Wakefield Volunteer Fire Brigade

23/09/2026

🔥 NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN 🔥

How have we helped you?

As part of International Volunteer Year 2026, the UFBA is inviting communities across New Zealand to nominate their local brigade for the Volunteer Fire Brigade of the Year.

If our brigade has made a difference to you, your family, your school, business or community, we'd appreciate you sharing your story with the UFBA.

Nominate us here:
https://www.ufba.org.nz/brigade-of-the-year-2026

21/09/2026

We are lucky to say she is one of ours!

Fourth-generation firefighter graduates with Wakefield brigade

20/09/2026

A little gardening now can prevent bigger problems later ✨

Clear dead and dry vegetation, keep grass in check, check water supplies, and make sure emergency vehicles can get through to your property 🏡

Changing weather can increase fire risk fast, so now’s the time to get prepared 🔥🔥🔥

👉 checkitsalright here: https://www.checkitsalright.nz

18/09/2026

Welcome back to Fire Fighter Friday. Keeping with our leadership team this week we have leading by example if of DCFO Alana Shields.

🚒 How long have you been a volunteer firefighter, and what made you decide to join?

🔥 17 years. I joined after being first on the scene of a chaotic traffic accident, having no idea what to do and watching the local brigade turn up and effortlessly work their magic getting everything sorted. It was pretty impressive and i wanted to be able to be able to do that too.

🚒 What do you enjoy most about being part of the brigade?

🔥 The people. We have an amazing crew in Wakefield and I feel honoured to work with them.

🚒 What’s one memorable, rewarding, or funny moment from your time in the brigade?

🔥 I was sent into a industrial building to fight a fire but struggled to locate where the fire actually was within the complex building, I exited the by opening a large roller door and was busy telling my officer I couldn’t find the fire and needed a thermal imagine camera, meanwhile I was unaware that huge flames had erupted behind me because I had given it a guts full of air. I was met by a rather confused look from the officer.

🚒 What do you do for work when you’re not volunteering with the fire brigade?

🔥 I’m a paramedic for St John.

🚒 What do you enjoy doing in your spare time—hobbies, sports, family time, or anything else?

🔥 My husband and I have recently become parents so most of our time is spent with our amazing wee boy. I also love getting out in the wilderness tramping or kayaking, pottering around in my garden, or cooking up a storm (self proclaimed) with our home grown food.

🚒 What’s one thing about you that people in the community might be surprised to learn?

🔥 People in our brigade come from all walks of life, a lot of people I speak to feel that they could never become a fire fighter for so many different reasons but it’s generally not the case! Everyone has something of value to offer and I believe anyone is capable (with a bit of training).

11/09/2026

Fire Fighter Friday

This is our new Friday post that over the next 6 months or so we hope to introduce you to our team and get to know them a little better and give some thanks to those that employ our team and allow them to do what we do for our community and wider area.

First up we have our Fearless CFO Wattie Mortimer.

🚒 How long have you been a volunteer firefighter, and what made you decide to join?

🔥 9 Years, Started with Lake Rotoiti when we moved there in 2017. It was something I had always wanted to do and was a great way to become part of our new community

🚒 What do you enjoy most about being part of the brigade?

🔥 Learning new skills and watching others develop theirs. Training is the biggest commitment, and You never stop learning.

🚒 What’s one memorable, rewarding, or funny moment from your time in the brigade?

🔥 There has been so many, but I think stopping a fire on top of Raes saddle in 2024 from becoming something much bigger is up near the top. It was only minutes from becoming a big news story and one of the moments where you go, “we nailed it!”.

🚒 What do you do for work when you’re not volunteering with the fire brigade?

🔥 Working for FENZ I manage the maintenance, upgrades, and compliance of the 72 Fire Stations in Tasman, Marlborough, and West Coast and then there is helping Christine with the Cattery on my days off.

🚒 What do you enjoy doing in your spare time—hobbies, sports, family time, or anything else?

🔥 Spare Time, What’s that? When the opportunity allows, getting the boat out on the water.

🚒 What’s one thing about you that people in the community might be surprised to learn?

🔥 That 71 or the 72 stations in the top of the South and West Coast are all Volunteer Brigades with the other one being a mix of Paid and Volunteer. Also that you don’t have to be a young big burly bloke to be a volunteer firefighter. The proofs in the pudding with almost half of the crew at Wakefield being Female.

08/09/2026

🔥❗PRODUCT RECALL REMINDER ❗🔥
Weiss Heat Transfer System - Models FV602, FV603, FV652 and FV653, produced prior to May 2012.

These systems have been linked to multiple house fires. Whilst they were recalled in 2014, we have recently responded to a house fire in the Nelson Marlborough District that is suspected to be linked to one of these units. 🔥🚒

Please check your heat transfer system is not one of the Weiss models recalled.

If you suspect you have a recalled model:
1️⃣Turn the system off
2️⃣Contact Weiss for assistance and to arrange a replacement
https://www.productsafety.govt.nz/recalls/weiss-heat-transfer-systems

07/09/2026

Summer is fast approaching!

Good to start thinking about getting ready now.

11/08/2026

If you see someone wandering round Wakefield today half asleep it could well be one of our absolutely amazing team who are currently on their 6th call out since midnight.

0:05 Medical Call Out
3:00 MVCRESC
4:55 Medical Call Out
6:16 Medical Call Out
7:30 MVC
8:54 MVCRESC

We can't thank our team enough, especially when some of the team have attended all of these calls!!

17/07/2026

We understand that some residents have recently expressed concerns that the volunteer fire brigade siren sounds similar to an air raid warning. While we appreciate that the sound can be startling, it's important to remember the critical role the siren plays in keeping our community safe.

For volunteer firefighters, the siren is more than just a loud alarm — it's a call to action. It helps alert brigade members that an emergency response is needed, often when every minute counts. Whether it's a house fire, vehicle accident, medical emergency, or vegetation fire, a rapid response can make all the difference.

Our volunteer firefighters give their time freely to protect our community, day and night. The siren is one of the most reliable ways to notify responders quickly, particularly in areas where mobile coverage, technology, or pagers may not always be sufficient on their own.

While the sound may be inconvenient for a few moments, it represents something reassuring: local volunteers mobilising to help a neighbour in need.

The next time you hear the siren, remember that someone in our community may be facing one of the worst days of their life — and our volunteer firefighters are answering the call.

❤️ Thank you to all our volunteer firefighters for their dedication, commitment, and service.

15/06/2026

This week is National Volunteer Week and we would like to thank all our volunteers for their countless hours on commitment they put into keeping our community safe when it's needed.