FENZ said it was only aware of one command unit breaking down. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
The Professional Firefighters' Union says a 'pretty dangerous failure' left a Dunedin command unit without power while driving on a main highway.
High winds and heat fanned nine fires across Otago and Southland on Thursday.
The union said four trucks broke down or were out of action in Dunedin during the peak time of fire.
Fire and Emergency said it was only aware of one breakdown but the problem did not impact firefighting efforts or the ability to respond.
Union Dunedin branch secretary Mike Taylor said the command unit lost power while travelling on State Highway 1 to a large blaze near Balclutha.
"They did manage to coast off on a slip road but without power steering. Fortunately their brakes seemed to be working still but they didn't have any power steering so it was a pretty dangerous failure really," Taylor said.
Mechanics checked the vehicle on the roadside before towing it away.
Taylor described command units as communication and intelligence hubs where people on the ground could access up to date information to make informed decisions.
He was not sure how long it would take to fix, but said the closest command units were in Invercargill or Timaru.
Taylor was a firefighter in Dunedin and said he came in when he was rostered off to backfill on the busy day.
Mechanical problems meant two volunteer trucks could not respond straight away and a truck in Roslyn was unavailable, he said.
He heard about the two volunteer trucks as they were listening to the radio to monitor what was going on in the region, but said that was also logged on their incident reports.
Fire and Emergency asset programme delivery deputy chief executive Sarah Sinclair said the command unit had an electrical problem that cause it to shut down and it was now being fixed.
Another vehicle had been used as a command unit at the Balclutha fire, she said.
She confirmed a truck at the Roslyn Station experienced minor air leaks, but said they were fixed and it did not impact their firefighting nor their ability to respond, while another vehicle experienced some "minor accident damage".
"Our trucks are large, complicated machines and sometimes they break down despite our regular servicing," Sinclair said.
"This is why our dispatching system is dynamic and designed to cover all eventualities. We dispatch trucks and crews from further away if, and when necessary."
Mike Taylor was one of about 2000 paid firefighters who walked off the job for an hour on Friday after contract negotiations stalled with Fire and Emergency.
"The problems that we're complaining about in career brigade about old fleets, it doesn't just affect us, it affects the volunteers as well and it means there is no resilience in the system," Taylor said.
Any delays from breakdowns depended on where other resources could be pulled from.
It was like Fire and Emergency played chess with resources, shifting trucks and appliances where they were needed, he said.
That was normal but it became a problem if that resilience was being "used up" by mechanical breakdowns instead of being used when they needed more response cover, Taylor said.
The command unit that broke down had recently come down from Christchurch as the well-used unit had been swapped with their lower mileage unit, he said.
Taylor called for more reliable resources, saying they were frustrated by hollow assurances of getting improved trucks over the years that had not come to fruition.
But he applauded the mechanics who were tasked with fixing and maintaining their vehicles.
Sarah Sinclair acknowledged Fire and Emergency had an ageing fleet.
"Fire and Emergency has been investing in replacing our fleet, with 317 trucks replaced since 2017 and another 78 on order," Sinclair said.
"We are currently spending over $20 million per year on replacement trucks.
"There is also a significant programme of station upgrades underway, as well as investment in training."
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