Expect local volunteers to continue to put out fires and attend other emergencies for some time to come.
Despite the area’s phenomenal growth, Queenstown’s and Arrowtown’s fire chiefs say there’s no need for pro fireys rights now, though that time will come.
Last year, veteran Arrowtown firey Greg Potter told Mountain Scene vollies, and their employers, couldn’t be expected to continue wearing the huge number of annual call-outs — about 400 in Queenstown/Frankton and up to 230 in Arrowtown.
He suggested in time there’ll be a larger Frankton station housing pro fireys, with Queenstown and Arrowtown satellite stations.
Arrowtown chief Murray Forward agrees ‘‘the way things are growing, [professionals] will happen at some point, but I have no idea when, or how’’.
Currently, he admits ‘‘it’s a big drain on employers, at the best of times’’.
He suggests the financial side will have a big bearing on the issue — ‘‘I wouldn’t like to think what it would cost to put a watch into Queenstown’’.
Meantime, he says Arrowtown’s perfectly coping with its 27 or so vollies — ‘‘we run a very good brigade and everybody wants to be there’’.
Queenstown fire chief Terry ‘Flick’ O’Connell says the issue has been talked about over the 40 years he’s been in the brigade.
‘‘It will happen at some point, but at the moment we’re handling it without a problem, and we’ve got a very enthusiastic and professional crew.
‘‘Between Queenstown, Frankton and Arrowtown we’ve got a huge pool of volunteers — we’re about 45, Frankton’s about 25.’’
Local Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) group manager/assistant commander Nic McQuillan adds: ‘‘As far as I’m aware, there’s no real immediate push for career crews to be posted to the Whakatipu.
‘‘The volunteers are doing a great job and they’re actually very professional and really are giving outstanding service to the community, and they don’t appear to be struggling.
‘‘They haven’t asked for any assistance in terms of professional crews to assist them, and I don’t really see the need at the moment.
‘‘There’s a good support network of brigades in the Whakatipu, so there’s not the vast distances you might have between more rural locations.’’
McQuillan says Fenz constantly reviews the situation to ensure crew numbers and equipment levels are adequate.
‘‘At some point in the future, obviously if expansion keeps coming, there may be a need for another station further out.’’
