Palmerston North Fire Brigade

09/08/2026

This morning all three of our on duty crews attended a fire at the transfer station that is suspected to be caused by a lithium ion battery that was incorrectly disposed of. In Palmerston North these batteries can be disposed of for free at the Ferguson St Recycling Center.

Things that are of note at this incident:
🚒 Our aerial applaince was deployed showing how essential an appliance like this can be in fighting all types of fires flowing water into areas traditional deck monitors could not reach
🚨 This incident came through via an automatic alarm caused by a sprinkler activation 7 minutes prior to receiving a 111 call. Have 2 crews on scene rapidly stopped this fire from becoming a lot worse
👨‍🚒 Off duty staff were called back to crew our rescue tender providing essential rescue cover alongside pumps from Bunnythorpe Volunteer Fire Brigade and Rongotea volunteer fire Brigade who provided fire cover for Milson and City stations respectively.

This type of incident highlights the unpredictable nature of the work we do and how essential the appliances and systems we currently have in place are.
New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union

08/08/2026

👀

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has called for an overhaul of the FENZ senior leadership, saying they are more focused on a “corporate edifice” than frontline firefighting.

It remains to be seen if HQ can "network approach" their way out of this one. 🔗 Link in comments 👇

30/07/2026

Today marks a disappointing milestone.

50 strikes. 50 hours.

That’s 50 hours where Fire and Emergency NZ has chosen to leave communities exposed rather than resolve this dispute.

Professional firefighters don’t take industrial action lightly. Every strike has been a last resort after years of raising concerns about frontline staffing, ageing appliances, failing equipment, and the resources needed to keep both firefighters and the public safe.

For 50 hours, FENZ has gambled that nothing serious would happen during these periods of severely reduced response.

Our members have remained committed to protecting New Zealanders throughout this dispute. We simply want a fire service that is properly resourced, properly staffed, and capable of delivering the service our communities deserve.

It’s time to stop gambling with public safety and start investing in the people who protect it.

50 strikes is 50 too many!

Our members will be walking off from midday, feel free to come down and join in to support the crews on this unfortunate milestone.

23/07/2026

As we approach 50 strikes we need just 500 more signatures on our petition calling for a full, independent inquiry into FENZ. As you might've seen through the NZPFU page the recent inquiry into just fleet has exposed some glaring issues that require a deeper dive to see how the organisation has reached this point.
Head to direemergency.nz to sign this petition and support your firefighters

As NZPFU members walk off the job again today at midday for our 48th strike, we are just 500 signatures away from our 50,000 target pushing Parliament for a full, independent inquiry into FENZ spending and governance failures.

Don’t miss this moment. Stand with our frontline firefighters and make your voice heard.

✍️ SIGN AND SHARE NOW: www.direemergency.nz/help
📍 JOIN TODAY'S ACTION: www.direemergency.nz/events

01/06/2026

It's not very often we get the opportunity to line up 4 appliances that have all carried the same call sign but with a new truck on the horizon now is that time! Four generations of Palmerston North 211 (PALM211) all proudly standing side by side and were all introduced as new to our brigade. From L-R is a 1999 Scania P94DB (now PALM212), 2009 Scania P310 (now Milson 201), 2017 MAN TGM (current PALM211) and 2021 MAN TGM (to be PALM211).
We're excited to finally have some newer appliances joining our fleet with Milson also receiving an upgrade identical to the newest PALM211 in the next few weeks.

27/05/2026

Today Otaki Paramedic Chuck Williams is on day 3 of his epic 191km walk from Otaki to Dannevirke all in the name of Te Kiwi Maia, a fantastic charity who support first responders and defence staff through mental health struggles.
Chuck is due to come into Palmy today via Milson Line between 1630 - 1700 today. If you see him on the road give him a toot and a wave, we're sure he'd appreciate it.
You can also head to his page to see more details and to donate to this great cause.

22/05/2026

Best of luck to our 6 members climbing the Skytower alongside over a thousand other firefighters from across the motū. All in the name of Blood Cancer NZ. If you wish to donate to the team head to the below link
https://firefighterschallenge.org.nz/t/2026-palmerston-north-fire-station

16/04/2026

STRIKE ACTION NUMBER 26!
Today (FRIDAY) will see Industrial Action take place between 12pm-1pm.
We are standing up and united as the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union for FENZ not only come to the bargaining table but to put Operational issues as a priority. We would appreciate if you took a few moments to sign a petition to support a public enquiry into FENZ.
We thank those who continue to support us from waves, visits, t***s and walking with us. We are stronger together!
Go to …..

https://www.together.org.nz/direemergency

Thank you.

07/04/2026

27/03/2026

Today's national strike action was called off from the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union National Committee due to dozens of communities being affected by extreme weather with multiple crews either in recovery mode or still deployed. This didn't stop our crews from heading down to help out setting up for Relay For Life. We were proud to still be able to give back to our community especially to the great cause that is the Cancer Society.
Good luck to all those taking part in this great event this weekend 💪👌