Fire stations fail fire safety test

Three fire stations in the Tararua District could be closed because they don't comply with fire safety regulations.

The buildings are required to have a warrant of fitness, which ensures that basic equipment such as fire alarms, extinguishers and sprinklers have been checked.

Two fire stations, Eketahuna and Norsewood, have been without the legally required warrants of fitness since November 2002.

The third, Dannevirke Fire Station, has been without its certificate for more than a year.

However, the New Zealand Fire Service has a programme in place to ensure all its fire stations are up to scratch.

Director of operational support and training, Steve Turik of Wellington, said a contractor has been employed to carry out the work and has been doing so for the past "couple of months".

Firefighters are not allowed to perform the checks themselves.

Tararua District is part of the Eastern Fire Region, where 70 to 80 fire stations are being inspected.

The warrants of fitness confirm that listed safety features, such as sprinklers, fire alarms and extinguishers, in the buildings have been inspected during the previous 12 months.

Council environmental services manager Mike Brown said the council could take legal action, which would enable it to close the buildings in breach of the regulations.

- NZPA