Working safely around water training is par for the course for the crews in the Ruapehu Rural Fire District. 

Acting Principal Rural Fire Officer Ruapehu, Nathan Jones, says his area do the training every year and they really enjoy it. 

“We normally run a scenario where someone is setting up a pump next to the river and they fall into the river and the crew perform the rescue. They take turns at being rescued and doing the rescuing. That way they get the experience from both sides and know what to expect, and what it feels like floating in a little bit of current while wearing a Personal Flotation Device.” 

Nathan says the crews do their training in the Whanganui River at Taumarunui.

“We try and make it a fun exercise. We live in an area that is surrounded by large rivers so it is essential we do the training. You never know when you might need to put it into practice.” 

In 2019/20, Fire and Emergency New Zealand attended 207 incidents that took place near water and, with changing weather patterns, this number is expected to increase. 

As at mid-August 2020, 9,882 of our 11, 981 operational people had completed the Working Safely Around Water training module. The aim is to have 80% of all brigades trained.

Read more about the Working Safely Around Water training on the Portal.

 

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