The Alexandra Lions Club gave a solar panel and a large battery pack to the Alexandra Fire Brigade at a meeting at the Alexandra Fire Station on Thursday.
The donation was made possible with the proceeds from the Lion’s Beyond the Locked Gates event, which was held in January.
Alexandra Lions four-wheel-drive event convener Barry McCall said the event was a mix of fundraising and entertainment as it allowed people to see parts of the country that would otherwise be inaccessible. The last event toured across Earnscleugh Station.
The main purpose of the event was fundraising and the organisation used the proceeds from previous events to help various community groups such as Dunstan Hospital, Fenz and St John get the equipment they needed, he said.
Usually, the Lions approach a community organisation and ask if they need a piece of equipment that the Lions could help purchase; in this case it was the solar panel and battery pack for the Alexandra Fire Brigade.
Mr Anderson said the equipment was part of a contingency plan to keep the region connected in the event of an earthquake or major power outage.
"If we had a major earthquake or a major power outage where we had no power, of course our radios wouldn’t last that long under battery."
With the risk of an Alpine Fault earthquake getting higher, it was important to have pieces of equipment like the battery pack and Starlink to ensure the fire department could remain self-sufficient and to maintain the level of coverage the community expects from Fenz.
It was a case of better to have it and not need it as opposed to needing it and not having it, he said.
Mr Anderson said he was grateful for the support and generosity of the Alexandra Lions.
"They’re a community group run by volunteers in our community, and supporting another volunteer group in the community."
Mr McCall said helping the fire brigade get an important piece of equipment gave him a real buzz.
"It’s part of our philosophy that we’re here to serve the community as best we can. So yeah, it’s a rewarding part of it," he said.
