Dousing flames and searching for smoking hot-spots were all in a week’s work for a group of prisoners doing forestry work in Hawkes Bay.
The 12 prisoners, who were working in Mohaka Forest as part of the Release to Work programme, were quick to come to the aid of firefighters when alerted to the fires near State Highway Two.
Armed with shovels and back-pack spray-units, they worked from four in the morning to seven at night several days running to help ensure the fire was completely controlled.
“The guys were obviously extremely tired, but they were really happy to help,” says Corrections Inmate Employment Site Operations Manager Phil Harman.
At the height of the fire, as many as nine helicopters with monsoon buckets were flying overhead.
Helicopters, firefighters and prison forestry crews worked
together to extinguish the forest fires at Mohaka.
(Photograph courtesy Hawkes Bay Today)
The prisoners’ commitment hasn’t ended - a recent spate of fires in the area means that they are still on-call 24-hours a day in case fire breaks out again.
Pan Pac, owners of Mohaka Forest, commended the way the forestry crew responded to the situation.
“I was very impressed with all the fire crews’ efforts” says Pan Pac Forestry Manager Gerald Haynes.
The prisoners were in Mohaka Forest as part of the Release to Work programme, earning forestry qualifications and getting practical experience, such as in chainsaw use and safety. Prisoners can continue to work towards these qualifications after release.
Experience shows that the programme is working.
“In the last six months, six prisoners from Hawkes Bay Prison have continued to work in forestry after their release,” says Phil.
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ISSN 1178-8453