Promoting safety and community resilience at Gloriavale
Continuing the early winter fire safety initiatives in the Grey Valley, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has been working with the Gloriavale Christian Community to talk about safety and community resilience to emergencies.
Over two days in August, FENZ along with Hato Hone St John and West Coast Civil Defence worked with approximately 200 people, doing presentations on fire prevention in the home, including electrics, heaters and cooking. The attendees, including many of the children, practised escaping a fire with an inflatable escape maze.
St John staff brought training mannequins for practising CPR and showed off some good tips on dressing wounds and patient care. Civil Defence, alongside the West Coast Regional Council, described the natural hazards around Lake Haupiri and the specific threat of the Alpine Fault.
“As a first-time event, this has been a significant step towards enhancing the community’s preparedness and resilience in the face of emergencies,” said Sam Bugler, FENZ’s community risk manager for the West Coast.