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Unlawfully lit fireworks started a fire in bush on the foreshore at Fisherman’s Rock Reserve in Army Bay on Tuesday afternoon last week. Two crews from Silverdale tackled the blaze, which destroyed around 250 square metres of gorse and manuka scrub.
Senior Station officer Jim Maclean said the fire was a timely reminder that there were strict laws around the lighting of fireworks and bonfires as Guy Fawkes Night approaches. Full details of what is and isn’t allowed can be found at: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/licences-regulations/outdoor-fires/Pages/fire
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The Silverdale crews were also called to a second vegetation fire that afternoon, when a burning pile of tree prunings in Messenger Road in Stillwater spread to the grassy bank nearby.
“Although it is still open fire season and there has been rain lately, it shows that even relatively experienced rural folk can find themselves surprised at how quickly and easily what was meant to be a controlled fire can escalate,” Officer Maclean said.
Local Police have been kept busy with opportunist parcel thefts, burglaries and car crime during lockdown – see separate story, p4 . Regional response manager Senior Sgt Brett Henshaw said that since moving to Level 4, construction sites were again being targeted by thieves, with whiteware, tools and timber being targeted in particular.
“Vigilant on-site security, and naming and taking tools home where practical still remains the best prevention activity,” he said. “We have solved plenty of crime linking named or etched tools in possession of known criminals back to their owner or location where they were stolen from. Named tools can be loaded into our system and linked, even if they turn up in other parts of New Zealand months after the original crime.”
And, with recreational restrictions lifting, Sgt Henshaw urged boaties to be vigilant.
“Now that we are moving towards summer, traditionally we see an increase in boat thefts and particularly gear from within boats such as tote tanks, fishing and diving gear,” he said.
He said gear should be safely tucked away and trailer wheel clamps or tow coupling locks used when parked up.
Meanwhile, Rodney St John is encouraging as many people as possible to learn the three steps that can double a person’s chance of survival after a cardiac arrest – call 111, start CPR and use an AED (defibrillator).
Territory manager Jason Bennett said using an AED was simpler than a mobile phone.
“Anyone can do it, just turn it on and follow the voice instructions,” he said. “Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, regardless of age or medical history and it continues to be New Zealand’s biggest silent killer.
“Last year, St John Ambulance treated over 2,000 people for a cardiac arrest, with only 31percent of those surviving to hospital arrival and only 13 percent leaving hospital alive.”
St John runs regular first aid courses and AED locations can be found at https://aedlocations.co.nz/
