Young Waimarino fire fighter takes on newly-created job

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 613, 21 November 1995, Page 5

Young Waimarino fire fighter takes on newly-created job

Nineteen-year-old Heather Munn of Ohakune has been appointed by the New Zealand Fire Service to the position of assistant support officer, Ruapehu District. Her main responsibility is to assist the vol-

unteer fire chiefs within the Ruapehu region. This is the first such position to be created with the NZ Fire Service and is for a trial period initially before a decision is made to extend the service to other districts. She was appointed ahead of three other applicants. Heather has been a member of the Ohakune Volunteer Fire Brigade for the past three-and-a-half years. Her father Kevin has been a member of the same brigade for 1.7 years. She will remain a member of the local brigade but

her new part-time, 20-hour per week job will take her to seven other fire stations within the Ruapehu district from time to time. These include Raetihi, National Park, Whakapapa, Owhango, Manunui, Taumarunui and Ohura. Her duties include giving talks to schools, businesses and other organisations promoting fire safety and the use of smoke alarms, the transport of brigade members and equipment between stations and attending training courses. To carry out these duties she has been given the use

of an eye-catching Toyota Hiace van sign-written with NZ Fire Service insignia and First Alert Smoke Alarms company logo who sponsored the paintwork. Heather normally wears her 'Level One' overalls but always carries her fire brigade 'turn-out' gear in the van so that in the event of an emergency call-out she can assist crews from any of the other seven fire stations. To keep in touch with what is happening in the Ruapehu region and with her control centre in Palmerston North she has the use of a message pager.

This enables her to cover the Ohakune and Raetihi brigades through Palmerston North as well as the National Park and other northern fire stations which are controlled through Hamilton.

A certain Ohakune farmer and his wife were in Christchurch at this time last year to watch the racing at Riccarton during Canterbury's anniversary weekend. At some point during the afternoon's race programme our two local punters watched as a helicopter approached and landed in the 'birdcage'. From the helicopter stepped a strikingly attractive and tall blonde dressed in a seductive off-the-shoulder leopard skin. Our local farmer was greatly impressed and said as much to his wife who, enjoying somewhat better eyesight than her husband wasn't too worried about any possibility of a long term relationship developing between the two. The airborne visitor was none other than the female impersonator Julian Clary.