Public rescue person from house during Invercargill firefighters' strike
A person was trapped in an Invercargill house fire during a professional firefighters’ strike, prompting an impromptu rescue by members of the public.
Between noon and 1pm today, Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to 17 incidents around the country as the 53rd strike by the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) took place.
Fire and Emergency was alerted to a house fire in Invercargill at 12.42pm, one of eight reports made in areas affected by the industrial action.
By the time the first of two assistant district commanders arrived at the scene at 12.48pm, a person who had been trapped inside the house had been removed.
Volunteer firefighters reached the property at 12.54pm, with crews attending from Invercargill, Wallacetown, Winton and Bluff.
Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said Fire and Emergency thanked the public for their help in responding to the blaze.
“As we have unfortunately seen today, emergency responses will be delayed when strike action takes place,” she said.
“Without their help this incident could have ended very differently.”
Stiffler said the organisation has “repeatedly” warned about the risk to the public as the NZPFU strikes continue.
“We acknowledge and appreciate the dedication of the volunteers and operational commanders who responded to this incident and the communication centre managers who co-ordinated the response.
“We also recognise the volunteers and staff across the country who have managed the 53 strike responses to date.”
Two of the other incidents reported during the union action were medical events attended by Hato Hone St John, another was a minor incident and there were four false alarms.
Stiffler said Fire and Emergency is still calling for an end to the “reckless” strikes and would like to see progress towards a settlement.
“Fire and Emergency remains committed to achieving a fair and sustainable settlement so we can continue working to keep communities safe.”
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