A Queenstown firefighter is asking for unwanted cars which can be cut up in next month's United Fire Brigade Association National Road Crash Rescue Competition.
About 20 teams from around the country were expected to take part in the event on February 17, 18 and 19, which requires 85 to 90 cars for scenarios to be played out on the Queenstown Ice Rink.
Queenstown station officer Bobby Lamont said about 60 cars had been acquired so far and he hoped the rest would be donated by people attracted by the free disposal of their "bombs".
Teams of six from as far away as Whitianga will be faced with three challenges, each one progressively more difficult than the last.
The teams will be taken into isolation while the scenarios are set up in competition bays fitted with all the tools available in a fire appliance.
"It could have up to two patients in anything from a car crushed by a big six-wheeler truck, hit by a power pole, or perhaps a car that rolled over," Mr Lamont said.
Up to 24 teams will take part in the annual competition, with the 18 teams confirmed making it the biggest field yet.
The competition will be open for public viewing and Mr Lamont encouraged people to come along and see how volunteer firefighters dealt with crash rescue situations.
"The competitions are good practice to us - especially after the crash in Cromwell [last week] - and the more practice we can get, the more lives we can potentially save."
Mr Lamont said the 60 cars were being "shaped" at Queenstown Towing and Auto Spares.
"We are replicating the crash with a big digger to make them look like they have been in an accident, putting them on a truck and bringing them in for the scenarios," he said.
Anyone interested in giving their car to be cut up, crushed and generally demolished should contact Mr Lamont on 027 444 9390, or Lindsay Read at Queenstown Towing and Auto Spares on (03) 442-3089.
