Lake Okareka Volunteer Fire Brigade - LŌCA Articles

Lake Ōkāreka Newsletter - Summer 2022

30/1/2022

Scrub Fire at Taupō: Thomas Firth (left) and Lana Muldoon

Following weeks of hot, dry weather, a prohibited fire season is now in force as per the notification below.

The Bay of Plenty Fire District including South Waikato has moved to a prohibited fire season. The prohibited fire season came into effect from Tuesday, 25 January 2022. This means everyone in the Bay of Plenty can no longer light an open-air fire. All fire permits previously granted will be suspended, and new permits will not be issued while the ban is in place. For more information go to www.checkitsalright.nz

Please call in any smoke you observe in the neighbourhood and surrounding area. Better to err on the side of caution than lose property or some of our native bush and wildlife. Please also continue to be aware of fire and permit restrictions throughout the fire season.

Various brigade members have recently been attending formal training courses including the completion of crew leader requirements for two of the brigade’s younger members. Congratulations Leah and Thomas! We also recently hosted a portable pump course at the Lake Ōkāreka station which was well attended by fire fighters from across Region 2 (Ngā Tai ki te Puku, Central North Island) and run by three trainers from the National Training Centre who provided positive feedback on the Lake Ōkāreka station facilities.

A recent scrub fire in Taupō was also added to our ‘to do list’ with four members from Ōkāreka attending on what was a very hot day. The contribution of the crew was acknowledged and commended by the other brigades involved. Thank you to Leah, Thomas, Amber and Lana for volunteering their Sunday to attend this incident.

With the summer months and holiday season still in full swing, it may pay to be aware when cresting the hill coming into Ōkāreka from the Blue Lake that there are a lot more walkers, runners and cyclists on the road verge. Unfortunately, there also seems to be more cars in the areas doing burnouts and driving at speed through the village and surrounding roads.

A special thank you to those members of the community who have offered to mow the lawns and weed the gardens around the station. This help is greatly appreciated!

With February just around the corner, universities will soon be starting up again and we will be losing a number of our members from the area during semester time. If you live locally and haven’t gotten around to joining the brigade, then now is the perfect opportunity to assist with maintaining brigade numbers throughout the year. Full training and PPE are provided. Please drop by the station on a Wednesday evening at 7:30pm or give me a call on 021 890 508. You can also visit our website for more information: www.okarekaruralfire.co.nz

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Ōkāreka Newsletter - Winter 2021

29/8/2021

The last few months have been less hectic for the Lake Ōkāreka Fire Brigade compared with the start of the year. The official opening event for the new station took place on 20th March with brigade members, FENZ management, Fire and Emergency Board Chair Paul Swain, Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust’s Tony Gill, Councillor Dave Donaldson, local iwi and Lake Ōkāreka residents in attendance. Fenella Playne, Peter Harding and Martin Caughey provided a memorable connection to the humble beginnings, history and progress of the Lake Ōkāreka rural fire brigade and past members. Following the presentation of two plaques for the station, the new building was officially opened by the Internal Affairs Minister, the Hon. Jan Tinetti, assisted by Fenella and myself. A special thank you to local kaumātua Wairangi Jones and Pererika Mahika for their support and overseeing the proceedings.

A key focus for the Lake Ōkāreka Volunteer Fire Brigade over the next 12 months is realigning systems, processes, operational requirements, and brigade management functions to the new facility, including the future operational growth, capability development and direction of the brigade.

The new facility has already been well used as a community hub during the first half of 2021 with several meetings and workshops being held by various groups such as Lake Ōkāreka Community Association (LOCA), Landcare Ōkāreka, Department of Conservation, and a lakes water quality group. The new facility has also hosted FENZ regional and national leadership meetings and workshops.

Use of the facility is available to the Ōkāreka community, however, it is not available for parties and social functions. Please contact me for any booking enquiries. We are also exploring options for cleaning of the station – any suggestions or recommendations would be welcome.

Various brigade members, including newer recruits, have been attending formal training courses over recent months. In addition to this, firefighter crews also attended two live vegetation burns on Mount Ngongotaha. The first burn was lit by hand; the second burn also used a helicopter for aerial ignition of certain areas of vegetation. The controlled burns provide an invaluable practical training experience for firefighters in terms of the planning and preparation for such events, fire behaviour and environmental factors, and fire containment and control. The live burns also provided key learnings on how to use fire as a tool for fire risk reduction.

It is that time of the year when certain members of the brigade get deployment-ready by undertaking annual medical and fitness tests requirements. Overseas deployments continue to be impacted by COVID and quarantine implications. However, national deployments are equally important as we head towards summer and being prepared is of paramount importance.

On another note, the Lake Ōkāreka Fire Brigade has been asked to assist LŌCA with the community firework display being planned for 6 November. A date to look forward to.

Finally, with the colder nights and wintery weather, please be aware of the conditions and take when the roads are icy, wet or greasy. Also, make sure to clean your chimneys if they are being used frequently and haven’t been swept for a while.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see w hat we are about, please phone me on 3628 874. You can also go to our website: www.ōkārekaruralfire.co.nz/

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Community CPR & AED Training

29/8/2021

Come to the fire station to practice using an AED and perform CPR on a manikin that provides real time feedback on compression depth, release and rate with a summary of your overall score and improvement suggestions.

Community training session at our fire station are on these dates:

Saturday 28th August - 12pm (Cancelled due to level 4)
Tuesday 21st September - 12pm (Cancelled due to level 2)
Saturday 16th October - 12pm (Restart A Heart Day)
Saturday 20th November - 12pm
Saturday 18th December - 12pm

Become familiar with using an AED and perfect your CPR technique to help save a life and ultimately contribute to the goal of increasing survival rates from cardiac arrest in Lake Ōkāreka and New Zealand.

Download GoodSAM Responder App. You will be notified of cardiac arrests in your area so you can get an AED to someone that requires it and potentially save their life.

World Restart a Heart Day takes place every year on 16th October. It is an opportunity to spread awareness about saving lives through CPR and using an AED.

Lake Ōkāreka Newsletter - March 2021

1/3/2021

Hi all,

The December to February months have been a flurry of activity for Lake Ōkāreka Fire Brigade. With the new fire station build completed, we had to complete a rapid changeover of the station equipment and setting up operations in the new building in the week leading up to Christmas.

At the same time, the Lake Ōkāreka Fire Brigade members also participated in a fire deployment to Matakana Island. This deployment took place over six days prior to and just after Christmas, with 11 Lake Ōkāreka and two Tarawera firefighters (seven of whom are under 25) providing the Lake Ōkāreka fire appliance and crews to assist with resources and water supply on the island. This provided great experience, particularly for the younger crew members, in vegetation fires and the co-ordinated management of larger scale incidents. The brigade also attended a two-day fire in the Poike area of Tauranga making the end of the year fairly busy.

The much-awaited Community Open Day for the new station took place on 6 February. There was a great turnout of people of all ages, and not just from the local community, with many participating in the various activities hosted largely by the younger members of the brigade. Thank you for your support!

Subject to the COVID Alert Levels, the Lake Ōkāreka Fire Brigade will also be hosting an Open Morning for the Lake Ōkāreka Pre-school on 26 March.

The Lake Ōkāreka Raft Race took place towards the end of February with Lake Ōkāreka Fire providing a sausage sizzle for those who came along. This is a great annual fun event for the younger members and families of the community. Special thanks to Michelle Herrick for organising the afternoon and the donation of race entry fees to the upcoming Sky Tower Challenge.

Speaking of which, the annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb is scheduled to take place on 22 May this year. The participants in this year’s event will once again be fundraising over the coming months for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. Hopefully, the 2021 event will run more smoothly with no COVID-19 disruptions. If you would like to support the Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire team fundraising effort for this very worthy cause, please go to the https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/ website and donate online.

The brigade has scaled back training activities in recent weeks because of the COVID-19 Alert Level 2 situation. However, we look forward to resuming operational activities as we move back into Alert Level 1. The Auckland Level 3 restrictions provide a timely reminder that we still need to be vigilant and to also look out for those members of our community who may be more vulnerable and require help during these times.

Although we are at the tail end of summer, please continue to be aware of fire restrictions and permit requirements. Check the conditions and any restrictions in force on the day of your burn by visiting the www.checkitsalright.nz website or calling 0800 658 628.

On that note, with Daylight Savings coming to an end, it is also time to check smoke alarms are in working order and chimneys have been swept prior to the colder months.

Finally, at 10am on 20 March, the official station opening will take place. This will be a formal occasion with FENZ personnel and dignitaries in attendance. The formalities will also include former brigade members from the earlier years of the Lake Ōkāreka Fire volunteers. The community are also invited to come to this opening. I look forward to seeing you there.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please phone me on 362 8874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.co.nz.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - December 2020

1/12/2020

Hi all

It is hard to believe we are at the tail-end of 2020 after what has proven to be a challenging and disruptive year. Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire has largely had to scale back its training activities this year due to the fluctuating COVID-19 levels. However, with the recent move back to Level 1, operational activities have resumed with a record number of members, including a good number of new young recruits who joined at the beginning of the year. Fortunately, their enthusiasm has remained despite the restrictions and we are now getting training back on track heading into the summer fire season.

On that note, please be aware that, as of 1 October, we have moved into the Restricted Fire Season which requires open fires to be permitted. Please be vigilant over the summer months with fire restrictions and permits, and check the conditions and any restrictions in force on the day of your permitted burn. To check the season status for your location, please visit www.checkitsalright.nz or call 0800 658 628. Further information about fire seasons is available on www.fireandemergency.nz.

New station with exterior finished.

Interior of appliance bay

With the upcoming fire season, readiness of fire personnel for potential fire deployments is paramount. Chris Scoggins and myself delivered training in the use of Avenza GPS mapping to 40+ fire personnel from around the country in Eltham. Dave Herries, as part of the National Incident Management Team, also helped to co-ordinate a recent regional simulated training exercise. International deployments did not go ahead over the winter in response to the extreme fires in the United States. This was due to challenges with the management of personnel safety and quarantine requirements because of the COVID-19 situation overseas.

Recent scrub fire SH30. Photo Credit: Dave Herries

The annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb, which was due to take place in May, has been rescheduled to now take place on 21 November. Unfortunately, due to this revised timing, the majority of our participants are unable to take part. However, all money raised to date will still be donated to Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. Hopefully, the 2021 event will run more smoothly.

Work on the new fire station has progressed significantly with completion of the building and hand over to the brigade due to take place mid-December. An Open Day for the community is being planned for 30 January and the official opening ceremony will take place mid-March. Communications regarding the Open Day will be sent out closer to the time. If there are any community groups who are interested in using the new station building for a meeting venue, please contact me on 021 890 508.

In the meantime, we wish the families within the Lake Ōkāreka and wider Rotorua community all the best for the upcoming festive season.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please phone me on 362 8874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.co.nz.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - June 2020

1/6/2020

Well, this year has certainly thrown us a huge curve-ball! Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that New Zealand would close its borders, go into a nationwide lockdown, and experience such crippling effects on businesses, communities and families, let alone the widespread impact of COVID-19 across the world?

Operations for Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire have been significantly scaled back with no training taking place since we first went into Level 2. Minimum crew numbers and strict physical distancing, personal protection and decontamination protocols have been followed for call-outs since the lockdown. Despite this, we were still kept reasonably busy delivering water to homes on tank water within the district that had almost run out. This was deemed an essential service to ensure safe and sanitary conditions for households.

On the plus-side of the lockdown, it was great to see so many families out walking and cycling around the Lake Ōkāreka village every day. Also, a special thank you to Marion Forbes and others for coordinating a list of our more senior and vulnerable Lake Ōkāreka residents, ensuring these people were okay during the lockdown, and providing assistance to those who needed support with shopping and other requirements.

As most of you will have seen, work on the new fire station build got underway as soon as we shifted to Level 3, with some 650 plus poles being driven into the site area. This is a requirement for a Level 4 building designed to withstand earthquakes. As this area is now a construction site, please do not enter the fenced area. Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire is looking forward to being able to resume our normal operations in the not too distant future.

Unfortunately, the annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb due to take place in May has been deferred but this may be able to take place later in the year. In the meantime, we wish the families within the Lake Ōkāreka and wider Rotorua community all the best as we move out of lockdown and start rebuilding our local economy. Supporting local business has never been more important.

If you have been thinking about joining, please come down to the fire station at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com for more information.

We wish the community all the best for a safe winter.

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Lake Okareka Newsletter - Summer 2019/20

1/1/2020

Phil Muldoon, Lana Muldoon, Santa Claus & Ray Doyle. Photo Credit: Lake Ōkāreka Preschool

Well another year, and decade, has come to pass. Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire has had another busy year, and continues to maintain a strong and growing membership. It is always a highlight to finish the year by delivering Santa to the LŌCA community carols evening and the Lake Ōkāreka Preschool. It is also timely for me to once again thank all the volunteers for their commitment to the brigade, Fire and Emergency NZ, and the LŌCA community.

Thanks to the ongoing work of Jason Thom at Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) and the Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC), initial works have commenced for the new fire station build project with Unison completing work on the underground and overhead power lines. Also, as an interim measure, as agreed through the resource consent process, FENZ have adjusted the siren on the old station to an undulating warning alarm that shuts down automatically after 90 seconds. FENZ and RLC, along with the various consultants involved, are in the process of finalizing all building requirements before site works get underway. Although this part of the process has taken longer than anticipated, it is important that time is spent on getting these critical details right to ensure the final build is fit for purpose. Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire greatly appreciates the continued support and background work being undertaken for this project.

In May, we will have another team of firefighters from Lake Ōkāreka competing in the annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb. We have a record number in this year’s team with 11 members having signed-up for the challenge, comprising 8 men and 3 ladies, with ages ranging from 17 to those of us in the ‘more mature’ category. The team will be getting underway with training for this event over the coming months, along with fundraising for Leukemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. If you would like to support the Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire team fundraising effort, please go to the www.firefightersclimb.org.nz website and donate online.

Regular weekly training sessions for both new and experienced firefighters continues to be an ongoing focus for the brigade. This has also been well supported by FENZ through formal training courses that have been attended by various members. In addition to this, a number of the more experienced Lake Ōkāreka Rural Fire members are registered on the FENZ Fire Deployment database. The extreme and volatile conditions currently occurring in Australia have seen a number of New Zealand crews deployed to assist the firefighting efforts in New South Wales and Victoria since November. Further crews will be deployed in January which may again include Lake Ōkāreka personnel.

The last month or so has seen an increase in fire-related call-outs in the LŌCA district. As hot, dry and windy conditions are projected to continue over the summer months, the fire risk will also increase. Any fire can quickly take hold and get out of control as occurred recently on the Coromandel where a fire was started by some fireworks. This provides a timely reminder that we are now in the Prohibited Fire Season and only gas and charcoal barbecue's can be used. Please be vigilant over the summer months with fire restrictions and permits, and check the conditions and any restrictions in force on the day of your permitted burn. To check the season status for your location, please visit www.checkitsalright.nz or call 0800 658 628. Further information about fire seasons is available on www.fireandemergency.nz.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please come down to the fire station at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628 874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

We wish the community all the best for a safe summer holiday season.

Lake Okareka Newsletter - Winter 2019

29/6/2019

Hi all,

Following another busy summer of vegetation fire call-outs and a series of deployments to Southland, Nelson and Victoria (Australia), activity for the Lake Okareka Rural Fire as we have moved into the winter months has primarily focused on training, including participating in a recent large scale live burn co-ordinated incident scenario.

Lake Okareka Firefighter in the rural fire category (from left): Phil Muldoon, Kirsty Lyall and Stu Lyall.

In May, another team from Lake Okareka took on the annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb. This year, the team was split, with two members completing the usual event of climbing 51 floors in 25kg of firefighter kit, and three others participating in a new Rural Fire event which involved climbing an additional 9 floors (total of 60 floors) carrying a chainsaw instead of an oxygen cylinder. All of the team completed their events with very respectable times, achieving a first, two seconds and a third in their various categories.

In June, a ‘turning of the soil’ ceremony, which was attended by members of FENZ, Rotorua Lakes Council and the local community, took place at the fire station to signify the start of the new station build project. Site works for the project are due to get underway mid to late September.

As the cold weather lingers on for the next couple of months, take care on the roads around the area which may still become greasy or slippery in wet and icy conditions. Also, if you have been using your fire a lot over the winter, don’t forget to clean your chimney regularly, and remember the ‘meter from the heater’ rule if drying washing near the fire or heating appliances.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please come down to the fire station at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628 874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - December 2018

21/12/2018

Hi all,

Looks like we have endured yet another fairly hectic year as far as the Lake Okareka Rural Fire goes. We are now integrated with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and are seeing some improvements in not only training but also the structure and resourcing of the organisation.

After some six months, we have our Lake Okareka fire appliance back at the station following an extensive decontamination process as a result of the Ngongotaha floods, and now painted in FENZ rural fire colours. We also now have some IT capabilities in the station. It’s a pity there’s now less room for our members – we are so looking forward to the new station. In terms of an update on progress with the new station build project, plans are now going through the resource consent process with the Rotorua Lakes Council.

The last few weeks have been busy with the Fire Brigade attending a serious motor vehicle accident and two scrub fires in the Taupo District which saw our volunteers doing some long hours and returning to the station at approximately 2.30am on all three occasions. Thanks to those members who attended these incidents and the work done to contain these fires, especially given that this was for three days in a row.

In addition to this, Dave Herries and I were deployed overseas to Canada and the United States respectively. These deployments were long-duration with each lasting nearly six weeks. The changeable conditions were very extreme and volatile, resulting in some erratic fire behaviour. To experience this firsthand was invaluable and something that we need to be aware of.

Extreme conditions: California Mendocino fire approaching our safe zone

In February next year, we are planning to hold a community evening to raise awareness of CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). The time, date and place for this are yet to be confirmed.

On another note, we have another team of seven fire fighters from Lake Okareka, ranging from 17 years to a ‘mature-I-can’t-quite-remember’ age, who have registered to compete in the annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb in May next year. The team will be getting underway with training for this event over the coming months, along with fundraising for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand. If you would to support the Lake Okareka Rural Fire team fundraising effort, please go to the www.firefightersclimb.org.nz website and donate online. We wish the community all the best for the upcoming festive season and look forward to seeing you at the Lake Okareka Christmas Carols and Nativity Show.

Lastly, just a reminder we are now in the Restricted Fire Season and any open fires must be permitted. Please be vigilant over the summer months with fire restrictions and permits, and check the conditions and any restrictions in force on the day of your permitted burn. To check the season status for your location, please visit www.checkitsalright.nz or call 0800 658 628. Further information about fire seasons is available on www.fireandemergency.nz.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please come down to the fire station at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - GoodSAM Responder App

20/12/2018

Please don't be surprised if you call 111 with a medical emergency and our trained firefighters arrive. Our volunteer firefighters refreshed their co-response training with St John Ambulance in November. A nationwide co-response agreement was introduced in December 2013.

Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) and St John Ambulance use a colour-coded patient triage system. The dispatch of fire brigades to medical emergencies is based on this system. Fire centres must dispatch the closest available fire brigade for purple calls, which are suspected cardiac or respiratory arrest emergencies.

If an ambulance is available, it takes approximately 15 minutes to respond to Lake Okareka. However, for every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation the chances of survival decrease by 7-10%. International survival rates following Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest are highly variable and can range from less than 6% to greater than 50%. The survival rate for 2017/18 in New Zealand was 13%.

New Zealand figures for events where resuscitation attempted:

Data from St John has clearly detailed the improved outcome for patients by increasing the survival rate from 13% to 18%, where fire brigades have used defibrillators. The Lake Okareka Fire Brigade would like any residents with medical training i.e first aiders, nurses, paramedics or doctors, to volunteer with our brigade to assist in responding to medical emergencies.

Alternatively, there is the GoodSAM (Smartphone Activated Medics) application which you can download. The free app allows medically trained people to sign up and respond to suspected cardiac and respiratory arrests occurring within 1km of their location. The app operates in the background and will send an alert to your phone.

There are two automated external defibrillators in the community at 11 Acacia Road and 15 Steep Street, which you can grab on the way to the address. The goal is to get a qualified person to a suspected cardiac arrest as soon as possible – the sooner we start CPR, the better the chances of survival for your family members, friends and neighbours.

GoodSAM Responder App - Apple Store Download
GoodSAM Responder App - Google Play Download

Lake Okareka Newsletter - June 2018

2/6/2018

Hi all,

On 13 June, the Lake Okareka Fire Force hosted an open night at the fire station to present the initial concept plans for the proposed development of the new fire and emergency station, and community civil defence resilience centre. Despite a cold, drizzly evening, there was a great turnout of local residents, both young and old. The discussions were supported by Fire and Emergency New Zealand personnel from local rural and urban units, and National Headquarters. Rotorua Lakes Council staff were also available to answer questions. Special thanks to the Deputy Mayor, Dave Donaldson, for his support.

The presentation provided an overview of emergency response over the last five years by the Lake Okareka Fire Force, and the aim to further build capability and community resilience for Lake Okareka and the wider district through the new station building and the facilities it will house.

Thanks to all those who came along for the evening, and the input and suggestions provided, which will be taken on board as the building design is finalised. The support and response from the community has been fantastic. If you have any queries or would still like to provide feedback on this project, please contact myself (021 890 508) or Dave Herries (021 435 623).

Over the last month or so, the Lake Okareka Fire Force has attended a number of callouts from the flooding in Rotorua City and Ngongotaha, to fallen trees and a roof that blew off in the high winds, and a number of fire-related incidents. These various incidents reflect the need for an integrated fire, emergency and civil defence response service, not only in our local area but across the district.

On another note, a team of seven members from Lake Okareka competed in the annual Sky Tower Firefighter Stair Climb, again taking out first place for the Donned team category for the fifth consecutive year. This year’s team included: Lewis Shaw, Thomas Firth, Sam Weir and Quinn McCarthy who took out 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th places respectively in the Open Donned category, along with Amber Muldoon who placed 6th in the Open Donned women, Matthew Carroll and myself. The team fundraised almost $7,000 for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand, with overall fundraising for the event achieving a massive $1.27 million.

Finally, with the cooler months setting in, now is the time to make sure your chimneys have been swept, and to take care on the roads as they become greasy or icy in the changeable weather conditions.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please come down to the fire station at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - March 2018

2/3/2018

Hi all,

Hope you have had a good summer, albeit a bit more wet, humid and warmer than expected. The various douses of rain have helped dampen vegetation and keep the fire risk in the local area down. However, please be aware, the restricted fire season will remain in place until the end of April.

It has been great to see the various events held up at the Blue Lake over the January-February period, which also saw the Lake Okareka Fire Force called upon to provide medical assistance to those who experienced too much sun, fun and other substances.

Over recent weeks, several members of the Lake Okareka and West Rotoiti Fire Forces were deployed to assist with fire containment efforts and drone work at vegetation fires in Invercargill, Dunedin and the Chatham Islands. The deployments to the Chathams were a unique experience for all concerned, going to a place that is as remote as you can get, surrounded by ocean, while still being part of New Zealand.

These deployments provide a great opportunity to rotate our Fire Force members so they can extend their already broad experience and raise our profile nationally. This year’s deployments have also allowed us to further strengthen our partnership with Interpine Innovation, an industry leader in the use of drones, through not only mapping the fire grounds and predicting fire behaviour, but also carrying out thermal imaging to identify and locate hotspots after the initial fire has passed through, which greatly speeds up the fire response and mop-up process.
I would like to acknowledge my members who constantly make themselves available to assist on these deployments, and also those who stay behind to ensure we have adequate coverage for our day-to-day callouts.

The build of our replacement fire station is still a work in progress. Fire Emergency New Zealand is currently working through due process with the Rotorua Lakes Council.

We have also had a number of new members join up in recent months, spanning a range of ages. It’s great to have new blood in the Fire Force.

If you have been thinking about joining and would like to see what we are about, please come down to the fire station at 7:30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Finally, with Daylight Saving changing back later this month, don’t forget to check your smoke detectors and get your chimneys swept before the winter.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - December 2017

3/12/2017

Hi all

Well, the warm weather has finally appeared and, now that we won’t be needing our fires for a while, it’s timely to have well-used chimneys be swept so they will be ready and safe for next winter.

Also, a reminder that we are now in the Restricted Fire Season and any open fires must be permitted. Please contact Rotorua Lakes Council for this, and check the conditions and any restrictions in force on the day of your permitted burn. Please also remain vigilant for signs of smoke in the bush and surrounding areas.

This last week has seen the Lake Okareka Rural Fire Force involved in a number of community events. The Rotorua Fire and Emergency NZ Open Day at the central station was well supported by the public and the fire truck races for the children were a huge hit. Likewise, the Santa delivery to the Lake Okareka Carol Evening is always a merry occasion. Mudtopia was a muddy affair but the younger members, and a few older ones, rolled their sleeves up, or rather their trousers, and got themselves dirty by mixing the mud and water by foot. This was followed by both the fire appliance and tanker being part of the procession in the Santa Parade in the afternoon.

On a fundraising note, a team from the Fire Force have entered the 2018 Sky Tower Stair Climb. This will be the fifth consecutive year for Lake Okareka Rural Fire. This event raises funds for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand to support victims and their families. If you would like to support the Lake Okareka Rural Fire team for next year’s Sky Tower Challenge, you can make donations via the following website: https://firefightersclimb.org.nz/.

If you have been thinking about joining the Fire Force, please come down to the fire station at 7.30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - September 2017

27/9/2017

Hi all

It’s good to see the days are getting longer and warmer again, although it would be nice to see a lot less rain. Daylight savings is just around the corner, which is a timely reminder of the need to check that the smoke detectors in your home are all in working order. Also, don’t forget to get your chimney swept if you have been using your fire a lot over the winter.

While we have been experiencing significantly wet conditions over our winter, British Columbia in Canada has been experiencing its worst fire season on record over the Northern Hemisphere summer. At the beginning of August, 81 Fire and Emergency New Zealand personnel were deployed to Canada to assist with the effort to contain and control the hundreds of wildfires, some of which have been burning for over two months.

An Incident Management Team, consisting of 21 people including myself, were sent to three different fire complexes during the deployment where we set-up and managed the complex and fire operations for over 20 fires. One of these fires covered an area of over 500,000 hectares.

The twelve fire crews (consisting of five firefighters per crew) were sent to one of the more demanding and prolonged fires, Elephant Hill, and spent the duration of their deployment at this fire which covered some 187,000 hectares. Andi Uhl, Ray Doyle, Stu Lyall and Roi Toia from the Okareka and Rotoiti Fire Forces, along with Anthony Young from Timberlands, were one of the crews.

The conditions were extremely dry and daily temperatures were between 33-38°C, although on one day, the fire crews experienced an extreme drop in temperature down to 3°C along with some hail and snow. On a number of occasions, people were evacuated from homes and relocated, as weather and climatic conditions stretched resources and the fires broke containment lines. The fires in Canada are massive and on a completely different scale compared with vegetation fires here in New Zealand and even Australia. The smoke clouds from the fires went some 30,000-40,000 feet into the atmosphere, and the smoke haze could be seen across British Columbia and into Alaska. The cost for managing the fire response in British Columbia to date is in excess of C$400 million.

Safety, as always, came first and foremost, as the Incident Management Team and crews negotiated not only the usual fire, equipment, conditions and terrain hazards but also the wildlife. Black bears in close proximity to fire crews were a regular threat, and a cougar (the four-legged kind!) took a stroll through camp one night.

There was a mix of nationalities in the camps including Canadians, Americans, Mexicans and Australians in addition to the New Zealand contingent. Accommodation was definitely no frills consisting of tents and sleeping mats. The fire camps often housed between 200-400 people, with one complex housing 900 people at its peak.

The deployment lasted for 4½ weeks with personnel returning to New Zealand on the 6th and 10th of September. It was an incredible opportunity for us to participate in the deployment and the experience for all involved was invaluable.

If you have been thinking about joining the Fire Force, please come down to the fire station at 7.30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer

Lake Okareka Newsletter - March 2017

16/3/2017

Hi all,

Hope you have had a good summer. Sitting here writing this, listening to the rain on the roof signifies a welcome break in the weather which will help with the fire danger and dry conditions.

In addition to local call-outs and vegetation fires, we have had a very busy summer with firstly being deployed to assist with the Whitianga fire in mid-January, then having a couple of weeks at home before being deployed again to the Ripia Stream fire located in the Kawekas between Taupo and Hastings. This fire was inaccessible by road hence crews were flown in and out daily by helicopter. Unfortunately, due to the terrain and location, not to mention the state of emergency declared in Hastings, this fire to the best of my knowledge is still burning. Hopefully, after today, Mother Nature has dealt to it. Further to these two deployments, we were put on standby to assist in Hawkes Bay and most recently the same for Christchurch.

I would like to acknowledge my members who constantly make themselves available to assist on these deployments, and also those who stay behind to ensure we have adequate coverage for our day-to-day callouts.

The build of our replacement water tanker is nearing completion. A huge thank you to the team at Patchell Stainless Ltd and, in particular, Wayne Gardner, who have worked with us throughout this project. Keep an eye out for the grand unveiling!

A big thank you to Dennis Falconer, Sandra and Mike Goodwin, and those very generous residents who enabled the New Year’s Eve fireworks display to take place. This far exceeded our expectations. Thanks also to the residents who allowed us to use their barges as platforms for the fireworks. A further thank you to my Fire Force members who not only spent a large chunk of New Year’s Eve helping with getting the barges ready and in place, but were also out on the lake until 2am ensuring the barges were safely brought back to shore, followed by a 7am start on New Year’s Day to return all the barges to their rightful owners (hopefully!).

The Lake Okareka Rural Fire Force have commenced their training for the 2017 Sky Tower Stair Climb on 17 May. The team of eight includes two of our youngest members, Thomas Firth and Amber Muldoon, who will be joined by Rasmus Andersen, Blair Gilbert, Stu Lyall, Phil Rennie, Lewis Shaw and myself. The event raises funds for Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand to support victims and their families, so if you would like to support the Lake Okareka Rural Fire team for this year’s Sky Tower Challenge, you can make donations to individuals or the team via the following website: Fire Fighters Climb.

We have had several new members join up, most of whom have recently sat and passed their first unit standard on fire behaviour and safety.

Left to right - Clark McCarthy, Simon Smith, Matthew Gatenby, Thomas Firth, Phil Muldoon, Amber Muldoon, Brendon Kidd, Quinn McCarthy.

If you have been thinking about joining the Fire Force, please come down to the fire station at 7.30pm on a Wednesday night when we do training or phone me on 3628874. You can also go to our website: www.okarekaruralfire.com.

Phil Muldoon
Chief Fire Officer