Shelly Beach Fire Brigade

31/08/2026

27/08/2026

If you have a rural property, creating 'safety zones' around your home can slow the spread of fire and give firefighters more space to safely fight a fire.🚒

In zone 1 (10 metres around your house), mow regularly, water your lawns whenever possible, grow low flammability plants, regularly clean gutters and remove leaves and twigs.🌳🍂🍃

In zone 2 (10-30 metres around your house), reduce the number of trees, particularly hedges (these often help spread wildfires). Space out remaining trees so they aren’t touching each other. Prune branches up to 2 metres from the ground and near power lines. Remove fallen branches, leaves and other accumulated debris.🪵🪾

The prep you do now, will help reduce the risk of wildfires for yourself, and your property. 🔥

05/08/2026

Well, South Head, it sure is a bit nippy out there! A lot of us will be feeling the cold, which means there are fires and heaters cranking in lots of households this week.
So, this is your reminder to keep a one metre clearance around your heater or fireplace. Soft furnishings such as blankets, clothes, beds and couches don’t need to be touching a heat source to catch fire, if they are too close, they will burn!

🔥Hot tip: If you’re unsure, measure it. Remind yourself how big a metre is because ‘she’ll be right’ won’t cut it! See less

29/07/2026

Big congrats to Nik who recently progressed to the rank of QFF with Shelly Beach Fire Brigade 🎉🙌🏼 Presenting him with his stripes and slides is a reflection of the hard work, weekend training away from his family and the drive to learn new skills. Well done Nik 💯 we're all super proud.

14/07/2026

"I’ll just go out the back door." "I think I could climb out my bedroom window."
If that's the extent of your escape plan, you're not prepared.
Fire spreads fast, and in a fire every second counts. The best way to protect yourself and your whanau is to have a well-thought-out escape plan before you ever need it.
When creating your plan, consider the following:
🚸 Who needs assistance?
• Do you have children?
• Do you live with people who need assistance?
• Can they get out on their own?
• If not, who is responsible for getting them out?
🐾 Do you have pets?
• Who will be responsible for getting your pets out safely?
🚪 Know your escape routes
• Identify all reliable ways out of your home.
• Check that exits, hallways, and windows are clear of obstacles.
• Make sure keys are easily accessible if needed to unlock k doors.
• If you live in a multi-storey home, ensure smoke alarms are installed and working—your first line of defence in detecting a fire early.
📍 Choose a meeting place
• Decide on a safe meeting point outside your home.
• Make sure everyone knows where it is.
• Once there, you can quickly confirm that everyone is out safely.
❌ Never go back inside
Once you're out, stay out. Fires can grow and change rapidly, and conditions inside can become unsurvivable in moments.
A fire escape plan takes only a few minutes to make, but it could save lives when every second matters. https://www.fireandemergency.nz/home.../3-step-escape-plan/

09/07/2026

Matariki Mahuika Ahi is the tradition of lighting bonfires on beaches and waterfronts to bring communities together and celebrate Matariki.

If this is your first time lighting a fire to mark the appearance of Matariki whether at the beach or in your backyard with a brazier, check out these tips:

🔥Go to checkitsalright.nz to see if you are able to light a fire in your area. You may need a permit.
🔥 Check the fire danger on the day at checkitsalright.nz
🔥 Chose a spot that is 20 metres from buildings, fences and hedges. 500 metres from forest or scrub land and at least 15 metres from other fires.
🔥 Use dry, untreated wood and no tyres, plastics or rubbish
🔥 If using a brazier make sure it is on stable, level non-flammable surface
🔥 The fire should be no taller than 2 metres and no wider than 3 metres
🔥 Keep something to help put out the fire close by. Such as a bucket of water, shovel, hose or fire extinguisher
🔥 Never leave your fire unattended
🔥Extinguish your fire with lots of water

For more advice on bonfires https://www.checkitsalright.nz/reduce-your-risk/bonfires

For more advice on braziers https://www.checkitsalright.nz/reduce.../fire-pits-braziers

28/06/2026

Check out the palms on this beauty....🦌
This is the outcome from winning the Shelly Beach Sure Shot 2026 fundraiser 🎯 🦌
Thank you again to everyone who entered and of course our incredible sponsors ❣️

17/06/2026

This week is National Volunteer Week ❣️

We celebrate all the dedicated volunteers of Fire and Emergency NZ and especially those at Shelly Beach Fire Brigade who help keep our communities safe every day 🫶🏻

🔥Did you know?
• Volunteers make up around 80% of Fire and Emergencys workforce?
• There are nearly 600 volunteer fire brigades across Aotearoa New Zealand
• We have more than 11,800 volunteers serving their communities

To all our volunteers, both in FENZ and other volunteer organisations across NZ - thank you for your time, your commitment, and for doing the hard stuff when it matters most ❤️

16/06/2026

Congratulations to Joseph on his recent appointment as Chief Fire Officer of Shelly Beach Fire Brigade. 🔥
Stepping from Deputy Chief Fire Officer into the role of CFO is a significant milestone and reflects the commitment, leadership, and dedication Joseph has shown to our brigade and community over many years.
On behalf of everyone at Shelly Beach Fire Brigade, congratulations Joe! 👏🏻 ❣️ We look forward to supporting you in your new role and wish you every success as you lead the brigade into its next chapter. 🎉

26/05/2026

It is with deep sadness that Shelly Beach Fire Brigade acknowledges the passing of Dame Jools Topp. 💔

Jools was a well-known, and respected member of our community and indeed the rest of the country!
Her grit, humour, strength, warmth, and generosity touched many people, and her loss will be felt deeply by all of us who knew and loved her.

Our thoughts are especially with Dame Lynda, one of our brigade members, along with their whānau and friends during this incredibly sad time.

We also extend our aroha to everyone across the community who is grieving the loss of this amazing woman.

Rest easy Jools.

❤️ all of us at Shelly Beach Fire Brigade