In anticipation of the rollout of five new aerial appliances nationally, Dunedin firefighters were sent a virtual reality system to put in some work ahead of their arrival.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) Otago district manager Craig Geddes said they hoped to have 32 firefighters trained to use the new aerial appliance, eight for every shift.
He wanted as many firefighters as possible to get a head start by using the Bronto Skylift virtual reality simulator.
"The feedback from firefighters that undertook the training was really positive ... this is a new concept for aerial training in New Zealand and we are the first country in the southern hemisphere to have one of these operational."
Firefighters trained to operate the new trucks before they arrived would speed up the process of getting them into service.
Dunedin firefighters had just wrapped up their two-week stint with the system, and it will now be packed up and sent to the next region.
After eight weeks out of action Dunedin’s frontline aerial has been fixed and is now back in service, Mr Geddes said.
"It is staffed 24/7 by career firefighters at Dunedin City Station."
In preparation for receiving their new aerial appliance — a Fraser FireType 5 Medium Aerial Appliance — the doors of one of the bays at the central station was being enlarged and detailed designs of lockers, layouts and equipment were being finalised.
Building works should be completed in the coming weeks, he said.
The new aerials are now in New Zealand, and are being fitted out ahead of deployment.
In August this year, Fenz told the Otago Daily Times the truck could possibly be in the city by the end of the year.
