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A Christchurch fire truck at speed on a callout. It’s one of more than 1200 trucks in the national Fire and Emergency New Zealand fleet
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Halley Simonis hose reel tenders like this one, at Mt Albert, provided the backbone of Auckland’s firefighting fleet in the 1920s
IT’S A BIG FLEET. HIGHLY VISIBLE TOO. AND YET….TO most truckies it’s probably a bit of a mystery just how many fire trucks are actually in service.
Obviously, there are enough of them that they’re spread all over the country – providing fire and emergency services to all New Zealanders.
But (thankfully), even given that their role can include cleaning up after crashes on our highways, it’s not as if they’re seen out on the roads constantly – like most large truck fleets.
So….how many? Okay, Fire and Emergency New Zealand national manager – fleet, Mike Moran, runs out the numbers: Right now there are 1240 fire trucks and specialist response vehicles across the country.
Between them, they respond to more than 80,000 emergencies a year.
And yes, since July 2017, they have all been part of just the one national fleet – for the first time since NZ’s earliest firefighters ran to fires, pulling carts with firefighting equipment behind them.
For 150 years fire service organisations have been at the heart of
NZ communities – dedicated to protecting the population from fire and other emergencies and their devastating consequences.
Until four years ago – when Fire and Emergency NZ was established under legislation to unite the nation’s fire services in one integrated fire and emergency services entity – there were over 40 rural and urban firefighting organisations.
They included the former NZ Fire Service and National Rural
Fire Authority – plus nearly 14,000 people and a diverse fleet…. maintained to different standards.
The result is a large and unique Fire and Emergency fleet of fire trucks, as Mike Moran explains – very specialised trucks, “with specific requirements to enable our emergency response.
“The trucks need to be able to pump and carry water. They need to carry specialised equipment, like breathing apparatus and firefighting foam systems, as well as safely carry our people in the crew cab.”
Moran adds: “Our ‘red fleet’ trucks are the ones you’ll see predominantly used at our career fire stations, and by volunteers responding in urban areas.
“Our ‘yellow fleet’ is made up of the trucks that primarily respond to vegetation fires. We also run a fleet of specialist response vehicles,” he says.
“The specialised equipment or features a fire truck requires will depend on the needs of the area and community where it’s based. For example, in rural areas fire trucks need the ability to fight vegetation fires, while in a large metropolitan city they need an aerial fire truck with extendable ladders to fight fires from a height.”
Moran has filled his current role with Fire and Emergency (and previously with the NZ Fire Service), for almost 10 years.
He’s responsible for the development and supply of new fire trucks, fleet strategy, policies and procedures and the design, supply, maintenance, repair and disposal of all vehicles.
There are three primary types of trucks in Fire and Emergency’s “red fleet” – all of them fitted with water tanks, pumps, lights, sirens (of course), land mobile radios and ladders. They’re mostly fitted with bodies supplied by Fraser Fire and Rescue.
For starters, there are 348 Type 1 appliances – the latest of them Iveco Eurocargo ML 100 4x2s. They serve small urban areas or those on the boundaries of rural areas. The 7.56-metre-long trucks seat six firefighters and have a 10,000kg operational weight. They can carry 2000 litres of water, 60 litres of foam, one 60m hose reel, plus up to 1000kg of equipment.
The 256 Type 2 fire trucks are mostly Iveco Eurocargo ML 120 4x2 units. They service towns – the 8.23m units carrying six firefighters, a 2000 L. water tank, 60 L. of foam and two 60m hose reels, along with 1500kg of equipment.
In metropolitan areas, there are 209 pump and pump/rescue tender trucks – the latest of them 8.5m MAN TGM 15.290 4x2s, with a 13-tonne operational weight, the ability to seat five firefighters, carry two 90m hose reels, 1430 L. of water, 53 L. of foam and 1500kg of equipment.
Clockwise, from top left: Fire and Emergency’s yellow trucks primarily deal with vegetation fire – in all weathers. This was at Lake Pukaki in September 2020.....this electric battery-operated turntable ladder truck was first used in NZ in 1910...fire trucks and firefighters at work during the damaging Sky City Convention Centre fire in 2019....a lineup of Fire and Emergency trucks comprises (from left): A water tanker, Type 2, Type 3 and Type 1 fire trucks, a crew-cab rural unit and a single-cab rural fire truck
The “yellow fleet” also splits into three types of trucks – with the usual lights, sirens and land mobile radios.
There are 36 medium-duty double-cab rural trucks servicing country areas – all Isuzu FSS-550 4x4s, with Lockheed Martin bodies. The 7.55m trucks each have a 10.5-tonne operational weight and have the ability to carry six firefighters, one hose reel, 3000 L. of water, 40 L. of foam and 700kg of equipment.
Around NZ’s rural areas there are also 124 single-cab 4x4s, the most recent additions Isuzu NPR 450s with Lockheed Martin bodies, a 6.22m overall length and a 7.5t operational weight. They can carry three firefighters, one hose reel, 2000 L. of water, 40 L. of foam and 450kg of equipment.
And, specifically to work in areas without a reticulated water supply, Fire and Emergency has 167 water tankers, ranging from Hino 500 4x2s to 8x4s.
The 7.7m current models, built on Hino 500 4x2 chassis, carry 5700 L. of water and 620kg of equipment. They are fitted with Mills Tui or Fraser bodies.
There are also more than 75 specialist response vehicles, including aerial fire trucks, urban search and rescue trucks, breathing apparatus (BA) tenders, foam tenders, hose layer trucks, Hazmat/ command units and incident support vehicles.
Fire and Emergency uses Class A and Class B foams that are compliant with the HSNO Fire Fighting Chemicals Group Standard 2021, and is transitioning to fluorine-free foam for flammable liquid fires and spills.
The aerial fire trucks are Scania P420 6x4s, or Mercedes-Benz Econic 6x2s, with Fraser or Bronto bodies. The 8.8m to 10.4m trucks can seat two to five firefighters and run at 22t to 25t. They have Bronto aerial ladders ranging from 17m to 32m.
The aerial units are currently used for a range of tasks, including delivering water from a height onto a fire, providing an observation platform, providing lighting, preventing fire spreading to neighbouring buildings and rescuing people from heights.
The urban search and rescue trucks are 11m-long, 21t MAN TGS 6x4s with Helmack curtainsider bodies.
The incident support vehicles are 8m Hino GD1 4x2s with Hale curtainsider bodies, operating at 12t.
While the Hazmat/command units are 4x2 DAF LFs – 10m long, with bodies built by Custom Motor Bodies and running at 12.4t.
The nature of the work means the use of the trucks is unusual, compared to a normal road transport setting. Says Moran: “While our fire trucks attend more than 80,000 incidents a year, they travel quite
Clockwise from top: The old meets the new: An Iveco Eurocargo nose to nose with a 1930s vintage Ford V8....Fire and Emergency national fleet manager Mike Moran....a 1955 Dennis F8 at the Mt Roskill Fire Station
low kilometres over their lifespan compared to other commercial truck fleets – between 2000 and 20,000 kilometres a year.
“This means our fire trucks can have a longer operational lifespan – generally between 20 to 25 years.” Although, as he adds: “Their lifespan can vary, depending on the conditions they operate in and the longevity of the vehicle.”
In addition to its fully operational fleet, Fire and Emergency has a “relief fleet” – covering all types and sizes of fire truck: “The relief fleet is also maintained regularly so it’s ready to respond when needed,” Mike Moran.
“Whenever a fire truck is being serviced, the relief fleet will be called upon to maintain operational capability.
“The Fire and Emergency fleet now includes vehicles previously owned by many councils and territorial authorities, as well as the NZ Fire Service.
“When Fire and Emergency was formed in 2017, we had to assess each of our trucks as they all had previously been maintained to varying standards.
“We worked up an assessment criteria and physically inspected every rural truck. From there, we determined which trucks were priorities for replacement and which ones required remedial work. We also designed and built new models of 4x4 single-cab and crew-cab rural fire trucks.
“New fire trucks are a big investment, so it’s important we get the right truck that suits our people’s needs and which will last,” says Moran.
“This means, when ordering new fire trucks, we go through a very extensive procurement process, which takes time. It starts with writing a set of user requirements – detailing exactly what we need to potential vendors. The requirements consider what we need operationally, as well as taking into account the NZ terrain and regulations.
“We get input from our operational personnel, fleet development team and leaders and when the requirements are agreed, we go out for tender. We carefully assess each tender to determine which will best fit our needs. Then we negotiate contracts and place orders for trial fire trucks,” he says.
“When we get the orders, we carry out a quality assurance and testing process.
“Once the trucks have been tested, and any modifications made, we ensure training materials are developed, assess where the trucks need to go and deliver the new trucks to our people.”
Moran says that Fire and Emergency is “constantly monitoring new technologies, international practices and making enhancements to ensure we have the most suitable trucks – and that they are built to the highest possible standards.
“It’s not practical to retrofit many electronic safety features to older trucks. Purchasing trucks with up-to-date safety features compliant with international safety standards is a priority for us.
“Our new trucks also have more advanced cab/chassis technology. Some of our more complex trucks have a CANbus system to control the electrical components, and data-logging functionality to help with fault diagnosis,” he says.
Since Fire and Emergency was created, 176 new fire trucks have been delivered to fire stations across the country. This includes 95 Type 1, 2 and 3 fire trucks, 30 water tankers, 48 rural fire trucks, two hose layer trucks and an urban search and rescue truck.
Says Moran: “The importance of keeping our fleet ready to respond means in some cases our design standards are greater than the law requires.
“For example, we need to respond in adverse weather conditions when other vehicles are advised not to drive. Therefore, our trucks need a minimum tyre tread depth that is greater than the legal minimum.”
Fire and Emergency has a tier system “to determine where our fire trucks are allocated across the country. This ensures we have the right resources in the right places for the needs of each community,” Moran explains.
“We have found this a good way of ensuring our firefighters have the resources they need – and of getting the most out of each fire truck.
“Each station is given a classification. This will depend on their local risks and the type of incidents they respond to most often and the number of calls each fire truck attends.
“New trucks go to the busier locations (tier one). The fire trucks they are replacing then go to tier two (slightly-less-busy) locations. The truck being replaced at the tier two location then gets delivered to a tier three (least-busy) location – and we arrange what to do with the old truck being replaced. Often it would be retired from service.
“The station classifications are reviewed every three years to make sure the right fire trucks are in the right places. For example, if an area has experienced a big population growth and the fire station is busier than it used to be, we may change the tier of truck they are allocated.
“Tier one locations generally have a fire truck less than six years old. Tier two locations have a truck between six and 15 years old. Tier three locations generally have a truck between 15 and 25 years old.”
Naturally, having reliable trucks is critical to always managing a timely response in an emergency. Says Moran: “Our priority is
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Fire trucks attend a 350-hectare forest fire at Tangoio, Hawke’s Bay in the summer of 2020
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Clockwise, from top: Parked up outside Auckland Central Fire Station are (from left): An incident support vehicle, aerial fire truck, Type 3 fire truck and an operational support vehicle.....Fire and Emergency deputy chief executive organisational strategy and capability development Russell Wood..... Firefighters and their trucks attend 80,000 emergency callouts annually
maintaining our fleet to ensure our fire trucks are always ready to respond 24/7 and our vehicle maintenance standards reflect that.
“All our vehicles are serviced regularly. We have 40 contracted service providers across the country who service our fire trucks and carry out any maintenance required.
“Last year, more than 5700 maintenance checks were completed on our fire trucks. The frequency of servicing is determined by how busy the trucks are. The busier they are and more calls they go to, the more frequently they need to be serviced.
“Our maintenance schedule is customised to reflect the unique way our fire trucks are used compared to other similar-sized trucks. Continues on page 63
A Merryweather 100ft metal mechanical turntable ladder on a Leyland OPS bus chassis, was used in Auckland in the 1940s
A brief history of Kiwi firefighting
IN THE DAYS BEFORE FIRE BRIGADES, EVERYONE WAS A firefighter, Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of NZ, points out.
In 1856, for instance, “a local-government regulation required all Wellington citizens to keep two buckets of water ready so they could help in case of fire.
“A few early fire brigades were sponsored by insurance companies and fought fires only at insured buildings, which were specially marked,” says Te Ara.
The first volunteer fire brigade, attending any fire callout, was formed in Auckland in 1854 – with others following in Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington within the next decade.
A new government act in 1867 empowered borough councils to set up fire brigades and appoint fire inspectors, and saw the introduction of paid firefighters – although volunteers remained the backbone of the firefighting force during this time.
Some major urban fires – in Auckland in 1858, Timaru in 1868, Lyttelton two years later and Dunedin in 1879 – made it graphically clear how important a good fire service was.
Te Ara points out: “One obstacle for early firefighters was lack of piped water: Streams, horse troughs, and special water tanks were used, but until piped water of sufficient pressure became available, brigades often had to stand by and watch buildings burn.
“At first, buckets were used; then hose reels and manual pumps, which were dragged by men or horses to the scene of the fire. Steam-driven pumps were much more efficient. The Dunedin brigade acquired the first of these in 1865, and in 1878 they imported the first 49-foot (15-metre) telescopic ladder.”
“Motorised fire engines helped to get firefighters and equipment to fires quickly. The Wanganui Fire Brigade got the first ‘self-propelled’ steam fire engine in Australasia in 1903.” Auckland and Wellington quickly followed – and by the 1920s most brigades were motorised.
In Auckland, for instance, in the 1910s firefighters began using a 120-horsepower Dennis fire truck – the largest in the world at the time and capable of doing 30 miles per hour, the Auckland Fire Brigades Museum and Historical Society says.
Remarkably, the 1910s also saw fire trucks fitted with the first electric battery-operated turntable ladders (TTLs).
In the 1920s, firefighters were using the likes of a five-ton, six cylinder, 45hp Halley Simonis fire truck, which could do 40mph.
Ford V8 appliances were introduced in the 1930s, with rear-mounted pumps and 180-litre water tanks.
Another decade on and the Merryweather mechanical turntable ladder on a Leyland OPS bus chassis replaced Auckland’s Simonis electric ladder.
Dennis F8 and F12 pumping fire trucks were in use in the 1950s. Some of the F12 fire trucks had 15-metre Morris-wheeled, wooden escape ladders, says the Fire Brigades Museum.
Karrier Gamecock and Commer VAKS fire trucks were introduced throughout the country in the 1960s. They had two-stage, hi-lo pumps, 450-litre water tanks and two 30m hose reels.
The late Sixties and early ‘70s saw the introduction of the first International ACCO 1800 pumping fire trucks. The first purposebuilt petrol V8 rescue tender also arrived.
The International ACCOs continued into the 1980s – a 1950 ACCO, for instance, with a Darley pump.
In the 1990s, the first Scania pumping fire trucks were introduced with the 93M model. Scanias continued to be used throughout the 2000s, with some of the later models still used today as training vehicles, or employed at less-busy fire stations or in the Fire and Emergency relief fleet. T&D
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Clockwise, from top: Firefighters beside a command unit at the Lake Ohau fire that claimed 48 houses and burnt 5000 hectares of land in October 2020..... A Scania fire truck from the 2000s. Some of the newer models are still used as training vehicles, at less-busy fire stations and in the relief fleet...Bruce Stubbs, region manager Te Ūpoko
Continued from page 59
“Many of our manufacturers’ service schedules are based on kilometres driven. Due to the relatively low mileage of our fire trucks, we work with the original manufacturers to identify in what areas the service schedule needs to be based on time rather than mileage.
“For example, our trucks have a maximum tyre life of 10 years. On lower mileage trucks, it’s possible that a tyre could still have plenty of tread for 10 years.”
Bruce Stubbs, region manager of Fire and Emergency’s Te Ūpoko region (covering Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Wellington and the Chatham Islands), says that in addition to the formal services and fitness checks by Fire and Emergency’s providers, firefighters themselves regularly check their individual fire trucks.
“These are full checks of the fluid levels, functionality of equipment, lights, sirens, pumps, hydraulic motors and fuel. It’s all checked by the crews to ensure the fire truck is ready to respond when it’s needed.
“Our career crews do these checks at the start of each shift and volunteer brigades do them every week on their training night.”
Stubbs, a firefighter for more than 34 years, adds: “As a firefighter, you spend a lot of time in your fire truck. It’s your workplace and your workhorse, and our crews take a lot of pride in it.”
Reflecting on how fire trucks have changed since he started as a recruit, Bruce reckons: “When I get into a fire truck now, they still have the same primary features. There’s a place where the crew sit and drive, a pump to move water and equipment storage.
“But what has changed over time is new technology and increased safety features.
Top, left & right: The equipment and crew carried by a rural water tanker (left) and a Type 2 appliance are unboxed Right: A command unit at a large forest fire at Tangimoana, in the Manawatu, last February
“We have put a lot of consideration into futureproofing new fire trucks and ensuring the safety and comfort of our fire crews,” he says.
Over the years, the nature of the job of firefighters has also changed – meaning different requirements for the fleet.
He points out that nowadays, firefighters aren’t just fighting fires: They’re also attending medical emergencies, motor vehicle crashes, weather events, urban search and rescues and hazardous substance incidents.
“As we attend a wider variety of incidents, we’ve got more specialist trucks and equipment to deal with the complex nature of those incidents,” he says.
“For example, we now have trucks that carry our extensive urban search and rescue equipment, incident support vehicles that carry outdoor lighting, and special hazardous materials and decontamination equipment.
“When I started, there was generally only a small van for support teams to get personnel and equipment to incidents. Now we have entire teams dedicated to operational support. They are trained with a range of equipment that we need to get to incidents to keep our people and communities safe. Definitely more than that small van could transport.”
What changes lie ahead for Fire and Emergency’s fire truck fleet? Russell Wood –deputy chief executive, organisational strategy and capability development – has overall responsibility for the organisation’s assets, including fire trucks and the stations that house them.
“It’s important we have robust longterm strategies for how we manage our fleet and other assets, and that we manage them in an integrated way,” he says.
“We need to make sure we have the right resources for our firefighters and communities, now and in the future.
“This includes considering the impacts of climate change and ensuring we have the fleet capability needed for more severe weather events and significant wildfires.
“We are currently working on several large projects for our fleet. These are a new generation of our Type 3 fire trucks, procurement of four new heavy aerial fire trucks and a review of our longterm aerial strategy.
“We are always investigating how to improve the fire trucks we build to replace trucks ending their operational life,” Russell says.
“When we started to look at new Type 3 fire trucks – the standard pumping truck at career fire stations – we took the opportunity to see what improved features were needed from the next
Clockwise, from top: A medium rural crew-cab 4x4 unit and a Type 3 fire truck....Commer VAKS fire truck used in Auckland in the 1960s....1930s-vintage Ford V8 appliance
generation of these trucks so our firefighters can do their jobs and look after our communities.
“The project is well under way. We have worked closely with our operational people and suppliers to make sure the selected model works for our firefighters and NZ conditions.
“We have been out for tender and have now selected two manufacturers – Emergency One (based in Scotland) and Angloco (based in Yorkshire, England) – to build two trial fire trucks each. We are currently working with the two suppliers to confirm the final designs of their trial trucks – which will be based on a Scania P360 cab and chassis.”
The purchase of four new heavy aerial fire trucks (Type 5 and 6) over the next two financial years, is “to replace some that are reaching their planned end of service life,” Wood says.
The end of service life for an aerial fire truck is currently 20 to 25 years (that’s without refurbishment): “In addition to the new aerial fire trucks being purchased, we are also refreshing our current aerial strategy, which we’ll use to determine the longterm future of our aerial fire trucks.
“We’ve had feedback on this strategy from our operational people, who have been involved throughout. We expect the refreshed strategy to be completed in early 2022 and implemented over a number of years.”
And, says Wood: “As a socially responsible Crown Agency, Fire and Emergency is seeking ways to reduce our carbon emissions. Last year, we contracted Toitū Envirocare to complete an emissions inventory baseline and set goals to manage our emissions.
“This found 26% of our carbon emissions came from our fire trucks, and a further 16% from our fleet of utes, cars and SUVs.
“We are considering what role our fleet and fuels (diesel, petrol, LPG and propane) might have in reducing our carbon emissions. We currently have 13 electric (EV or PHEV) and hybrid vehicles in our fleet and five electric vehicle charging stations at fire stations across the country, with the installation of four more under way.
“It’s important we consider what our fleet looks like from a carbon neutral perspective in the future,” Russell says.
“Our fleet target is aligned with Fire and Emergency’s overall target to reduce gross emissions by 10% by June 2025.” T&D
