Fighting Fire in Paradise: A Custom Toro Workman for Laucala Island
The Struggles of Being Isolated
Life on a remote island resort comes with undeniable beauty. Turquoise waters, palm trees, and the promise of serenity. But with that seclusion comes a unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to safety.
Laucala Island in Fiji is home to a luxury resort that had long grappled with a pressing concern: fire preparedness. With limited access to emergency services and no nearby fire stations, even a small fire could pose a major threat to guests, staff, and infrastructure. Waiting for outside help simply wasn’t an option.
And while buying a conventional firetruck might seem like the obvious choice, the logistics were anything but. Transporting a full-sized truck to the island? Complicated. Servicing it? Even harder. What the resort needed was something flexible, lightweight, and powerful. Something tailored to island life.
Where Parkland Steps In
That’s when the resort reached out to Parkland.
Instead of turning away the request, we listened. Our team worked closely with the client to understand their environment, limitations, and goals. The result? A fully customised Toro Workman utility vehicle, transformed into a compact, high-performance fire response unit. See a demonstration of it here.
We removed the standard loading tray and retrofitted the back with a heavy-duty mobile water pump and a powerful hose reel system. It also includes:
- A loud siren for on-resort emergency alerts
- A water-pump and hose setup that draws directly from a swimming pool
- Firefighting spray distance of over 25 metres
- A compact two-seater cab for agile, on-site mobility
The innovation lies in its simplicity. The operator drives to a fire zone, drops one end of the hose into a pool, powers up the pump, and instantly has access to a reliable, pressurised water source — no mains or hydrants required.
The build itself took weeks of planning, engineering, and collaboration between our sales manager Darren and local specialists in Auckland. Every component was carefully selected and tested for durability, performance, and ease of use. What started as a simple request turned into an exceptional example of what happens when smart ideas meet practical execution.
Safety Secured — Island Style
The resort now has peace of mind and a reliable first-response vehicle tailored to its environment. And at Parkland, we walk away with another story that proves what we’ve always believed: the best solutions aren’t always on the shelf — sometimes, they’re built from scratch.
Looking for Something Custom? Let’s Talk.
From firefighting rigs to landscaping workhorses, we make vehicles work for your world. If you’ve got a unique challenge, we’ve got the tools, expertise, and creativity to solve it.
Contact the Parkland team today and find out how we can bring your custom vehicle solution to life.
