Matata Fire Brigade news
February, 2013
We have had four callouts since the last newsletter. The first one on the 7th of Feb at 2.30 am was to a small
vegetation fire behind the sand dunes at the end of Richmond St. a good turnout by the brigade saw us being able to
run a hose length from the appliance at the end of Richmond St across the footbridge and to the fire which was
quickly brought under control.
The next callout on the 11th of Feb was to a vegetation fire on the Pikowai straights 1 km past Herepuru road. On
arrival the crew noticed that in amongst the flames there was a power line that had come down and this had started
the fire. The brigade reduced traffic down to one lane and called for a linesman to disconnect the power from the
downed line and once this was achieved, the fire was quickly put out.
The 16th saw the brigade respond to a person crashing off his motor cross bike at an organised event on a local farm.
The brigade assisted the rider back to the event HQ and assessed him for injuries and recorded his vital signs,
assisting the Ambulance staff when they arrived.
The last call on the 25th was to a local resident who started to mow his lawns when he was stung by a bee. This
started an allergic reaction, causing redness and swelling all over and general faintness. By the time we arrived the
effects were starting to subside and he was breathing easier, but he was still very unstable on his feet. Our crew did
all the checks and kept a watchful eye on his condition until the Ambulance arrived.
Lessons from this month’s callouts - Bee stings can be very dangerous and some people who normally don’t
have any reaction, can all of a sudden react seriously to them. This can in the worst cases led to difficulty in
breathing and also unconsciousness. If not treated quickly, this condition can become serious. So if you or yours start
to have a reaction like the swelling and/or unable to breath normally call an ambulance straight away.
Sadly, at the time of writing this newsletter, our ex- Chief Fire Officer Tom Dobson has died in his sleep after a long
illness.
Tom was the first Chief Fire Officer of this brigade and was one of the main people who pushed and shoved and
fundraised to get it started. His funeral on 1st of March will be a sad moment in our brigade’s history.
We have lost a couple of our fire-fighters recently one moving to the Wairarapa and joining the Masterton Brigade
and the other one is moving to the Oamaru district and looking at joining the Glenavy Brigade
So this leaves some room for you to come and join up.
Check out our new web site at matatafire.com and read past issues of this newsletter, Brigade photos and up to date
news on our brigade
If you are interested in joining us, then contact one of the officers below, or turn up at the
Fire Station at 7pm on a Monday night.
Chief Fire Officer Brian Dobson
Deputy Chief Gavin Dennis
3222 118
322 2253