Hey Mate! Don't light that fire!
There's a total fire ban on around the Waikato. The little rain we’ve had has evaporated and the ground, grass and bush are still tinder dry.
So how come a few people are ignoring the ban and burning hedge clippings, tree stumps or general clean-up rubbish? That's something that puzzles Paul Shaw, Principal Rural Fire Officer for the Waikato.
"The fire risk is extreme for most of the region, so when someone decides to burn off a heap of rubbish they are highly likely to set their surroundings alight,” he says.
“A lifestyle block owner in the Northern Waikato recently lit a fire that started off small but spread quickly and got out of control. Two Brigades has to turn out to what was an unnecessary, deliberately lit fire during the Total Fire Ban.”
Even a fire that appears safe can still cause unnecessary call-outs and serious logistical problems for the Fire Service.
“When members of the public see smoke they call 111, and we are obliged to send fire appliances and staff to investigate. Not only does that divert us from real emergencies it means that our staff and volunteers have to leave their safe Covid-19 ‘bubbles’ and risk a virus infection,” says Paul.
“We are doing our best to look after our personnel during the pandemic. We have stood down all over 70s, and many others have stood themselves down because they or members of their close families having underlying health issues. This has reduced the number of people we have available to respond.”
Paul emphasises that Fire and Emergency NZ will always be there to look after communities but right now they are asking the public to minimise the risk by not lighting any fires.
“We can’t afford to have our limited resources put in unnecessary danger because of fires lit by thoughtless people,” he says.
For further information contact Paul Shaw on 027 284 8636 or paul.shaw@fireandemergency.nz
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
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82.2% Yes
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15.1% No
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2.7% Other - I'll share below
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
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