Firefighter who crashed heading to Central Otago callout was drunk, say police

A volunteer firefighter in Milton who was seen crashing into a parked car on her way to a callout had a blood-alcohol level about five times the legal limit.

Renee Kiri Moana, 49, appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week after doing the “hard yards in detox”, counsel Andy Belcher said.

After an incident on September 10, Moana reportedly spent seven days in hospital doing the “tough work” to tackle her alcohol addiction, Belcher said.

The woman, who is a volunteer with the Milton Volunteer Fire Brigade, received a call from Fire and Emergency New Zealand at 11.14pm.

As she drove in Shakespeare St to the fire station, her vehicle crossed the centre line and hit a parked car on the opposite side of the road.

Moana kept on driving to the station, where she was approached by a witness who had notified police and followed her from the crash scene.

Police found the woman at her home, and an evidential blood test revealed a level of 252 micrograms — more than five times the legal limit.

“That is an exceptionally high reading,” community magistrate Kaye Davies said.

The woman claimed to have consumed a bottle of wine with dinner, and told police she was to blame for the accident.

“She has shown that this is a wake-up call for her ... She has taken full responsibility for the addiction that was the root of the offending,” Belcher said.

“She could easily have said, ‘Well, I got home and drank a bottle of wine’, but she didn’t.”

The woman had reportedly attended a residential facility to deal with her alcohol issues and was very remorseful.

“She doesn’t look like someone, at this late stage, who is going to fall off the wagon,” Belcher said.

Moana was fined $600, ordered to pay reparation fees of $2600 and court fees of $242.

She was disqualified from driving for 28 days, after which she would have alcohol-interlock provisions.

When contacted, the fire brigade declined to comment.