Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
A crew of volunteer firefighters has encountered "every first responder's worst nightmare" after arriving at a car crash to find their own family members were involved.
Himatangi Beach Volunteer Fire Brigade, near Palmerston North, was called to the crash on Monday at 5.29pm, when that "nightmare became a reality".
"One of the vehicles involved belonged to Dianne, who is the wife of our Chief Fire Officer, and the mother of two of our brigade members. All three members were on the first arriving truck at the scene," a post on its social media page read.
"For all of you who were on the scene on Monday evening, we can't thank you enough for everything you did. We know it was hard for you all as well and we really appreciate your personal touch."
The station's flag was flying at half-mast in honour of Dianne Marie Dear, whose funeral would be held in Feilding on Monday.
The brigade thanked the community, its neighbouring brigades and Fire and Emergency, saying it was "so very grateful" for the support it had received.
"Our Himatangi Brigade family is holding Wayne, Hayden Karl and Logan very close to our hearts during this time, and we will continue to be here for them during the tough times ahead.
"We number our callouts throughout the year, but for everyone involved in serious calls they are so much more than just a number to us."
Assistant commander and group manager for the Manawatū-Whanganui fire district Craig Gold said it was a head-on collision between two vehicles on Rangiotu Road.
He was among those who attended the crash from the Himatangi Beach, Palmerston North and Foxton.
"A local farmer was first on the scene, it happened right outside a property. He heard the incident and he was speaking to Dianne after the incident," Gold said.
"We had to extricate a patient from each vehicle. Unfortunately Dianne passed away on scene very soon after she was removed. The other patient I believe was helicoptered to Wellington Hospital in critical condition."
It was immediately apparent that a family member of the crew was involved, he said.
"You could see the rear of the vehicle was relatively undamaged and it was sort of poking up and the registration of the car was clearly visible, so I would've said as they were pulling up, before they'd even stopped, they would've come to the realisation that it was a family member involved."
Gold remained at Himatangi Beach supporting the local crew and said the mood in town was sombre, with people still in a state of shock.
"It's a really tough time and it's really hit home for the community," he said.
"This brigade is a family and their family members are a family if you know what I mean. It's really hard in small communities to recover from a loss like this, and especially when they're such a big part of the community."
The other crews that attended the crash had also felt the impact, Gold said.
"When I came back to the station here on Monday night the whole fire station had gathered and we had a table full of fish and chips and a few things and members of the other fire brigades started showing up, you know, 10 o'clock at night, to show their support for the family and the brigade."
The boss of a union representing paid and volunteer crews said firefighters were "acutely aware" they may go to a callout and find a family member was involved.
United Fire Brigades' Association chief executive Bill Butzbach said his heart went out to the family and brigade, describing it as an "absolutely horrific situation and a devastating tragedy".
Most (86 percent) of the firefighting frontline was made up of volunteers, because New Zealand had so many small communities dotted around the country, he said. Last year, volunteer firefighters attended 70 percent of all motor vehicle accidents.
"It's in the back of every firefighter's mind, and you wonder when you do get the call, you know, will I know this person? I think it's fair to say most firefighters will be thinking about that, but not at the expense of the role that they're going to perform," Butzbach said.
"It's about what happens afterwards in terms of the ongoing support when things cool down. That's when the rubber hits the road and that's when they need to be wrapped with lots of support."
Fire and Emergency had very robust systems in place to protect people from the psychological trauma that could result, he said.
It was also not uncommon for multiple generations of a family to volunteer or work in the service.
"It's more common than not. I myself come from three generations of firefighters and that's often the way that brigades operate, it's passed on ... there's a lot of fire brigade families around, and they're very proud of it too, you know, it's a family tradition. The thing about being a firefighter is that when you're in the job, your family is too."
A blessing of the crash site had been conducted on Wednesday.
The police said there was no update on enquiries into the circumstances of the crash.
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