Te Hāpua volunteer firefighters cut emergency response times in remote Far North

Nine Te Hapua locals now train weekly to handle fires, crashes and medical calls in the remote settlement.

Te Hāpua, at the northernmost tip of the country, has never been an easy place for emergency services to reach quickly.

A single emergency callout could mean a wait of at least an hour, or even longer.

Now, a volunteer team, raised from within the community, has stepped up and is cutting response times, giving locals peace of mind.

Before the team was assembled, neighbours would rush over to do what they could while waiting for the nearest emergency service, the Houhora Firefighters, to make the long trip from Pukenui.

Paris Waenga was Te Hāpua’s only trained firefighter but now leads a team of eight other volunteers: Desmond Aperahama Greer, Shontayne Brown, Allen Norman, Natasha Te Rore, Abbey Brown Snr, Simon Reardan, Patariki Lanigan and Thomas Hvid.

Waenga, now the Te Hāpua fire chief, has been with Fire and Emergency NZ for more than five years and is undergoing leadership training in the hope of establishing a full brigade in the settlement. He and Desmond Greer lead sessions as the crew becomes more experienced.

The crew attends regular trainings at the Houhora Fire Station where they practise a variety of skills and complete national unit standards to keep themselves and others safe.

Waenga said that since forming, the group has attended to more than 30 incidents, most of them medical. They have also been called to vegetation fires, vehicle crashes, private alarms and helped with road closures during storms.

“Prior to the group being formed. If an emergency arose, it was responded with anyone in the community, until Houhora fire brigade arrived. There was no formal procedure in place. Te Hāpua had a hau kāinga [local] response team and some little gear to aid them in any emergency that would happen.”

He said their presence has been felt across the community.

“A sense of relief knowing that they have trained personal in the community. And only around the corner, rather than 45 minutes to an hour away from help. And that it’s their very own doing the mahi.”

He said they are always trying to encourage others in the community to join he crew.

“Here in Te Hāpua, we are surrounded by very remote locations and hard-to-reach places in terms of access. By having these resources and crew, it would make our jobs a lot more efficient and easier.”

He said they were grateful for the support from the Houhora brigade and the Ngati Kuri Trust which has made a difference to their operation.

“We are very determined to establish this brigade because it has proven to be a vital part of community safety.”

Houhora fire chief Gareth Walters said having trained people in Te Hāpua was a huge benefit to everybody.

“We are slowly piecing them together and they are doing really, really well. We are absolutely proud of them and they are amazing and humble people. They are absolute assets to the community.”

“They really understand the need for it and they want to be able to protect everybody.”

He said the crew already has the same firefighter training as other members and in addition they have supplied them with equipment, which is housed in a container in the settlement.