A routine training night turned into a real emergency for Palmerston North’s Hato Hone St John major incident support team after a chemical leak at a Levin meat plant left more than 20 people needing treatment.
Three people were taken to hospital following the incident at the Alliance Group's meat processing plant on Hamaria Rd.
St John's Palmerston North's major incident support team was due to start a training exercise at 7pm on Thursday when the emergency call came in at 6.58pm.
"A few dedicated team members were already on station and had pre-checked the vehicles," a spokesperson said.
"That enabled a record response time of only four minutes from the alert being received, to [a support team unit] having left the station and enroute, fully crewed."
Eleven vehicles responded in total, including five ambulances, three rapid response units, two operations managers and the MIST team.
"One patient in a serious condition and two patients in a moderate condition were transported to Palmerston North Hospital by ambulance," a St John spokesperson said.
"A further 19 patients were assessed and treated at the scene in a minor condition but did not require transport."
Fire and Emergency NZ sent four full crews and three specialist crews from Ōtaki, Levin, and Palmerston North, with "serious decontamination methods" carried out on 20 people.
WorkSafe confirmed it had been notified and had begun making inquiries.
"We are currently making initial enquiries to understand the circumstances of the event and will respond accordingly. Fire and Emergency New Zealand are the lead agency in responding to chemical spills," a spokesperson said.
"WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses and workers to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe."
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