Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade

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Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade

We are here to help you in your time of need

05/07/2026

Please be aware that there is surface flooding on SH8 between Waitahuna and Milton aswell as SH1 surrounding Milton, please drive to the conditions and slow down.

Stay alert, stay safe – we’re here for you

With coastal Otago under heavy rain warnings and inland Otago expecting heavy snow, Fire and Emergency is ready to support our communities tonight, as always.

If life or safety is at risk, always call 111 straight away.

Follow the advice from your local council and civil defence, and avoid non-urgent travel.

Otago Civil Defence and Emergency Management Clutha District Council Dunedin City Council Central Otago District Council

01/07/2026

With Jack frost finally making an appearance, the mornings are cold and icy at the moment here is a wee reminder about black ice.

Black ice can be invisible and extremely dangerous, especially during early mornings and late evenings. Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade urges everyone to take extra care when driving or walking in icy conditions.

Slow down
Adjust your speed to suit the conditions. If you’re driving in ice or snow, driver slower than you usually would to avoid skidding or losing control.
Increase your following distances on the road.

For pedestrians
wear shoes with good grip and use handrails where available

Stay alert, stay safe – we’re here for you.

15/06/2026

It's National Volunteer Week and we're taking the opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to the 906 people who choose to serve their communities as a member of a Volunteer Fire Brigade in Otago.

Our volunteers give their time in many ways: firefighters, medical first responders and in operational support and brigade support roles. And as Acting District Commander Laurence Voight says, our volunteers turn out to all manner of incidents including fires, severe weather, rescues, vehicle crashes and medical events.

We also give a huge shout-out to the families, employers and co-workers of our volunteers, who all support and enable them to answer the call of the siren and pager.

If you've every thought about becoming a volunteer with Fire and Emergency, here's a good place to start. https://www.fireandemergency.nz/work-or-volunteer-for-us/volunteering/

10/06/2026

Winter is the season for house fires.

As the temperature drops, preventable house fires increase 17 percent on average as people do what they can to keep themselves warm.

Most of these fires will start from items such as clothing, beds or couches being too close to a heater or a fire.

These fires can be fatal but that is preventable with some good habits.

So, instead of bombarding you with every hot tip at once, we’ll build one good habit at a time with our winter fire safety series of Hot Tips 🔥

In this series, we’ll cover:
1. Cooking critic turned lifesaver – the humble life of a smoke alarm 🚨
2. Escape my house – a race to get out 🏃‍♂️
3. Size does matter, why items must be 1 metre from the heater 📏
4. Hot under the covers with electric blankets 🛌
5. Belly button or dryer lint – which is more hazardous? 🫧
6. It’s spaghetti junction at the multi-board 🍝

So, whether you own a home, rent or live with family, building some good habits this winter could save your life.

For some light reading on home fire hazards, go to our website 👉 https://www.fireandemergency.nz/home-fire-safety/home-fire-hazards/

18/05/2026

This Saturday, three of our brigade members (Bri, Lynda & Martin) are taking on the Sky Tower Challenge, climbing all 1,103 steps to the top in full firefighting gear. It’s a tough physical and mental challenge, all for an incredibly important cause.

We’re doing this to raise funds for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, supporting patients and families going through some of the hardest battles imaginable.

Training has been done, lungs will be burning, and legs will definitely be feeling it… but we’re ready to give it everything we’ve got 💪
If you’re able to support us, we’d be hugely grateful for any donation, big or small. Every bit makes a real difference.

Click the following links to donate to the brigade or individuals:

https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/t/2026-lawrence-volunteer-fire-brigade

https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/brianna-clulee

https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/lynda-carpenter

https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/martin-reddy

Thanks so much for backing us and cheering us on!

03/02/2026

🔥 Planning to light a big fire during open season? Let us know! You can do this quickly using the 'lighting a fire in open season' tile at www.firepermit.nz
👩‍🚒 Unwanted callouts place a significant burden on our people, particularly volunteers, pulling them away from work and family.
👎 These unnecessary responses reduce availability for genuine emergencies and can increase risk to communities.
👍 Unwanted responses can be minimised by letting us know before lighting a fire. That way when someone sees the smoke and calls 111, our emergency calltakers can quickly check that it's your fire they're reporting.

Outram Volunteer Fire Brigade Mosgiel Volunteer Fire Brigade Wakari Volunteer Fire Brigade Ravensbourne Volunteer Fire Brigade Brighton Volunteer Fire Brigade Portobello Volunteer Fire Brigade Port Chalmers Volunteer Fire Brigade Owaka Volunteer Fire Brigade Waitati Fire Brigade Waikouaiti Volunteer Fire Brigade Palmerston Volunteer Fire Brigade Middlemarch Volunteer Fire Brigade Tapanui Volunteer Fire Brigade Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade Clutha Valley volunteer fire brigade papatowai fire brigade Milton Volunteer Fire Brigade Waihola Volunteer Fire Brigade Balclutha Volunteer Fire Brigade

09/01/2026

🔥 Otago’s fire risk will rise sharply over the next few days with gale force north-westerly winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity expected across most of the region.
🔥 Don’t light any outdoor fires – that means no bonfires, campfires or burn piles.
🔥 Fires will be very challenging for firefighters to put out in gale force winds.
🔥 Sunday and Monday are likely to be particularly hot and windy. Any rain that falls before then is unlikely to reduce the risk significantly.
🔥 If you have had an outdoor fire over the last week, make sure it’s completely out. Don’t just look – rake out the ashes and wet them thoroughly if they’re not completely cold
🔥 Most of inland Otago is already in a restricted fire season, with fire permits required for outdoor fires. If you have a permit, you must follow the conditions.
🔥 Check the weather forecast and www.checkitsalright.nz for advice

Queenstown Lakes District Council Central Otago District Council Clutha District Council Waitaki District Council Dunedin City Council

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01/01/2026

Final call out tally for 2025 is 61 also due to comms issues and the almighty wind event there should have been a few more but we will take it🤪

Big thanks to our team of volunteers who have responded 24/7 and given up work and family time to help the community. This includes our neighbouring brigades who we have worked with through the year Balclutha Volunteer Fire Brigade Milton Volunteer Fire Brigade Millers Flat Volunteer Fire Brigade Clutha Valley volunteer fire brigade Waitahuna Fire Brigade
Waihola Brigade Roxburgh Volunteer Fire Brigade

We want to take the time to wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2026 and thank you for your continued support over 2025👩‍🚒👨‍🚒🚒

22/12/2025

From all of the team at the Lawrence Volunteer Fire Brigade we would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe new year, we will have a team on standby 24/7 so please be careful out on the roads and keep an eye on the fire dangers.
www.checkitsalright.nz

05/12/2025

A huge Reminder!!

Santa Is Coming to Town.
Save the date:
Saturday 6th December 2025 at 2pm,
Santa will be making a visit to Lawrence.
Make sure you listen for the sirens. Santa will also be joined by our Emergency services partners. NZ Police and Lawrence & Waitahuna Fire Brigades as well as Tuapeka Vintage club and many more There will be lollies for everyone to enjoy.
We will also be collecting for the Food Bank, so any non-perishables you would like to donate would be much appreciated Alternately you can drop off non-perishables to the Local police Station or Fire station
Santa will be starting on Peel St, then making his way along Harrington St, past the School up over Maryport St, back down Thurso St, then down Whitehaven St. Afterwards Santa will be resting up and preparing for his long journey around the world on Xmas day.

Address

4 Ross Place
Otago
9532

Telephone

+6434859341

Website

http://www.fireandemergency.nz/

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