New Hose Layer appliance arrives in Tauranga

Tauranga Fire Station has recently received a new Hose Layer fire appliance which is specially designed with rapid hose laying facilities to be used at large incidents that need a lot of water. The appliance is based on a Hino FC1124 chassis and is one of the first Euro 6 diesel appliances in the Fire and Emergency fleet, with extra features such as anti-collision, anti-rollover and lane guidance.  

Before the appliance went into commission, trainers from Hino Distributors NZ Ltd in Palmerston North spent a day in Tauranga with firefighters conducting a “train the trainer” session on the safety features and engine management systems.  

The new Hose Layer fire appliance is one of five based in Aotearoa. It has 1.7km of 125mm feeder hose, making it unique as it is the only hose layer using this size hose, delivering approximately four times the volume of water compared to standard 90mm hose. The appliance also carries 900m of standard 90mm hose. 

Not only is this new appliance beneficial at large incidents that need a lot of water, it can also be used in a civil emergency, to provide support if water pipes are damaged. Tugs at the Port can also provide water directly to the 125mm hose which can be laid to incidents which are within 1.7km of the harbour. 

“Due to the risk in the industrial and petrochemical areas within the city, it’s not only an important new addition for our Tauranga firefighters but also an asset that can be used across the region and nationally if required”, said Station Officer Bruce Nilson.