Hutt Valley Fire Police are currently equipped with two response vehicles. Generally, both are responded to ensure that any combination of required equipment can be brought to bear as quickly as possible.

They are equipped with similar, but complimentary, loadouts of equipment including:

• Road Cones and Traffic Control Signage
  
• Lighting Equipment
  
• Protective Tape and 'Cone Rod' barriers
  
• Generators and Electrical Leads, RCDs and power breakout-boxes
  
• Light Refreshment Capabilities (Hot Drinks and snacks, Water and Squincher)
  
• Radio Communications
  
• Torches and Traffic Control Wands
  

Whilst the Unit generally responds both vehicles to any callouts we receive, RIMU4926 and 4928 are capable of operating independently and allow the Unit to attend multiple calls simultaneously.

Each duty crew maintains a driver for each vehicle, usually amongst the members based near Rimutaka station. When activated, drivers will respond to station and uplift their vehicle, while other members may either respond to the station as crew, or directly to the incident.

Rimutaka 4926

Our primary response vehicle is Rimutaka 4926 – a Nissan Urvan. A member of the duty crew will respond to Rimutaka and uplift this vehicle if we are paged to respond to an incident. 4926 can respond with a driver plus 4 members as crew if required, and acts as a Fire Police command point when on the scene. Its loadout includes personal radio equipment for issue to Fire Police personnel at the scene of an incident, as well as other resources - including lighting equipment, refreshments and road cones.

Rimutaka 4928

Formerly the Region 'Tip Truck' utility vehicle, Hutt Valley Fire Police have had full-time custody of this appliance (a Ford Trader flatbed tip-truck) since 2007. 4928 is equipped similarly to 4926, but with its additional role of Salvage Tender, also carries AquaVacs, Salvage Sheets and other equipment for this particular specialist role. It also carries the majority of our supply of Road Cones.

The Unit is very grateful for the access to a second vehicle as this adds a lot of flexibility to our operations, especially considering the geographic area that we cover. RIMU4928 can respond with a crew of 2 (Driver +1).

See also the impromptu November 2008 Photo Shoot

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Lighting Plant and Generator

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Until late 2009 HVFP also operated a substantial Diesel powered Generator (usually towed by 4926) with High powered Halogen Lighting Equipment. This was a useful asset for the Unit and was regularly called upon to provide both a powerful lighting setup, and also a fairly substantial alternative to mains power when needed. Unfortunately the genset experienced a mechanical failure and and as an older piece of kit, the cost of repair was such that it was not economically viable to maintain.

The Unit quickly worked to bring up an alternative lighting capability, and this was first seen deployed in a serious manner during the substantial multi-property house fire in Lower Hutt, November 2009. The Unit now operates several portable generators (as well as a fixed diesel genset on RIMU4928) with a mix of Metal-Halide and Halogen portable lights able to be mounted on standard roadsign bases (as seen during Training in January 2010. This solution, in addition to our 500W Tripod-based portable lights, provides us with a much more flexible lighting capability, able to cast a significant amount of light over a very wide area.

As a regional lighting resource we are regularly called upon to light up emergency scenes such as serious Motor Vehicle Accidents and suspicious fires; we also use our generator resource to provide a portable emergency power supply when required. The Roadcones previously carried on the Lighting Plant are now transported on RIMU4928.

Private Vehicles

It is also likely that if you see us in operation at an incident, you will see one or more of our private vehicles with a beacon fitted. Hutt Vallely Fire Police members other than the duty driver(s) are authorised to respond directly to incidents in their private vehicles. Often for reasons of safety members will use their own vehicles and equipment as warning devices at an incident, through the deployment of road cones and temporary beacons. The use of a temporary beacon is permitted in law, but only at the scene - the beacon is only deployed within the incident environs.

Members responding in their private vehicles do not have traffic priveledges and cannot respond to an incident under lights or sirens. However, within the immediate vicinity of an incident, the beacon can provide a means to warn people already in attendance of their approach, as well as warning members of the public that they are approaching an emergency scene.

This is likewise the role of our NZFS vehicles and their permanent beacons. The sirens on 4926 and 4928 (if fitted) are not utilised; the beacons only used in immediate proximity to an incident for safety reasons.

It should be noted that Fire Police generally receive no compensation for the use of their private vehicles on Fire Service business.