Auckland lacks life-saving firefighting aerial trucks, union warns

Monday, 10 September 2018

Firefighters used the heavy aerial truck to battle a large industrial blaze at Simms Metals in March.

Just one aerial fire truck is currently available to battle major fires and carry out rescues in Auckland, the union is warning.

NZ Professional Firefighters' Union Auckland secretary John Waldow said the city's aerial fleet had been cut from five trucks to two over the past 20 years.

Of the remaining two trucks, one was undergoing repairs and a third relief truck, which covered Auckland and Hamilton, was broken, he said.

'This relief vehicle is broken for the second time in as many weeks leaving a single appliance to respond to rescues and major fires across the whole of greater Auckland.'

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NZ Fire and Emergency Services chief executive Rhys Jones said firefighters have changed their approach so both small and large trucks are used to fight large fires.

Waldow said the aerial fire trucks were in a 'state of disrepair from years of neglect' due to cost cutting by NZ Fire and Emergency Services.

The appliances were used for rescuing people from buildings and fighting large fires.

NZ Fire and Emergency Services chief executive Rhys Jones denied the reduction of trucks was a cost-cutting measure.

The reason behind the move was a change in firefighting approach, he said.

'We've found using both small and large appliances to tackle a fire works.'

Jones confirmed one of the remaining appliances was currently undertaking maintenance but said it was 'routine'.

'There's nothing wrong with it. It's just standard maintenance.'

The heavy aerial appliance fleets were used only a handful of times each year and they did not need five of them, Jones said.

'The funding for equipment is not being stripped and we have found the operation of two of the appliances is a much better strategy.'

But Waldow said the industrial fire at Simms Metals in March took three days to put out because there was not enough specialised appliances at the scene.

'We had two other major fires at the Southdown industrial complex, where both took five days to extinguish.

'At both the fires, the sole heavy aerial appliance from Hamilton was deployed to assist, leaving that city without adequate fire and rescue resourcing,' Waldow said.

The reduction in fire trucks would only get worse and become more common, he said.

'This situation, for a large metropolitan city like Auckland, is inexcusable and with the current lack of maintenance, breakages, and no strategy for improvement, replacement or addition to the Auckland - and Hamilton - heavy aerial fleets, is a totally unacceptable circumstance.'