A Fire Service investigation into its response to a fatal fire at Rangiora has found attending brigades, firefighters and senior personnel performed appropriately and responsibly.
The fire, on 20 September, resulted in the death of 87 year old Mary Jean Chaston. As is common after any serious incident, the Fire Service conducted an operational review to see if any lessons could be learned that might help prevent similar outcomes in future.
The review team concluded that the death would most likely have been prevented had the occupants followed standard Fire Service advice to “get out, stay out, and call the Fire Service” rather than attempt to fight the fire.
National Commander Mike Hall said "There has been a surprising amount of unfounded public speculation about the firefighting operation and I am concerned by the impact this has had on the volunteers. I would like to make it clear that all firefighters work in dangerous conditions and must rely on their judgment and training to both fight the fire and keep themselves safe. It is not helpful for anyone outside of the fire to second guess decisions that needed to be made under very difficult circumstances. We must all trust that the men and women inside the fire are doing the very best that they can at all times."
"This does not mean that we can’t continually build on our experience and reinforce our training and practice wherever possible," he said.
It took some time for the search crew to find Mrs Chaston but the review report says this was understandable given the heavy smoke, intense heat and searchers receiving incorrect information about her location in the house.
The operational review team made several recommendations related to enhancing search and rescue training and improving on other techniques which will be acted on by the Fire Service.
A separate, independent investigation by a Wellington QC was also carried out into allegations that two senior staff who attended the incident had been drinking earlier on the Sunday afternoon. It found that their activities at the fire were not impaired by alcohol and no standards of conduct were breached. No further action will be taken by the Fire Service and Mr Hall said “Both these men acted responsibly and they have my full support.”