Patumahoe Volunteer Fire Brigade

Patumahoe Volunteer Fire Brigade The official page for the Patumahoe Volunteer Fire Brigade.

đźš’ BEHIND THE HELMET | ENTRY CONTROL OFFICER (ECO)When firefighters enter a burning building wearing Breathing Apparatus ...
11/10/2026

đźš’ BEHIND THE HELMET | ENTRY CONTROL OFFICER (ECO)

When firefighters enter a burning building wearing Breathing Apparatus (BA), there’s someone outside keeping track of every move they make. That person is the Entry Control Officer (ECO).

The ECO plays a critical role in keeping our firefighters safe while they work in what can be extremely dangerous and unpredictable conditions.

👨‍🚒 So, what does an ECO actually do?

Before entering a structure, each firefighter reports to the ECO and hands over their personal tally, which displays their surname and cylinder air pressure. The ECO records their details on the entry control board, grouping them into crews of two or three, with two-person crews being the most common.

The crew’s task is confirmed before entry. This could be a fire attack, search and rescue, or another operational objective, along with where they need to go.

⏱️ Time is critical.

Once the crew enters, the ECO records their entry time and monitors how long they’ve been inside. They must manage crews’ working times, coordinate relief crews and ensure an emergency crew is arranged and ready should something go wrong and a MAYDAY be declared.

When firefighters safely exit the structure, they report back to the ECO and collect their tallies, closing the loop and ensuring everyone is accounted for.

đź“» Communication is everything.

The ECO must maintain clear, calm and effective radio communications with firefighters inside the structure and officers managing the incident on the fireground. They need to know who is inside, where crews are operating and what’s happening, so the right decisions can be made at the right time.

It’s a role that requires concentration, organisation and the ability to stay composed under pressure. While the ECO may be standing outside the fire, the responsibility they carry is just as real.

Because behind every firefighter working in a hazardous environment is a team working to make sure they come home safely.

Behind every helmet is a volunteer. And behind every crew entering a structure is a system of safety, teamwork and trust.

đźš’ Throwback ThursdayThrowback Thursday takes us back to an old Mitsi in the Patumahoe fleet.This old girl was a familiar...
08/10/2026

đźš’ Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday takes us back to an old Mitsi in the Patumahoe fleet.

This old girl was a familiar sight around Patumahoe for a few years, answering the call and carrying our volunteers to incidents across our community.

There’s something about the older appliances that brings back plenty of memories, the good, the bad and the ugly🤣 The equipment may have changed, technology has definitely moved on, and the trucks have certainly become more sophisticated, but the purpose has always remained the same…

When the siren sounds, volunteers get on the truck and go. đźš’

Do you remember this appliance? Maybe you rode in it, responded to a call in it, or remember seeing it around the district.

We’d love to hear your memories of this old Mitsubishi.

🚒 Behind the Helmet | Radio CommunicationsWhen the call comes in, we don’t always get to stay together.Inside a building...
04/10/2026

đźš’ Behind the Helmet | Radio Communications

When the call comes in, we don’t always get to stay together.

Inside a building, around the back of a property, working in smoke or simply operating on different sides of an incident, sometimes the only way we know what is happening is through the radio.

Every appliance carries enough radios for our firefighters to communicate with each other when they’re working away from the truck or out of sight of their crew.

But having a radio is only half the job.

In an emergency, your heart rate is up, adrenaline is flowing and there can be a lot happening around you. That’s when we need to be able to slow our communication down, stay controlled and make every word count.

We train to communicate clearly because a rushed or misunderstood message can have consequences.

And this is where the Phonetic Alphabet becomes an important tool.

When a letter, name, location or piece of information needs to be absolutely clear, we use words such as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta to remove any doubt about what has been said.

Because on the fireground, there shouldn’t be a question of:

“Did they say B or D?”

Good radio communication isn’t about talking louder.

It’s about being clear, being controlled and making sure the person on the other end understands exactly what you’re saying.

Behind every helmet is a volunteer
Behind every volunteer is a team
And good communication keeps that team connected🚒🧑‍🚒🧑‍🚒

🚒 Throwback Thursday | Back in the daySome fires become part of a brigade’s history, and this one certainly looks like i...
30/09/2026

đźš’ Throwback Thursday | Back in the day

Some fires become part of a brigade’s history, and this one certainly looks like it earned its place.

This Throwback Thursday takes us back to the days of our Dodge fire appliance HD 2809, previously featured in the series, out on a working structural fire.

With flames well established, thick smoke filling the sky and our crew getting stuck into the job, this old Dodge was right where it needed to be, putting in the work and supporting the crew on the ground.

We’re not sure of the exact year of this particular incident or was it live training, so if anyone recognises the scene or knows the story behind the call, we’d love to hear from you.

Another piece of Patumahoe Volunteer Fire Brigade history.

đźš’ Throwback Thursday đźš’

👩‍🚒 BEHIND THE HELMET 🧑‍🚒PART OF THE COMMUNITY!!Over the past couple of weekends, we’ve had the privilege of getting out...
27/09/2026

👩‍🚒 BEHIND THE HELMET 🧑‍🚒
PART OF THE COMMUNITY!!

Over the past couple of weekends, we’ve had the privilege of getting out into our community at Calf Clubs, talking to kids and families about fire safety, what we do as firefighters, and what it really means to be part of a volunteer fire brigade.

And honestly, these are some of the moments we enjoy the most.

Fire safety isn’t something that should only be talked about when the smoke alarm is screaming or the fire truck is sitting outside your house.

It’s about conversations.

It’s about teaching our kids what to do if something goes wrong.

It’s about helping families understand how quickly fire can take hold.

And sometimes, it’s simply about letting the next generation climb into a fire truck, put on a helmet and discover that the people behind the helmets are just ordinary members of their community who are willing to do something extraordinary when they’re needed.

Because being a volunteer firefighter isn’t just about responding to emergencies.

It’s about being part of the community before the emergency ever happens.

Two weekends. Plenty of conversations. A few dirty boots, lots of questions and hopefully a few lessons that stick.

That’s community.

That’s volunteering.

That’s Behind the Helmet. 🚒

Behind every helmet is a volunteer.

🧑‍🚒Moving up the ranks👩‍🚒Congratulations to Senior Firefighter Brad Muirson, who has successfully completed his Senior F...
24/09/2026

🧑‍🚒Moving up the ranks👩‍🚒

Congratulations to Senior Firefighter Brad Muirson, who has successfully completed his Senior Firefighter course, progressing from Qualified Firefighter to Senior Firefighter.

This achievement represents commitment, hard work and a willingness to continue developing the skills needed to serve our brigade and our community.

Well done Brad. Congratulations on your achievement. 🧑‍🚒

🚒 Throwback Thursday 🚒This week we’re taking a trip back to 1977 with a look at one of the appliances that has been part...
24/09/2026

đźš’ Throwback Thursday đźš’

This week we’re taking a trip back to 1977 with a look at one of the appliances that has been part of the Patumahoe story.

đźš’ 1977 Dodge DSN
đźš’ Rego: HD 2809

This old girl has certainly clocked up some history, serving at:

➡️ Rotorua
➡️ Patumahoe
➡️ Glenbrook Steel Mill

After her time with the brigade, she continued her journey and is now preserved at the Northland Firehouse Museum, where this piece of Patumahoe history can still be seen today.

It’s always pretty special looking back at the appliances that came before our current fleet. Different trucks, different equipment, but the same purpose: turning up when the community needed us.

A proper old-school Fire Service truck. 🔥🚒

Don’t forget to flick us a like and if you have a story to go with this appliance, we’d love to hear it.

Behind every appliance is a story. Behind every helmet is a volunteer.

🚨 WEDNESDAY FIRE SAFETY TIP 🚨Did you know your smoke alarm is designed to be ear piercing for a very good reason?When yo...
23/09/2026

🚨 WEDNESDAY FIRE SAFETY TIP 🚨

Did you know your smoke alarm is designed to be ear piercing for a very good reason?

When you’re asleep, you don’t have your sense of smell to warn you about a fire. In fact, your sense of smell is greatly reduced while sleeping, meaning you can be completely unaware that smoke is filling your home.

That’s where your smoke alarm comes in.

That loud, annoying, ear piercing alarm could be the difference between waking up in time and not waking up at all.

🔥 Fire can double in size in as little as 30 seconds, so every second counts.

Make sure you have working smoke alarms throughout your home, especially near bedrooms and in areas where fires are most likely to start.

👉 Test your smoke alarms regularly.
👉 Replace batteries when needed.
👉 Never remove a smoke alarm because it keeps going off. Find out why instead.

A smoke alarm doesn’t just detect smoke. It gives you time.

And when it comes to a house fire, time can save lives.

🚒🧑‍🚒Patumahoe Volunteer Fire Brigade🧑‍🚒🚒
Stay safe. Stay alert.

CALLOUT 16/09/26 - 1623 - MEDICAL(đźš’PATU5633)CALLOUT 17/09/26 - 1205 - MEDICAL(đźš’ PATU5633)CALLOUT 18/09/26 - 0841 - ALARM...
22/09/2026

CALLOUT 16/09/26 - 1623 - MEDICAL
(đźš’PATU5633)

CALLOUT 17/09/26 - 1205 - MEDICAL
(đźš’ PATU5633)

CALLOUT 18/09/26 - 0841 - ALARM ACTIVATION
(đźš’PATU51, WAIU571, WAIU577, AWHI5976)

CALLOUT 20/09/26 - 1105 - MEDICAL
(đźš’PATU5633)

CALLOUT 20/09/26 - 2318 - MEDICAL
(đźš’PATU5633)

CALLOUT 22/09/26 - 1032 - MEDICAL
(đźš’PATU5633)

CALLOUT 22/09/26 - 1250 - MEDICAL
(đźš’PATU5633)

đźš’ Behind the Helmet | Thinking Outside the BoxSometimes being a firefighter means looking at what you have in front of y...
20/09/2026

đźš’ Behind the Helmet | Thinking Outside the Box

Sometimes being a firefighter means looking at what you have in front of you and thinking, “Right… how are we going to make this work?”

This week, we’re looking at improvised portable dams.

Not every job comes with a perfectly positioned water source or a ready-made dam. Sometimes we need to get creative and use the landscape around us, along with whatever equipment we have on the truck.

Ladders, shovels, brooms, road cones, tarpaulins and a bit of firefighter ingenuity can all become part of the solution. It’s about thinking quickly, but also thinking methodically, working out what we have, what we need, and how we can build something that will actually do the job.

An improvised dam could be used during a vegetation or wildfire to create a stable water source for firefighting operations. It could also be used when dealing with a burns casualty, where having a supply of water available to cool the affected area can be critical.

It’s one of those skills that reminds us that firefighting isn’t always about having the perfect equipment for the job.

Sometimes, it’s about looking at the tools you do have, looking at the problem in front of you, and finding a way to make it work.

Because behind every helmet is a volunteer who has to be ready to think on their feet. đźš’

Address

3 John Street
Patumahoe
2679

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