Surf Life Saving Northern Region volunteers used inflatable rescue boats to rescue people from floodwaters in January 2023. Photo: Supplied/ Surf Life Saving Northern Region
Fire and Emergency says its six new water rescue teams are ready to be deployed if needed though only three have a boat.
FENZ began its first of firefighters for flood rescues following Cyclone Gabrielle.
In the Auckland floods in January, firefighters without boats stripped to their t-shirts and went into deep water inside and outside houses to rescue people.
In the cyclone, a fire crew at Wairoa had to borrow a rowing club's dinghy, with a motor, to effect multiple rescues.
FENZ said it had begun moves to bring in swift-water training before the cyclone, and now had 74 people with basic training.
Fifteen others were waiting for training, and half a dozen tactical advisors were also being trained.
"Each team will have at least two non-motorised inflatable water craft for flood evacuation and as a technical rescue option," FENZ said in a statement.
Auckland is the best equipped so far, with five inflatables.
Christchurch has two boats and Wellington one, but the other three teams - Bay of Plenty-Waikato, Hawkes Bay-Manawatu, and the far south - have no boats yet.
"We are not using powered boats for this capability but inflatable water craft used by emergency services internationally to evacuate people in floods," FENZ told RNZ earlier.
"When we need powered water craft we work with other agencies such as Surf Life Saving."
Earlier this year FENZ was borrowing boats in Auckland from a whitewater park. Its new statement talked about "boat options" and it was unclear whether it now owned the inflatables. It ran its first trials of the new rescue capability during the floods earlier this year, FENZ has said.
However, it did not send its best-equipped team, in Auckland, to Gisborne ahead of or during the floods there in late June. Any water rescues there would be done by Surf Life Saving crews, it told RNZ at the time.
Surf Life Saving is easily the most prepared for flood rescues, with the most motorised boats and trained lifesavers - though more used to making rescues at the beach - but has struggled to get government help.
The new FENZ water rescue teams have some PPE but are waiting on shipping to complete their other kit.
"The equipping of the teams is still ongoing and is partially complete," the FENZ statement said.
Water rescue teams
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