Matata Fire Brigade news
January, 2013
7 CALLOUTS THIS YEAR - 4 Fire & 3 Medical
We have had seven callouts in the month of January up to the 27th.
5th January at 7:56am we received a 111 call for "Baby not breathing". A first response crew quickly descended on the Fire Station and quickly the crew
headed out of town in the van to provide what assistance they could until the ambulance arrived.
9th January at 12:30am we awaoke to a 111 call for "Laceration to foot". A team of eight volunteers quickly descended on the Fire Station and crew of five
took the MERCI Van to a nearby house in Matata. The victim met us at the gate, along with her friends. She had apparently stepped on a broken beer bottle.
While we cleaned the wound and removed the glass two police cars came to check if everything was OK at the scene. Later the ambulance arrived from
Whakatane to check our work before quickly departing again. We were all tucked in by 1:30am.
12th January at 8:14am we received a 111 call for "Smoke showing from bush land" up Herepuru Road. A full alliance crew and extras arrived quickly at the
station so we dispatched both the Appliance and van to the scene. What we found was a local resident doing some un-permitted burning off. There was no
emergency at the site so we provided some advice, make sure the fire was out then headed home. Anyone out there who does need to do some burning
off, please make sure you contact the Whakatane District Council first and arrange a permit FIRST. Thank you.
15th January At 9:42am we received a 111 call for "MVA, Car vs pedestrian, Herepuru Road. A full alliance crew arrived quickly at the station so we
dispatched swiftly to the scene. What we found was a young lad who had apparently opened a car door, fallen out of the car and under the wheels. He was
in a lot of pain but there were no apparent major injuries. The ambulance followed soon after, an advanced paramedic then arrived separately along with
the police and the boys discomfort stabilised. With such a dangerous potential, the air ambulance was placed on standby but he was instead transported
to Whakatane Hospital by road. If nothing else is said just remember two words when a vehicle is moving. Seat Belts...
16th January at 7:00am the Matata siren sounded in response to a 111 call for "Small Gas Bottle Fire", at the Matata DOC Camp site. A full alliance crew
straggled into the station, either from their beds or from breakfast but then swiftly dispatched to the scene. We found a tiny gas canister sitting on the
ground making a 50cm volcano. We quickly applied copious amounts of water to it to cool the bottle and extinguish the fire. It appears the the campers
had begun piercing this cylinder while there was still heat and flame about and the small amount of flammable gas that leaked, ignited. The good news
was this was all done outside the tent and away from any other flammable materials. The main lesson for all campers here is to take your gas cooking
outside and make sure that appliances are cool and there is no flame near by when changing gas cylinders.
26th January at 3:52pm we received a 111 call for "Dislocated Shoulder". Initially all the message said was that the person was on Arawa Street. After a
radio call to FIRECOM we discovered he was at the DOC Camp down the beach. A full first response crew quickly dispatched to the scene in the MERCI van.
We found a man sitting in a camp chair cradling his shoulder. He had apparently been watching some shark action at the beach and in his boogie
boarding urgency got dumped and hit the beach hard. We checked his vital signs then were advised that the ambulance was coming from Te Puke.
Whakatane resources were tied up at a nasty motor vehicle accident near Opotiki. So, with plenty of time on our hands, we found a big barbecue table and
brought it to him then laid him face down to provide relief. Other campers were very helpful in providing towels, a shelter and lots of moral support for a
man in considerable pain. His shoulder was not going to relocate however so the ambulance loaded him up once they arrived and took him to Whakatane
Hospital to get it seen too. The main lesson for all boogie boarders here is... well... maybe this was just a bit of bad luck eh?
Firefighters Skytower Stair Challenge
Hey supporters, just letting you know that Fire Fighters Horwood and
Hofert have just signed up for the 2014 Firefighter Sky Tower Stair
Challenge. This month the team has


Run 182km and climbed 2,150m (7 Sky Towers)

Fundraising stands at $140, only $860 to go to our target
This month has been all about building up road miles, as we are
doing the Rotorua Marathon as a training run before the sky tower
If you would like to donate to this worthy cause please follow this
link http://my.leukaemia.net.nz/Matata Any support for our endeavour and this cause would be greatly appreciated. Also, click on SHARE on Facebook so
your friends get a look at our updates too.
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. For photo’s, news, and our
Facebook link go to Matatafire.com
Chief Fire Officer Brian Dobson
322 2118
Deputy Chief Gavin Dennis
322 2253