When firefighters visit, they often take a bunch of badges with them. These badges are taken on official visits, but are often likely to be a firefighter on holiday. They swap badges, taking home a memory of New Zealand.
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Yes, we are both thinking the same thing. We didn’t know Disneyland had a fire station.
This was a two-firetruck call. When the alarm goes off, the number of trucks that show up depends on the situation. However, many calls turn out to be a false alarm. With modern construction, sprinkler systems and everyone quickly reporting a fire on their mobiles, the large fires are less rampant than they used to be in the past.
When not attending to a call, fire personnel go through drills, but also a detailed check of equipment. A checklist is produced and equipment check can take an hour or so.
The Pitt Street lunch room. On this occasion, the fire crew was watching fires break out across the US. A rural fire is remarkably different from a city fire, and most of these firemen have only dealt with city issues.
The command centre at Pitt Street. Yes, it’s a truck, but not just any old truck. It has its own weather forecasting system, cellular system, computers, walkie talkies etc. In case a big fire breaks out, the high command can be at the scene of a fire directing operations from a hi-tech fire truck.
Inside the command centre. An office on the move.
