Fire Service bosses 'playing Russian roulette with lives'

Derek Best

One of two Kapiti Coast homes destroyed by fire yesterday may have been saved if the area was manned by a full-time brigade, says the Professional Firefighters Union.

Fire broke out in an unoccupied Raumati home just after 6am. By the time volunteer firefighters arrived the flames had leapt to a neighbouring home where people were sleeping.

The first home was destroyed and the second, which belonged to a professional firefighter who was on his way home from work, was badly damaged.

The union is angry that both homes were lost and fears the same thing will happen again if the region does not get full-time coverage.

Spokesman Derek Best said Paraparaumu Volunteers approached Arapawa regional manager Bill Butzbach six months ago asking for extra support from professional firefighters.

Although there has since been a lot of talk, Mr Best said nothing had improved and the volunteers were struggling to cope in the growing region.

He said the union's anger was not directed at the volunteers.

"All the difficulties [they] notified regional management about months ago were apparent today. The fault lies directly with Fire Service management who have been far too slow to react to a serious situation."

Management was playing Russian roulette with the lives of people on the Kapiti Coast, he said.

A paid brigade would have probably got to the fire in time to prevent it spreading to the second home, where the residents made a narrow escape.

"The people of Kapiti Coast are paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in Fire Service levies," said Mr Best. "They are entitled to get the fire protection they pay for."

Mr Butzbach said the volunteers had asked for paid firefighters to staff the station during daylight hours.

"That's been approved and we are interviewing career firefighters at the moment for those positions."

He said it would take two years to have round-the-clock professional firefighters because they needed to build a new fire station, which took time.

"The quickest we can do this is about two years so as soon as that's done we'll put a 24/7 crew in there," he said.

Mr Butzbach said the outcome of the fire would have been the same had there been round-the-clock firefighters manning the station.

"The fire was well developed before they got the call, as is often the case, and they got there in 10 minutes, which is within our response guidelines. I'm confident they did their best under trying circumstances."