Station officer Daniel Neal and chief fire officer Neville King beside a board showing the names of personnel who have served the Ōtorohanga Volunteer Fire Brigade over the last hundred years. PHOTO SUPPLIED
THE Ōtorohanga Volunteer Fire Brigade has begun laying foundations for its centenary celebrations in about 18 months’ time.
The brigade was formed in February 1925, and celebrations are planned for Easter weekend in 2025.
“We are trying to get those individuals and families who have been associated with the brigade at some time in the past, but who we have somehow lost connection to over the years,” chief fire officer Neville King said.
“We really want them to get in touch with us. Failing that, it would be great to think people who read this article will be able to help provide us with contacts for those who have been part of the Ōtorohanga brigade in the past, so that we can get in touch with them.”
He said the brigade had seen a multitude of changes over its history, such as the fact that it moved from being council-run to coming under Government control with the passing of the Fire Services Act, circa 1972.
Station officer Daniel Neal said the brigade had much information on its history going back to about 1980, but that obviously left a big gap.
“We realise that so many folks out there may be in a position to help us assemble background information and stories relating to the history of our brigade from earlier times,” Daniel said.
“They may have photos, newspaper or magazine clippings, memorabilia or possibly even video from the bygone days.
“If so, we’d love access to such information and resources in order to help us curate displays for when we celebrate our centenary.”
The brigade has a list of the names of personnel who have served over the years, and a significant number of these have gold stars beside their names, denoting 25 years’ service. There have been many large fires listed in the history of the brigade, though additional information on them would always be welcome, Neville said.
These include the fire at caravan manufacturer, CI Munro, in 1984; the Ōtorohanga Timber Company Fire in 1994; the Waitomo Caves Information Centre fire in 2007; the Tamahere Coolstore explosion in 2008; the Waitomo Tavern fire in 2013 and many others.
“Potentially there is no difference between the size, scale and seriousness of a fire in a big city or in a rural area like ours,”
“We do our weekly training to be ready for any kind of incident, and it can be the same type larger brigades are called to in Auckland, Hamilton or Tauranga,” Daniel said.
Over the years, the brigade had moved to performing exclusively as a fire service to the much wider brief of being an emergency service, he said.
The diversity of the callouts now comprised structural or scrub fires of various sizes and types, vehicle crash recues, chemical and dangerous goods spillages, animal rescues, medical and other emergencies. Adding to the complexity of the new era, to deal with this range of incidents, volunteer fire fighters had to hold virtually the same level of certification and compliance as full-time paid firemen.
