resource garage we have all our firefighting and emergency vehicles and equipment in one place, in a ready state to respond to any emergency in or near this community.’’
The four-bay garage securely houses equipment including a rural appliance, smoke chaser, command unit, helitrailer, pump trailer, foam supplies, portable pumps and personal protective equipment.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand chair Paul Swain said this new garage was part of a commitment to investing in station infrastructure.
‘‘We are investing to ensure all our people have the right facilities, tools, technology and support to enable them to do what they do best – protect life and property,’’ Swain said.
The new facility was officially opened on Saturday by Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin, who expressed appreciation to the volunteers who give up their time to assist in emergency situations.
‘‘Our communities are stronger when we volunteer. We make a difference when we volunteer.’’