A fire exercise in Queenstown's vast and vulnerable "Red
Zone" will use top personnel in incident management, deployed
when the earthquakes hit Christchurch.
From the Department of Conservation (Doc) Wakatipu area
office, in Arthur's Point, the national incident management
team will lead the multi-agency response to a mock bush fire
from October 25 to 27.
Staff from the Queenstown Lakes, Central Otago, Dunedin City
and Clutha district councils will participate, alongside Doc
rangers, Queenstown police officers, firefighters, a
helicopter pilot from Te Anau, forestry company Wenita's
representatives and residents.
The "serious fire" will be in Alpine Retreat, a residential
suburb accessed from Moke Lake Rd, off the
Glenorchy-Queenstown Rd.
Alpine Retreat residents and neighbours live within the zone,
which was evacuated twice in the past year when trees fell on
electricity lines and sparked vegetation fires.
About 40 personnel will organise the evacuation of houses and
buildings, the welfare of residents, decisions on fire
responses and fire suppression based on a "serious fire".
Communications and evacuation actions will be tested and
community fire wardens will use "phone tree" plans.
Police will assist with the evacuation and check everyone is
accounted for.
Doc Wakatipu rural fire officer Jamie Cowan said the aim of
exercise was to review the Red Zone plan, ensure it was
efficient and effective and check that agencies involved
worked well together.
One of the messages the exercise wanted to highlight was that
people had to help themselves during a fire, leave their
homes and meet at the muster point, Mr Cowan said.
"Queenstown faces a huge, unique fire risk as billions of
dollars worth of houses are closely surrounded by pine trees.
Alpine Retreat is in the town's vulnerable Red Zone."
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