The Arthurs Pass Rural Fire Force rescued stranded travellers from a snowstorm earlier this month using their new Landcruiser.
Volunteer’s Hamish Reid, Nic Menary and police officer Scott Carmody spent six hours rescuing people stranded in Otira Gorge on the West Coast side of Arthur’s Pass on August 7.
Around 20 vehicles were stranded, including three buses.
The fire team, along with a West Coast police unit and roading contractors from Sicon Ferguson, worked from 8 pm to 1 am to evacuate another 20 people. Many of those rescued were Chinese tourists.
Controller Nic Menary says the new Landcruiser handled the conditions well, and the team would have never attempted the rescue with their regular fire appliance.
“The Landcruiser muscled through the snow drifts with ease. This day was particularly bad as a layer of ice from the night before was on the road, and this received a healthy dump of snow on top. The fact it is a double cab allowed us to move people more quickly.”
The keys to the vehicle were handed over to the rural fire force in July this year, replacing an older vehicle from the 1970s. Selwyn District Council provided $60,000 for the vehicle to be purchased, fitted out and brought up to emergency response standards.
The vehicle has multiple uses such as tackling small vegetation fires, spot fires and car fires, as well as providing radio communications, and traffic control at crash scenes.
It carries medical equipment including a defibrillator, a stretcher and first aid gear. The fire-fighting capability includes a water tank that holds 200 litres with a foam induction system.
