Companies back firefighters
AA Insurance, with support from Turners, has donated 24 salvaged vehicles to the United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA) for its Road Crash Rescue Challenge.
The annual event provides volunteer firefighters across New Zealand with critical rescue and response skills, and training for motor-vehicle crashes.
The challenge has become one of UFBA’s most important events, mirroring the increasing number of road accidents firefighters are being asked to attend. Some 70 per cent are responded to by volunteers.
This learning opportunity gives them the chance to hone their life-saving skills by practising rescue and medical responses in true-to-life scenarios, while gaining critical decision making and team-work experience.
Bill Butzbach, chief executive officer of the UFBA, says: “This event would not be possible without support from organisations like AA Insurance and Turners, which provide many of the vehicles our members use to practise rescue techniques in the challenge.
“These are skills that our volunteers take back to their brigades and communities, which helps them respond quickly and effectively to motor crashes in their local area.”
Beau Paparoa, AA Insurance’s head of motor claims, adds: “We’re proud to support the Road Crash Rescue Challenge, and the important work volunteer firefighters do to help communities prevent, prepare, respond and recover from emergencies.
“Every day we see the impact that crashes have on New Zealanders, and we’re pleased to support initiatives that help our emergency frontline respond when these devastating crashes happen.”
Turners’ general manager of key accounts, Shane Prince, says: “Turners has had a long partnership with AA Insurance and we are delighted to assist with arranging damaged vehicles for this event.
“Turners sell more than 30,000 salvaged cars a year to automotive recyclers and dismantlers, which dismantle the vehicles and recycle parts from them. It’s great to work with AA Insurance to be able to donate a portion of these cars to support our local firefighters.”
For more than 145 years, the UFBA has brought brigades together from across New Zealand.
Today it represents and provides services to more than 690 different fire brigades, and nearly 14,000 individuals from urban, rural, career, volunteer, defence, airport and industry brigades. This year’s Road Crash Rescue Challenge took place in Feilding from June 13-15.
