Locals say out of the ground the steam rises as though the city was on the verge of boiling over! A dramatic scene, but the subterranean geothermal energy that roars beneath your feet bears absolutely no relationship to the cause of your office, flat, or restaurant going up in flames. Faulty wiring, a fuse box under strain or that forgotten stovetop – anything can start a fire, just like anywhere else in New Zealand 
A local fire protection specialist's first job is understanding the buildings they're responsible for. That timber lodge by the lake is vastly different to a crowded backpacker complex full of short-term guests who have no idea where the exits are. The city's popular thermal spas that put this city on the map, with consistently high humidity that would degrade a premium fire alarm within a couple of months - they read more here each call for very different strategies of fire protection. Fire extinguishers are typically the first thing anyone considers; yet they are not a "catch-all" solution. Your hot water cylinder or your valuable data storage room really calls for a specialised, pricier extinguisher built to handle liquid or oil fires only, when in fact a dry chemical extinguisher would do a better job in that case. Did you know it's important to remember that the restaurant kitchen at your popular backpackers hostel now sits near the top of the risk list, and needs a wet chemical model suitable for any liquid cooking oils in a fire situation (Class F)? The humble sprinkler system is never recognized until it's the thing that stops catastrophe. Rotorua's high mineral content lead to calcification in the sprinkler system's pipes, which means that annual flow test is non-negotiable, not optional - it's what stands between you and a costly disaster. Fire alarm systems too often sit forgotten with tests seldom carried out - it was installed and then forgotten. That gap in awareness might mean the battery that was fitted all those years ago during New Zealand's 'bronze age of mobile technology' has stopped working. A yearly check-up will catch these issues - before it becomes anything that becomes headline news. There's also that dreaded annual occurrence that comes with running a building - your Building Warrant of Fitness (BWoF). Scrambling as you chase down the inspector last minute creates unnecessary pressure, it will usually and always result in the building being unable to pass. A proactive fire protection provider, however, stays ahead of the schedule, and handle all the required records before your BWoF deadline is upon you with your landlord breathing down your neck. Do not forget what is arguably the most neglected element in fire safety, however - your human resources. Employees, for instance, with their fingers barely inches, then feet, and then yards from open flames or electrical risks, may rarely if ever touch the fire extinguisher, or for that matter, even release the wall-mounted fire blanket. A brief ten-minute briefing on stopping a fryer fire from spreading does more than all any laminated safety poster.