One more rural fire tanker - at a cost of $89,303- is needed for effective rural fire control within Central Otago.
So says the Otago Rural Fire Authority's principal rural fire officer, Stephanie Rotarangi, who has asked the Central Otago District Council to pay for the tanker.
In a submission to the council's long-term plan, Dr Rotarangi said the one-off grant would provide an additional tanker for extra water, to be used within the district.
The three tankers available were insufficient, she said.
''This is based on the last five years of fire statistics, the climatic risk profile and the associated travel time across the region.''
The authority thanked the district for the ''quality'' of the equipment provided for rural fire control and it had no safety concerns about the district's rural fire fleet or about the housing of equipment in Central Otago, Dr Rotarangi said.
A report commissioned by the Department of Internal Affairs ranked Otago as the ''highest-risk'' rural fire district, based on population, area and fire climate.
The report was in its final draft at the time the submission was made and also ranked Otago as the ''least prepared'' in terms of assets to manage the risk, based on vehicle locations and numbers, she said.
Six rural fire authorities, including Central Otago, merged to form the regional fire authority on July 1, 2014.
Central Otago will contribute $279,549 to the authority's operating budget in the 2015-16 year.
The council will meet on Monday to consider submissions to its long-term plan.
Last month the Clutha District Council agreed to the fire authority's request for $259,250 over two years to help replace three water tankers in that district.
