The Martinborough Fire Brigade would like to remind our community about two important issues at this time of year.
Check and change your smoke alarm batteries.
With the change to daylight saving, we’d like everyone to check and change their smoke alarm batteries so you and your family will rest safely for another year.
Check farm machinery for birds’ nests.
Prior to running your tractor, (and even after stopping for an extended period like lunch) check to make sure you’re not carrying any unwanted hitch hikers.
We’ve already had one tractor fire, and on average will get one or two more. It’s amazing to note we’ve even had reports of birds building part of a nest in a tractors engine compartment while a farmer was having lunch!
Not only can these fires destroy the tractor, but we regularly attend hay shed / implement shed fires where the source is often our feathered friends creating a home in a recently run piece of equipment.
On a very sad note, the Fire Service is urging people to install smoke alarms in garages and other outside rooms being used as a sleep out, following last month’s death of a Masterton man in a garage fire.
National Manager of Fire Investigation Peter Wilding said there are over 300 fires in garages, sleep outs and caravans each year and at least one person dies every year in a those fires.
Wilding said “Since 2005, 11 people have died in these types of fires and we can find no evidence that any of them had a smoke alarm installed. In some cases the fires were quite small but quickly used up the oxygen and generated toxic gases, leading to death. Garages are typically open plan and fires grow quickly, often fed by stored items such as cardboard boxes, furnishings and flammable materials like motor oil, petrol and solvents.”
He said smoke alarms can alert neighbours, family or friends living in the house on the property, as well as those inside the sleep out. Having a smoke alarm in a sleep-out significantly improves someone’s chances of getting out alive if there is a fire.
Mr. Wilding recommends a long life smoke alarm should be installed in every room used for sleeping including, sleep-outs, garages and caravans, even when they are only used occasionally.
October fire and rescue calls put nearly 500k’s on our trucks as we responded to 9 calls outside town. ?Around Ruakokapatuna there were 2 storm related calls and a medical assist requiring a helicopter landing site. There were calls to Cape Palliser area for scrub fires, car and tractor fires, and to set up a helicopter landing site. In town, we secured 2 roofs during storms and checked out a smoke nuisance complaint.
Submitted by Station Officer Mike Lace for CFO Garry Jackson.
