EWP Trainer supervises practical work.

…in Elevated Work Platforms (EWPs).  Several local trainees proved their prowess in different EWPs in yesterday’s training session.  Trainer Greg Milmine provided an overview of relevant legislation and safety procedures, then they were outside in the yard doing it.  Pictured is a trailer -mounted EWP: the tennis ball was retrieved from the roof behind.

The new classroom appears.

Our new classroom at the back of Holmglen St, Washdyke is rapidly materialising.  It won’t be long before classes will be enjoying its comforts.

Offroad at Queenstown.

Colin and Ants were in Queenstown last week, taking airport rescue staff through their paces off road.  Check out our Facebook page to see some of the action.

We’re not sure if we’ve had a summer or not, but we’re all back on deck and ready for action. This week our trainers are training and/or working in the Chatham Islands, Timaru, Napier, Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.

Some of the team cleaning up just before the Chrismas break.

FAST Access team high at the athletic track!

The FAST Access team were busy today at the South Canterbury All Weather Track stadium bird proofing the roof.  All going well, the seats will no longer be guano collectors!

F&ST staff have had a busy year.  We’ve trained thousands of people, filled hundreds of fire extinguishers, tested hundreds of BA sets,  completed dozens or difficult access jobs and dives, and grown our staff and our resources.

Our last day of business for this year is Friday 20 December.  We will all be back on deck again on Monday 13 January, rested and refreshed ready to roll for 2014.

FAST Access Solutions at Z terminal

A new company under the FAST brand was launched this week.  Fast Access Solutions deals with the difficult access jobs our staff are undertaking with increasing frequency.  These jobs include challenging height and confined space access work, for example under the Opuha Dam, or inside a Z Energy fuel tank.  Our abseilers are also trainers, so the industry jobs provide excellent ‘real world’ experience to enhance their training.

Entrance to the Opuha Dam penstock

To meet an increasing demand, Fire & Safety Training now can deliver and assess EWP (elevated work platforms) units and more rope access / rope rescue units.

Click here for more information on EWP training.

Click here to learn about the rope access units we deliver and assess.

Going where few have ever been: difficult access solutions.

A story of F&ST providing access into a difficult environment was told in Safety News this month.  Entitled ‘Going where few have ever been – difficult access solutions’, the article details how F&ST’s Ian Reid and Nathan Meager planned and executed access into this challenging confined space to allow inspection and maintenance.  Read the story here.

“Is it really a fire engine?”
Just one of the many comments as the F&ST jeep, fitted out with fire hoses, helmet, and other fire fighting gear sat outside the Millennium  Hotel in Queenstown this week.  The unusual vehicle drew quite a crowd and many comments.  Gordon and Colin from F&ST were attending the Rural Fire Fighters Conference at the Millennium where F&ST was a sponsor.

Fire and Safety Training is proud to be a sponsor of the Rural Firefighters Conference being held in in Queenstown this week. 

F&ST owner and General Manager, Gordon Ireland, and 4WD trainer Colin Rees will attend the conference.

This week four rescue teams from Silver Ferm Farms South Island plants met in competition at the Finegand plant in Balclutha.  Competition was tough, with the Pareora team  the overall winners.  The Pareora team leader, Jeff Wilson was also the top Team leader.

Fire and Safety Training were involved in running the events, and judged the confined space, heights, chemical awareness and fire awareness sections.

Congratulations to the rescue team from Alliance Pukeuri (just out of Oamaru) who were the victors at the team competitions at the Alliance Lorneville plant in Invercargill last week.  Rescue teams from all the South Island plants went head to head testing their skills in many areas including fire fighting, confined space entry, rope skills and hazardous goods.  Pukeuri’s Team Leader, Bernie Miller was most gracious in acknowledging the training they recieved from Fire & Safety Training as a key factor in their success.

Today Fire and Safety trainers are judging the Alliance Freezing works competitions at Lorneville in Invercargill.

Teams from Alliance plants over the South Island compete in a variety of skills including fire fighting, confined space entry, dangerous goods handling and heights. May the best team win!

F&ST Height trainer, Nathan Meager, spoke to a full room when he delivered a presentation entititled ‘Difficult Access Solutions’ prepared with his fellow trainer, Ian Reid, at the National Safety Show in Auckland last week.  Nathan spoke about some specific challenging jobs he and Ian had completed recently, as well as  general advice when dealing with jobs tough to access.