Another Fire and Emergency New Zealand ladder truck has broken down in Auckland. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union, via Facebook
The firefighters union says another of its ladder trucks in Auckland broke down last night.
The truck has the only high-reach aerial ladder remaining in the region, after the other became stuck and stranded firefighters above a huge blaze at a recycling plant two weeks ago.
Union spokesperson Martin Campbell said the remaining large ladder truck needed repairs when it was found to have a major hydraulic leak.
"That fire truck broke down mere hours before a major fire out in west Auckland early this morning," he said.
"I understand it was a pretty major hydraulic leak from a hose that burst, so that put that truck out of commission and unable to be used."
He said it was fixed just in time to attend a fire early this morning at a timber company.
"Thankfully the mechanics managed to locate a spare hose and get that fire truck back on the run," Campbell said.
"It's incredibly frustrating and dangerous for our officers who are responding to these incidents because they're having to think in the back of their head what happens if my fire truck breaks down.
"That means they may have to change their strategies and tactics fighting fires."
Fire and Emergency has been approached for comment.
Aerial trucks have large ladders that can squirt water from above the fire, and reach into places firefighters cannot when they are on the ground.
Campbell said if aerial trucks were not available, crews would have to go into buildings with hoses.
He said if they broke down, it could result in more rescues such as last month's, when two firefighters became trapped 10 to 15 metres above scorching flames in a ladder truck basket.
That fire broke out on 24 April at a recycling plant on Auckland's North Shore.
Campbell earlier said the firefighters in the ladder truck basket tried "everything they were trained to do to get them out of the dangerous scenario they were in" before issuing a mayday call to get another truck to help them escape.
The agency began moving to urgently restart a group working on a strategy for replacing its big-ladder trucks, shortly before that break-down.
The agency earlier told RNZ it was investing as much as it could afford in new trucks, as well as developing a "fleet asset management plan", and that safety was its top priority.
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