A crew of volunteer firefighters has encountered “every first responder’s worst nightmare” after arriving at a car crash to find their own family members were involved.
Himatangi Beach Volunteer Fire Brigade, near Palmerston North, was called to the crash on Monday at 5.29pm, when that “nightmare became a reality”.
“One of the vehicles involved belonged to Dianne, who is the wife of our Chief Fire Officer, and the mother of two of our brigade members. All three members were on the first arriving truck at the scene,” a post on its social media page read.
“For all of you who were on the scene on Monday evening, we can’t thank you enough for everything you did. We know it was hard for you all as well and we really appreciate your personal touch.”
The station’s flag was flying at half-mast in honour of Dianne Marie Dear, whose funeral would be held in Feilding on Monday.
The brigade thanked the community, its neighbouring brigades and Fire and Emergency, saying it was “so very grateful” for the support it had received.
“Our Himatangi Brigade family is holding Wayne, Hayden Karl and Logan very close to our hearts during this time, and we will continue to be here for them during the tough times ahead.
“We number our callouts throughout the year, but for everyone involved in serious calls they are so much more than just a number to us.”
Assistant commander and group manager for the Manawatū-Whanganui fire district Craig Gold said it was a head-on collision between two vehicles on Rangiotu Rd.
He was among those who attended the crash from Himatangi Beach, Palmerston North and Foxton.
“A local farmer was first on the scene, it happened right outside a property. He heard the incident and he was speaking to Dianne after the incident,” Gold said.
“We had to extricate a patient from each vehicle. Unfortunately Dianne passed away on scene very soon after she was removed. The other patient I believe was helicoptered to Wellington Hospital in critical condition.”
It was immediately apparent that a family member of the crew was involved, he said.
“You could see the rear of the vehicle was relatively undamaged and it was sort of poking up and the registration of the car was clearly visible, so I would’ve said as they were pulling up, before they’d even stopped, they would’ve come to the realisation that it was a family member involved.”
Gold remained at Himatangi Beach supporting the local crew and said the mood in town was sombre, with people still in a state of shock.
“It’s a really tough time and it’s really hit home for the community,” he said.
“This brigade is a family and their family members are a family if you know what I mean. It’s really hard in small communities to recover from a loss like this, and especially when they’re such a big part of the community.”
The other crews that attended the crash had also felt the impact, Gold said.
“When I came back to the station here on Monday night the whole fire station had gathered and we had a table full of fish and chips and a few things and members of the other fire brigades started showing up, you know, 10 o’clock at night, to show their support for the family and the brigade.”
A blessing of the crash site had been conducted on Wednesday.
The police said there was no update on inquiries into the circumstances of the crash.
rnz.co.nz
