Fire Brigade Report
There has been a Changing of the Guard at Martinborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, which has welcomed the region’s first woman Chief Fire Officer.
The brigade held it’s 117th AGM on the 23 July.
Chaired by Wairarapa Group Manager Craig Cottrill, the meeting opened with a minute’s silence in honour of Life Member Jim Harper who passed away in July. Condolences go out to his family and friends.
The biggest news of the night was the changing of the guard, with CFO Jacob Hawkins resigning after more than 30 years’ service to Fire and Emergency and the Wairarapa community.
Jake wanted to thank the community for all their support over that time. His absence will be keenly
felt by the brigade.
With that, the group welcomed the appointment of new Chief Fire Officer, Lisa-Marie Ireland. Lisa has been firefighting for over 15 years and is a respected leader in the brigade.
As the first woman to achieve the rank of CFO in the area, her accomplishment is huge, and very well-deserved.
2023/24 has been an impactful year with significant change. It was our busiest year on record with
338 calls – an increase of 20% on last year, an 87% increase on the five-year average, and a 590%
increase on 2019/2020 incident numbers.
There were five promotions and two resignations over the last year, with the following awards given out:
The Charlie Johns Shield for most attendance at musters was awarded to QFF Dylan Ross.
The Thomas Family Trophy for best firefighter was voted on by the brigade and awarded to SO Brett Townsend.
Congratulations to both for their hard work and congratulations to all award winners, promotions and especially to the new CFO.
Thank you to all in the Martinborough community who have supported the brigade.
Caption: Chief Fire Officer White Helmet changes hands as the first woman CFO takes charge.
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