Fire brigade

The Brigade is pleased to announce the purchase of a 2nd defibrillator allowing each truck to now carry this very critical piece of resuscitation equipment.  A generous donation for this purpose was made by Sandra and John Hargrave who have seen the benefit of these life saving devices from their past association with the ambulance service in Wellington.  Sandra and John have lived in Martinborough for 13 years and own The Old Manse B&B on Grey Street and their support is greatly appreciated.

We would also like to thank the Waihanga St Johns Masonic Lodge (Martinborough) for their previous support in fundraising for both the urban fire brigades and the rural fire force in the South Wairarapa.
The annual Pukemanu Fishing Competition held on Sunday 10 November resulted in a fine catch donated to the Brigade for our fish auction.  We appreciate the generosity of the competitors for giving away their prized catch to support our continuing efforts to maintain fire and rescue services for the area. 

During the 12 months ending 31 December, the Brigade responded to 91 emergencies, which is about average in the past several years.  These emergency calls were in the following categories: Structure Fires – 13, Medical Assist – 22, Vegetation – 22, Motor Vehicle Related – 11, False Alarms – 7, Power Supply Related – 9, Wind and Other Related – 7. 

Through training and the commitment of members, the Brigade continues to meet or exceed the national standards in the critical areas for emergency response.  In the past 12 months the initial response time (from being alerted to when the first truck leaves the station) has been under 4 minutes while the standard is 5 minutes. 
The other critical standard relates to wearing breathing apparatus which must be worn for all interior fire fighting, rescues and anywhere noxious fumes are present.    The percentage of operational members in the Brigade holding breathing apparatus certification is 95% while the standard is 80%. 

This coming year there will be further opportunities for advanced training for members seeking higher rank in the Brigade.  The certification of more drivers for our emergency vehicles will be a focus. 
Currently, burning permits are required which can be obtained from SWDC. Please check if there are any fire restrictions before lighting any fires.