The Mossburn Volunteer Fire Brigade will benefit from a new fire truck, donated by Meridian, which was stationed at the White Hill wind farm during project construction.
The Mossburn Volunteer Fire Brigade was presented with the Bedford fire truck at a ceremony at the Mossburn Fire Station (Wednesday 5 March).
Local Mossburn Fire Chief Stephen Trusler says the crew is delighted to accept the fire truck from Meridian.
“The new truck will benefit us and the community significantly. It will definitely make our job a lot easier. It will be perfect for fighting scrub fires which we see a lot of around here due to the condition of the terrain,” he says.
“It isn’t every day that you get given a fire truck so we are truly grateful to the Meridian team at White Hill,” he added.
Paul Wilson, Meridian Energy Projects Delivery Manager – Southern, says they are delighted to be able to help the local fire brigade.
“Part of the White Hill project’s fire risk management plan was to purchase a fire truck. The environment we operate in is covered by forest plantations, tussock, and grass so it is particularly susceptible to fire risk,” he says.
“Now that we have finished construction the risk of fire is much less so the truck is surplus to requirements. We are delighted to be able to donate it to the Mossburn Volunteer Fire Brigade as they do a fantastic job in the community and we are sure it will benefit the region immensely,” he added.
The White Hill wind farm project developed and maintained an excellent fire prevention policy and the fire crew was only required to attend one on-site fire which was only part of a planned exercise. They were also called out to act as back up to the Mossburn brigade during a local grass fire.
Background - White Hill Wind Farm
The White Hill wind farm is Meridian’s second wind farm development and was constructed on an 8km by 3km section of forestry land in Southland, south-east of Mossburn (which is around 14 km west of Lumsden).
The site is ideal for wind-powered electricity generation due to the strong and consistent natural wind in the area.
The 29-turbine wind farm has the potential to provide power for up to 30,000 homes. The turbines stand 107m tall and their rotor blades have an 80m diameter sweep.
The wind farm was officially opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark in a community based ceremony on 8 June 2007.
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For more information contact:
Claire Shaw
Meridian External Relations Advisor
021 370 677
Stephen Trusler
Chief Officer Mossburn Volunteer Fire Brigade
03 248 6441