It’s been a while since you’ve heard from us and can we say that we haven’t been on holiday! Quite the opposite in fact, as we have been busy on call outs and refining our skills so that we are operationally ready 365 days of the year.
Since it’s been a while we thought we’d give you an average count of incidences that we have attended to give you a broader understanding of what we do. In the last five years on average we have attended 6 Structure Fires, 14 Vegetation Fires, 6 Special Service incidences, 16 False Alarms, 4 Public Assists. 114 Medical, 5 Other Fires and 13 Vehicle Accidents with a total of over 184 callouts on average a year. With only 365 days a year that makes us a busy wee station.
Behind the scenes we have been fortunate enough to have some members transfer from other brigades. Craig Nicholson has joined us from Wainuiomata and brings with him years of experience and leadership. Transferring from Plimmerton is Chris Payne who joins us as a Recruit Fire Fighter and will be heading off to our National Training Centre in November to qualify as an operational Fire Fighter. Apparently the grass is greener on this side of the hill! Other new members include pocket rocket Nadia Lamnao who has youth on her side and a keen attitude to learn. Maree Kedzlie has joined our Medical First Response Crew and brings with her experience as a registered nurse. We welcome you all to the team.
Volunteering with Fire and Emergency allows you to create pathways for your own learning and development. Many of our team have up-skilled over the past few months to challenge themselves in ways you might never have the chance to in your paid career. Recently Leith Harley and Gray Castleton passed their Recruit Fire Fighting course at NTC in Rotorua and are now operational BA wearing members. John Crighton has obtained his Emergency Drivers qualification, Pump operator qualification and passed his Senior Fire Fighter course moving up a rank. Jenna Matchett has recently returned from NTC passing her Qualified Fire Fighting course moving up to the rank of QFF. Well done everyone for continuing to challenge yourselves and improve your skills for your brigade and community.
Fire and Emergency pay for all training courses, travel, flights and accommodation and remunerate you for time off your paid job. How cool is that? You get to challenge yourself, build lifelong friendships and do some pretty amazing things like live fire, helicopter skills, climbing through tunnels, under train carriages and up ladders. Not your everyday experiences.
If any of what we’ve been up to sounds like something you’d be interested in, come on down, we’re at the station on Tuesday nights from 6.30pm. We’ve been called cowboys in the past but rest assured this isn’t our first rodeo and it won’t be our last! Come and be part of making a difference for your community.
