NZ Fire Service faces own emergency and is calling out for volunteers

The officer in charge of Birkenhead’s volunteer fire brigade, Shane Prince.

It’s hard to know when Shane Prince gets time to sleep.

He works full time, is on a community trust and is a volunteer firefighter and station officer at Birkenhead Fire Station.

The station is one of many in the Waitemata area looking for volunteers, and Auckland-wide, almost 30 stations are looking for volunteers.

Prince says being a volunteer firefighter requires a healthy balance and prioritisation, and is a career in its own right.

The volunteers train once a week and, when on a shift, they have to be available from 6pm till 6am weekdays and all weekend.

“Being a volunteer firefighter is a job that involves commitment and you’ve got to be there,” Prince says.

“Riding a fire truck is the easy part. When you get to that call you’ve got work to do.”

The Birkenhead resident has been a volunteer firefighter for 33 years and says the station’s volunteer firefighters attend about 100 calls per year ranging from false alarms and fires to medical calls and car accidents.

“There is a serious side to it, unfortunately. We do have to deal with fatalities,” Prince says.

“But there’s also the fun side of it. We’re a tight-knit brigade.”

Prince says, while anyone is welcome to volunteer and there are both male and female firefighters, there is an interview process just like applying for a job.

“They need to be team players and work unsupervised and they have to be committed,” he says.

Volunteers receive thorough training and Prince says he keeps a close eye on new recruits.

Volunteers need to live within a 3 kilometre radius of the station and local knowledge is useful.

Prince says while the job can be serious, giving back to community is worth it.

“It’s about serving the community. There’s a sense of pride and ownership,” he says.

“There are people, they can’t fathom us, they say ‘why give time up for free?’ but it’s a sense of worth.”

The Birkenhead Fire Brigade has been running for 85 years and has a limit of 20 volunteers. There are currently 15.

Volunteers must be older than 16 and have parental permission if under 18. They also need to live within a 3 kilometre radius of the station.

There are approximately 8500 volunteers and 1500 paid firefighters nationwide.

The Waitemata Area Fire Service has put out a call for volunteers at almost 30 urban and rural fire stations. For more visit facebook.com/waitematafire.

Or to express interest in Birkenhead Fire Station contact Shane on shane.prince@fire.org.nz.

 – Stuff