Okaihau Volunteer Fire Brigade

Home
New Zealand
Okaihau
Okaihau Volunteer Fire Brigade

Welcome to the Okaihau Volunteer Fire Brigade

09/06/2026

It’s tempting to hang winter laundry near a heater. But unless it’s a metre away, your clothes are a fire waiting to happen.

REMEMBER: A METRE FROM THE HEATER

See a fire before it starts

26/05/2026

Unseen debris in your chimney is a fire waiting to happen. Make sure you have your chimney cleaned before the first fire of the season.

REMEMBER: CHIMNEY ALRIGHT BEFORE FIRST LIGHT?

See a fire before it starts

13/05/2026

Meet the Brigade 🚒
Every month, we’re introducing more of our dedicated team to you — the community we’re proud to serve.

In May, we'd like to introduce Senior Firefighter (SFF) Shaniah Flood. Shaniah is a proud member of the Okaihau brigade of over 10 years, and regularly turns out for Kaikohe's brigade during the day as well! As pictured, she also serves alongside her dad Daniel, and delivers a great fire safety demonstration.

We managed to track Shaniah down between calls (quite a feat some days!) to ask her a few questions.

🗨 What's your day job? What's something from your day to day role that helps with being a volunteer firefighter?
🗯 "I work for Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) as a Technician logistics support. A lot of what I do day-to-day helps me be a better firefighter on calls. I have a strong understanding of our equipment and how to use it correctly. I helped kit out our appliance, so I know where everything is and how it’s set up.

My job also means I’m familiar with maintaining and troubleshooting gear, which is valuable on the fireground. Because of my job, I’m particular about how gear is used, and correct terminology, which usually earns me a few eye rolls from the rest of the brigade..."

🗨 What has been your favourite training course?
🗯 “It’s hard to pick a favourite because I’ve been lucky enough to go on some great courses and meet some awesome people along the way. But if I had to choose one, it would probably be the QFF course because it was very hands-on, which is the style of learning I enjoy most.”

🗨 and finally, and most importantly.... every week after training we get together as a team, and have dinner to connect and unwind. What's your favourite thing on the menu?
🗯 “It’s not technically a meal, but Aunty Karen’s lemon cake is easily my favourite thing on a Monday night.”

Keep an eye out as we continue to introduce more of the crew over the coming months. 👨‍🚒👩‍🚒

07/05/2026

April went by in a blur with several public holidays reducing our Monday training nights. It also meant we didn't have as much social media content to share!

We'll be back into full swing this month, and will have some insight into our Hazmat/Decontamination training later in the month, and introducing another member shortly too!

12 calls in April, brings our total at April 30th to 68 so far this year.

08/04/2026

March was another busy month for our crew with 19 calls over the month, bringing our year to date total to 56 calls to the end of March.

March showed us some wild weather, and we were thankfully relatively unaffected in our area.

We've got another tropical cyclone which may impact us this weekend. Metservice has issued a preliminary warning for Sunday the 13th of April 2026

https://www.metservice.com/warnings/severe-weather-outlook

Be sensible, stay safe, and if you do need help do not hesitate to dial 111.

31/03/2026

Every month, we focus on a particular skill at our weekly trainings.

This month, we have been working on our BA (Breathing Apparatus) skills.

We use BA at a wide variety of calls, and have to be consistently ready to go within 90 seconds from putting it on. We also need to be confident operating with BA, and know what do when things go wrong.

At the end of each month, we use scenarios to test our skills in safe, yet realistic situations. This month's scenario, our crew was called to 'smoke showing - persons reported' at the Okaihau Rugby Club changing sheds.

Our crews set up a delivery (hoseline), donned & started BA and made entry to the building, to search for, locate, and rescue the patient inside.

We'll share each month what we're working on, keeping our skills sharp.

If you've got any young people in your whānau, sports club, mārae etc. who you think would be a great fit, contact tiffa...

25/03/2026

If you've got any young people in your whānau, sports club, mārae etc. who you think would be a great fit, contact [email protected] and apply to be apart of the Ignite Programme at Kaikohe Fire Station.

Spots are still available.

17/03/2026

Meet the Brigade 🚒

Every month, we’re introducing more of our dedicated team to you — the community we’re proud to serve.

We're starting off at the top with our Chief Fire Officer (CFO), Todd.

We caught Todd at training recently, brushing up on his breathing apparatus (BA) skills and took the chance to ask him a few questions about his role.

🗨 What's your day job? What's something from your day to day role that helps with being the CFO?

🗯 "I am a Corrective Maintenance Coordinator for Top Energy NZ. Managing multiple conflicting priorities is definitely seen in both worlds. Whether that's prioritising maintenance across the Far North's electricity network at work, or directing teams at an incident."

🗨 What's your favourite piece of kit off the appliance?

🗯 “The battery-powered spreader — or jaws of life — is a really useful piece of equipment. We use it frequently to open car doors or bonnets at incidents, but it’s versatile and can help in a number of situations that might arise.”

🗨 and finally, and most importantly.... every week after training we get together as a team, and have dinner to connect and unwind. What's your favourite thing on the menu?

🗯 “Without a doubt… roast lamb.”

Keep an eye out as we continue to introduce more of the crew over the coming months. 👨‍🚒👩‍🚒

03/03/2026

Our busy start to the year continues with 37 calls now year to date.

When you see us with our lights and sirens on, please slow down, pull over and let us pass. 🚨

When you see us helping at an incident, please give us space and allow us to do our job, which is keeping our community safe. ❤

15/02/2026

Are you planning a burn on your property? Let us know first! 🔥

Whether you are in an open season or you have a fire permit, letting us know when you plan to burn can reduce unnecessary call outs for our crews.

By using this simple online tool and notifying us of your burn:
✅ Our 111 Dispatchers know there is a planned burn in the area.
✅ Calls from the public reporting this fire can be cross-checked with what we know is happening in the area.
✅Our teams can check in with the land owner to make sure their burn is still safe and under control.
✅ It reduces unnecessary call outs for our crews keeping them available for emergencies instead of turning up at your fire.

So before you light your fire, remember to let us know first at https://www.firepermit.nz/fenz/Default.aspx or for those without internet access call 0800 336 922 (0800 FENZ CALL)

Address

Lake Road
Okaihau

Telephone

09 401-9560

Website

https://www.fireandemergency.nz/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Okaihau Volunteer Fire Brigade posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Okaihau?