A telephone pole on Locksley Ave in Avondale after the Christchurch Earthquake. Photo / Geoff Sloan
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Most of the firefighters who have worked day and night since the quake have no homes to return to.
Urban Search and Rescue fire chief Russell Wood said the magnitude 6.3 quake had severely hit Christchurch fire service staff, and more than 100 had suffered significant loss or
damage to property.
The homes of at least 10 will have to be demolished.
"They're all carrying out far more shifts. And then they go home at night and face their own personal problems," said Mr Wood.
Fire Service welfare officer Kevin Crozier said a disproportionate amount of staff had been affected because most lived in the eastern suburbs, where quake-related damage was worst.
He said many staunch firefighters were coming to him in tears.
"They are going through the full range of experiences. Finding dead bodies, finding people alive, having to amputate.
"And their families are in all parts of the country. They come home, and their kids are in Oamaru, or Waihi, or Invercargill. Many of them don't have their partners or wives with them."
Several officers, such as Mr Crozier, have stopped normal duties to work full-time on counselling and support.
"Everyone has a story, lots of them sad. The guys just want someone to talk to at the end of the day, to tell them what they've seen."
He said staff had been particularly affected by operations at the Canterbury TV site, where the recovery process was grisly and drawn-out.
Mr Crozier's Lyttelton home has been red-stickered, because its brick walls have crumbled and a huge crack has nearly separated the garage from his house.
"For the first time in 30 years I have had to face the rental market."
He said he was lucky to get a flat next door to the Woolston Fire Station, where he works. He is sharing the home with his two adult children, who have abandoned their homes, and an 83-year-old stranger he has adopted.
The United Fire Brigades Fund has set up a benevolent fund, which is giving staff emergency grants from $1000 to $4000.
