New Zealand (Kiwi) firefighters help in California

Editor’s Note:  John McCormick, a Kiwi friend of Israel who was the subject of a feature story in San Diego Jewish World, sent this dispatch about the cooperation between New Zealand and the United States in times of disasters.

By John McCormick

John McCormick

WAIPUKURAU, New Zealand — I have just listened to a six and a half minute Radio New Zealand interview with Wipari Henwood, Senior Fire Liaison Officer, who is effectively the Manager of the 35 Kiwi firemen deployed as part of the 14000 plus firemen fighting the huge fire problem in California, Oregon and Washington. This is one of many deployments of Kiwis as first responders over the years to the American West Coast. This wide deployment allows your people to make the best use of the different skills of the ANZAC men. Wipari was himself part of a deployment to British Columbia last year.

He tells the story of being met on arrival a few days ago at the Redding Airport in California by officials from the U.S. National Fire Service. Unlike in his past experience, they have themselves lost their homes to these fires. Around the town, when locals find out he is a Kiwi fireman he says people won’t let him pay for coffees. A way of saying thank you by grateful Americans.

Our men will deploy for about 30 days working two 14 day shifts with 2 days off between. At the end of the second 14 days they will return home to be replaced by another group of 35 who are already on standby according to friends in my local fire brigade. The deployment is a mixture of volunteers and professional firemen. Even the big city brigades here get to fight bush fires in rural New Zealand.

In 1906, there was a big earthquake in San Francisco. The New Zealand Insurance Company LTD, which I have worked for in the past, was a very big operator there then insuring homes, and small to medium businesses and farms. Its city offices were destroyed so the staff set up offices on the street, simply a table and chair, claims forms and pens, and accepted claims. Company history says it was the only company to honor every claim in full as a result of that quake. To do that, it had to bring in funds from headquarters in New Zealand branch operations all around the world. The company had to retrench after that and it never became the big international insurance company it planned to be. Reinsurance was not the business then that it is now.

In more recent times Kiwis have helped out as first responders in many fire and earthquake situations.

It has been a two-way street with Americans being both victims and responders in the Christchurch earthquake in 2011. More recently another earthquake struck the north east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The quake was centered at Kaikoura, a costal town known for its lovely fresh cooked lobster from sea side shops and as the headquarters of whale watching in New Zealand. At the time the New Zealand Navy was celebrating its 75th birthday at the big base at Auckland. The port was full of ships in town for a birthday bash. Many of the Allied ships including American, British and Australian sped to Kaikoura after loading up relief supplies.

Medical help and supplies were airlifted to Christchurch hospitals. We have never seen so many civilian and military helicopters together before. The main damage was the destruction to the main north-south road and railway connections in the South Island which run side by side, up and down the coast. This forced trucks having to use inland secondary roads that were not designed for more than the occasional livestock truck once a day and two or three freight trucks once a day.

The Navy made quick work of helping out and getting the situation to a stage when our own people could more than do it without help. The roads and rail links are back up and we await the next big quake.

Navy ships have played a part in previous earthquakes in New Zealand. In 1931 Napier city was hit and destroyed by a big quake. The only means of communications was the radio of the British ship HMS Veronica. The first responders were the ship’s crew. Quite a story. The Royal Navy gave the ships bell to Napier and it is rung on New Year’s Eve and the Anniversary of the 1931 earthquake each year.

Our New Zealand fireman are headquartered at Anderson, California, and will operate from the Carr Fire camp outside Redding for as long as they are needed.

My best wish’s to those fighting the fires and to those who have suffered a loss in the current situation.
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McCormick is a freelance writer based in Waipukurau, New Zealand.  He may be contacted via hbnzfia@hotmail.co.nz