Recent News

NZ-RT5 assisted over the week to support our Emergency Response colleagues to help the Kumeu community affected by the flooding.

Taskings included the initial assessment of environment across affected neighborhoods and of damage in zones not yet assessed. Making homes safe and reducing risk and hazards to homes affected to minimize further damage. The Team assisted to return residence back to dry land safely. They also aided community in the area with the cleanup of debris and relay any welfare needs back to Auckland Emergency Management.

Tuesday nights are reserved for the team to undertake refreshing our theory and practical skills. Recently we ran a search exercise where we put all the various training together into an operation of reconnaissance and search combined with practicing our hand-held radio communications skills.

10 years ago the 6.3 magnitude earthquake stuck the area around Christchurch, resulting in 185 people losing their lives and thousands being injured. Members of our team were deployed to Christchurch to assist with the response. Today, members were again sent down to Christchurch for the memorial service to pay our respects. We remember 22 February 2011.

Some team members were trained in the Operational Rope Responder course provided by Dan from Rescue 3 New Zealand. We improved and refreshed on our working at heights considerations, appropriate PPE usage, mechanical advantage, abseil and belay skills and gear. Scenario based drills on rope rescue and mechanical advantage hauling of stretches provided us with more practical experience.

It was one of the worst drought on record for the Auckland Region. Many communities that relied on rainwater tanks struggled throughout the driest summer. Reports of many weeks of wait list before they could get water tankers to fill up their rainwater tanks, and the network dams were very low with water restrictions imposed. The teams were mobilised by Auckland Emergency Management to manage water supply points across various towns in the region with Māori Wardens to support communities for filling up their 20L water containers.

The two day Chainsaw Operation training was provided by Vertical Horizons. First day of the course involved theory around chainsaw components, maintenance, types of cuts, and operating safely including PPE use. The second day brought us down south onto a farm to obtain some practical skills chopping wood, branches and tree logs. Hands on experience was valuable in demonstrating the cross and relieving cuts, as well as how compression and tension creates pinching of the chainsaw.

Bactrocera tryoni - Queensland Fruit fly is an Australian pest affecting fruits which poses a huge threat to our agriculture and economy. This was the largest fruit fly response in Auckland run by Biosecurity New Zealand under the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). After being detected in the suburb of Northcote, a Controlled Area Notice was placed around the area and no fruit could be moved out of the area to prevent any spread. Team members from NZ-RT3 and NZ-RT5 were sent to assist MPI, which included taskings of fruit collection from private properties to be sent for lab investigations. We utilised software similar to building surveys to tag areas searched.