Fatal house fires lately on the North Shore are a growing concern.  Though these incidents are still under Police and Fire investigation, some key reminders come to mind:

Multi-boxes
- Never overload multi-boxes
- Limiting the number of times you insert and remove the plugs reduces wear and tear on the box
- Never exceed the maximum capabilities of a multi-boxes
- High-powered appliances like kettles and washing machines should have a single plug – remember: One Plug One Socket
- Smaller appliances like televisions, DVD and video players, computers and small lamps are safe to use in multi-plugs but larger appliances like heaters or vacuum cleaners are not
- While most new multi-plugs have circuit breakers that activate if there is a fault or a power surge, a surge protection appliance is more effective

Heat Pumps
- Unplug electrical appliances when not in use and before you go to bed
- Check for faults or damage to any electrical leads or cables and replace as necessary
 
A homemade heat pump system is under investigation after a ceiling caught fire in Glenfield this month.

Smoke Alarms
- ALWAYS have working smoke alarms
- Most fire fatalities occur in homes, mainly while people are sleeping when they can’t smell smoke
- Smoke alarms are the best possible defence you and your family have from dying in a fire

In 2009 in over 80% of the 3,700 house fires the New Zealand Fire Service attended, smoke alarms were either not installed or not working.

Cooking unattended
- Don't leave cooking unattended – carelessness kills
- If you have to leave the kitchen, take pans off the heat
- Take extra care when cooking with hot oil – it sets alight easily
- Keep your cooker clean. A build-up of fat and grease can ignite and start a fire
- Don't cook after drinking alcohol or when you are tired
- Be careful if you fancy chips in the middle of the night - a third of all deep frying injuries occur between 10pm and 4am!
- Take care if you wear loose clothing when cooking; it can easily catch fire

A person was hospitalised recently in Birkenhead in what was initially a medical call, but when ambulance staff arrived they noticed a pot boiling on the stove and called the Fire Service.  The victim was "very lucky" only suffering smoke inhalation.  25% of house fires start in the kitchen, so keep looking while you’re cooking!!

We would like to remind people to be firewise as any death by fire is a tragedy that often could have been prevented.

In brigade news this month…we would like to welcome Poppy Olive Wallis into the Brigade family, a second healthy, happy baby for Nicky and Gareth…congratulations!! 

Firefighter Isabelle LARDEUX-GILLOUX

The Fire Service attends hundreds of callouts each year to house fires that start in or around the chimney.  Many result in no major problems, but dozens still cause significant damage.  Because of this, it’s essential that homeowners have their chimneys cleaned by a professional every year.

The Insurance Council notes that people may not be covered if they let their chimney cleaning lapse – some insurers make it a condition of policies for homeowners to have their chimneys cleaned annually.  People who try to clean their own chimneys might strike insurance issues if there was a subsequent fire.

Cleaning should be done before the fire season if at all possible, so any obstructions such as birds’ nests put up during the summer, can be cleared.  It is also important for people to make sure concrete is checked as there can be holes or the mortar could have deteriorated, and this can sometimes lead to heat escaping into the ceiling cavity.

The Fire Service has created a brochure that lists precautions people can take with their fireplaces, including:

• Clean chimneys and flues before your first fire of the season
• Always use a fireguard or spark-guard with open fires
• Never throw rubbish into the fireplace – particularly batteries and aerosol cans
• Ashes can take up to five days to cool – always empty fireplace or wood burner ashes and ashtrays into a metal bin and pour water over them before disposal
• Before going to sleep, be sure your open fire is out

In Brigade news this month, congratulations to all the members of the Brigade who braved another Sky Tower Climb to raise money for the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation.  Most of the team beat their times from last year which is a great effort, and along the way raised nearly $2,000 for a very worthy cause.  A huge thanks to all our sponsors this year, especially the local Greenhithe Primary School who made a very generous donation.

Those of us with a little less energy entered the Sky Tower Climb Poker Tournament and had a great time raising money for the charity, without having to climb over 1,000 stairs!!  Just like last year, Greenhithe managed to win the Poker Tournament so well done to the team for another excellent effort!

Isabelle is back next month so until next time, please be FireWise this winter.
Deputy Chief Gareth Wallis

A whole lot of bits and pieces from your local volunteer fire brigade this month…

We managed to get our annual cricket match against the Dairy in before the weather turned…the result was very predictable with the Dairy winning for the 6th year in a row!  We’re hard at work on a plan to win next year but have to acknowledge that it may well involve a more liberal interpretation of the rules!

We sent a team of Greenhithe firefighters down to New Plymouth to participate in the New Zealand Fire Service National Squash Tournament.  This is the 5th consecutive year we’ve played in the tournament and have taken out the title the last two years.  This year we entered two teams and came a very credible and 2nd and 7th.

We were very pleased and proud to organise a small service at the War Memorial gates on Roland Road on Anzac Day.  It was heartening to see such a great community turn out, especially since we’d purposely advertised it quite low key.  We wanted to “test the waters” first but now that we know there’s a genuine interest in an ongoing Anzac Day service in Greenhithe, we’ll make it bigger and better next year…watch this space.  A huge thanks to everyone who made the effort to come along on the day, and especially to senior firefighter Gunner Ashford and qualified firefighter Isabelle Lardeux-Gilloux for organising such a lovely service.

As a volunteer organisation ourselves, we know how nice it is when people make the effort or take the time to say thanks.  With that in mind, we’d like to say a few thanks of our own this month to some of the people in the community that have supported us recently or who support us regularly.

Firstly, our immediate neighbours.  Thanks for putting up with the siren when it goes off at all times of the day and night, and thanks for your understanding when we train on Station on a Monday night.  It can get noisy sometimes but our neighbours never complain and we genuinely appreciate their support.

Thanks to Dean McIntosh who audits our accounts every year free of charge.  And thanks to Kim McIntyre who recently did some much needed groundwork at the back of the Station free of charge.

Finally this month, we’d like to point out to those of you who haven’t noticed yet that we’ve recently installed a park bench out the front of the Fire Station.  This particular bench was donated to the community by the local Lion’s Club many years ago and we managed to salvage it before the old store was pulled down.  We also salvaged a whole lot of bricks from the old store’s chimney so we’ve used those to pave the area underneath the seat.  Please feel free to use it if you’re walking by and need a break!

That’s all for now…all the best until next month.
Deputy Chief Gareth Wallis

Venturers attended the Anzac parade for 2010 in Greenhithe laying a wreath for those who have fallen. 

Sunday 25th April 2010 we took to the water.  Lake Pupuke taking part in an open water PADI course.  Lake Pupuke does have fish for those who have doubts, we saw them.  Diving has been a very exciting activity to start 2010 for Tauhinu Venturers with more diving planned watch this space

regards

Vicki Upton Venturer Leader

View as Photo Gallery

Daylight saving has ended and it’s time to get into autumn fire safety mode.  Dust and spider webs can affect smoke alarms. When switching from daylight saving did you check your smoke alarms or install new ones?  Batteries should be changed at least once a year. Why would you risk your family’s lives for the sake of a $4 battery? Between 2001 and 2005 193 people died in fires in New Zealand, 90% of them in house fires.  The average house fire causes $42,000 worth of damage and leaves the home unfit for occupation for many months.  Protect what you value.

In the New Zealand post-war era, 2009 was the first year fire calls had actually decreased.  Up to last year, calls had grown with the population from 40,000 to 75,000.  To a certain extent last year 3% drop was due to old buildings being replaced, new building design, and successful fire prevention and education programmes.  At the same time different response patterns are emerging with 25,000 calls not being fire related.  Today 80% of calls do not involve fire which shows how the role of the New Zealand Fire Service is shifting steadily towards a fire-rescue service, a system I know well as this is how we operate in France.  We run a FRAS model:

Fire, both structure and vegetation fires

Rescue of people, animals and property

Ambulance at first aid and paramedic levels

Specialist rescue, fall arrest in high risk environment, urban search and rescue, nuclear chemical and biological containment

Moving from a totally fire dedicated service towards a fire-rescue service is a trend other countries in the world have adopted as it provides a more efficient comprehensive service that reflects the way today’s societies work.  It is an important distinction that an organisation has to plan, resource and train for.

In brigade news this month . . .  

We held the 5^th annual Greenhithe Fire Brigade vs the Greenhithe Diary cricket match this month.  It was a great game but the result was the same as it has been for the last five years…the dairy won! It must be our turn to win sometime soon…

This year the Fire Brigade organised a small ANZAC Day Service at the War Memorial Gates on Roland Road and this saw a number of people attending.  Thank you to everyone who got involved setting up the ceremony and to all those that made the effort to come down and honour our ANZAC forefathers.  We will look to do a similar thing again next year.

Some Brigade members are training hard for the Sky Tower Vertical Challenge on Saturday 22^nd May.  This year, with your support we hope to reach the target of contributing $2,000 to the Blood and Leukaemia Foundation.  You can donate directly online at http://www.firefightersclimb.org.nz/view_group_event_profile/13 or drop a cheque to the dairy (PO Box 45) made out to the Blood and Leukaemia Foundation and we will pass it on.

Concluding word…the church is near, but the way is icy.  The tavern is far, but I will walk carefully. (Ukrainian proverb).

Firefighter Isabelle LARDEUX-GILLOUX