Silverdale Volunteer Fire Brigade

05/09/2026

Sooty is ridin' out with SILV907 today 😇

In loving memory of our dear mate Sooty who passed away a year ago, today.

An esteemed Volunteer Support Officer, Senior Station Officer, colleague, and friend to so many across all the fire brigades in the wider Auckland area, Sooty's presence has been sorely missed this past year.

Our thoughts are with Sooty's whānau and friends today. RIP legend 🙏

25/07/2026

It is with much sadness that the Silverdale Volunteer Fire Brigade acknowledges the passing of our Retired Chief Fire Officer, Ernie Moffat.

Ernie joined the Silverdale and Districts Volunteer Fire Brigade in 1967, was promoted to Leading Fireman in 1972, and to Senior Fireman in 1974.
In 1984 he was promoted to Third Officer (when Don A. McErlich Snr became CFO), and appointed as our Chief Fire Officer in 1990, where he served until his retirement from the brigade in 2002.
Ernie volunteered for 35 years, received his Gold Star, and was a Life Honorary Member of our brigade.

Ernie was a very eager Waterways competitor, coach, and official. He also served as our brigade secretary for many years. Ernie was involved with the Auckland Provincial Gold Star Assn and the United Fire Brigades' Association of NZ.

Over the past few days, current and former members have been recalling our memories of Ernie. He is remembered as a 'firefighters chief' - his brigade members and their wellbeing were his priority, and along with his wife Chris, they cared for everyone as if they were their own.
Ernie truly believed in the mantra of family first.

He was incredibly proud Chief with everything the brigade achieved. Ernie was an old school leader who had mana, made friends wherever he went, and made everyone feel valued and felt like they had a place at Silverdale. He was firm, but fair. A good bu**er.

Our thoughts are with Chris, Trudi, Leah, and their families.

Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui a Tāne. The tōtara in the great forest of Tāne has fallen. Rest easy friend.

17/06/2026

This week is National Volunteer Week!

We’re proud to recognise the dedicated volunteers of Fire and Emergency NZ, especially our team at Silverdale Volunteer Fire Brigade, for the vital role played in keeping our communities safe every day ❤

Did you know?
• Volunteers make up around 80% of Fire and Emergency’s 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 within FENZ and across volunteer organisations in Aotearoa, thank you for your time, your commitment, and for showing up when your communities need you most!

16/06/2026

Think you’ve got what it takes? 🔥

31/05/2026

When you see emergency crews working at an incident, whether that's a fire, motor vehicle accident, medical, please give us space and allow us to do our job - keeping our communities safe ❤️

Please remember:
✅ Keep a safe distance from the scene
✅ Step back and let crews focus on the job at hand
✅ Follow directions from emergency services
✅ Avoid stopping to watch or take photos
✅ Never fly drones near an emergency incident

Crowding scenes or flying drones can create serious safety risks and may delay emergency operations.

Help us help you by giving crews the space they need to respond safely and effectively.

22/05/2026

Tomorrow our team of five firefighters are climbing the Sky Tower in full firefighting kit!

So far they have fundraised $3216.00 for Blood Cancer NZ 👏

If you are in a position to donate, please consider sponsoring Team Silverdale before they maxx out their caffeine intake and make the run/walk/crawl up the tower! ☕🦵🔥

Please support my Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge

11/04/2026

Update from Silverdale Volunteer Fire Brigade 🚒
As Cyclone Vaianu approaches, brigades across Auckland and the wider North Island have been completing final readiness checks. Additional crews and resources have been pre‑positioned across the Auckland region to support local brigades and strengthen rescue and water‑rescue capability if conditions worsen.
Our teams remain ready to respond and are closely monitoring the situation as it develops. Please stay informed through official channels and take care during this time.
⚠️ If life or safety is at risk, call 111 immediately. ⚠️
Check on neighbours where it’s safe to do so and avoid unnecessary travel.

09/04/2026

Cyclone Vaianu Update #2

9 April 2026, 10.45am

Mōrena, we have received an update from MetService who have now included a Heavy Rain Watch into the forecast for this coming weekend.

Situation

Cyclone Vaianu is expected to move southwards across the North Island on Sunday, 12 April. The combination of damaging winds, heavy rain and coastal inundation makes this a multi-hazard, potentially life-threatening event. The locations of the most severe impacts associated with Cyclone Vaianu, such as power outages, falling trees, flooding, slips, road closures and isolated communities are highly dependent on the cyclone's track.

Heavy Rain Watch

Area: Auckland and Great Barrier Island
Period: 12hrs from 2:00am Sun to 2:00pm Sun
Forecast: Periods of heavy rain, and amounts may approach warning criteria.
Moderate chance of upgrading to a Warning.

Strong Wind Watch

Area: Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island
Period: 21hrs from 9:00pm Sat to 6:00pm Sun
Forecast: Easterly quarter winds turning westerly. Winds are likely to reach severe gale in exposed places and may be damaging, especially during Sunday morning and afternoon.
High chance of upgrading to a Warning.

How you can prepare now

•Keep up-to-date with the weather by downloading the MetService app from the App Store or Google Play, or visit www.metservice.com
•Start preparing your property – check your drains and gutters to ensure they aren’t blocked and clear tree branches, leaves and debris. These can cause flooding issues during heavy rain. Put away or tie down any loose outdoor furniture and trampolines in case of high winds.
•Get ready in case of power outages. Check you’ve got a torch and batteries, keep your phone and power banks charged, and have a battery-operated radio (or your car radio as an alternative).
•Plan travel accordingly. Make sure you drive to the conditions and never drive through floodwaters or over slips.
•The forecast is for predicting large swells and high energy waves. The conditions are not looking ideal for boating or shore fishing.

Feel free to share this message with whānau and friends to help them get prepared too – we’ve got this Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland!

09/04/2026

Kia ora Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland – here’s the first update from MetService New Zealand about Cyclone Vaianu heading our way.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

At this stage, uncertainty remains in the cyclone’s exact track, and its potential impacts. We can however possibly expect damaging, potentially life-threatening winds, heavy rain, and hazardous coastal conditions.

This could cause damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

CURRENT FORECAST:

Strong Wind Watch - Yellow
Area: The North Island
Period: 22hrs from 1:00am Sunday 12 April to 11:00pm Sunday 12 April

Forecast: Cyclone Vaianu is likely to move across the North Island on Sunday, 12 April. potentially bringing damaging, life-threatening winds.

As confidence in the path it will take increases, parts of this Watch will be upgraded to Orange or possibly Red Warnings. Vaianu will also bring heavy rain, with Heavy Rain Watches and/or Warnings likely to be issued on Thursday for some areas. High chance of upgrading to a Warning.

THREE THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW:

➡️ Keep up-to-date with the weather by downloading the MetService app from the App Store or Google Play, or visit www.metservice.com

➡️ Start preparing your property - check your drains and gutters to ensure they aren’t blocked. These can cause flooding issues during heavy rain. Clear any tree branches, leaves and debris that can cause blockages. Put away or tie down any loose outdoor furniture and trampolines in case of high winds.

➡️ Get ready in case of power outages. Check you’ve got a torch and batteries, keep your phone and power banks charged and have a battery-operated radio (or your car radio as an alternative).

We’ll keep you updated as things progress over the next few days and also provide details on how Auckland Council is getting ready too.

04/04/2026

Dear Coasties

While changing the clocks back an hour, Don’t forget to pay your smoke alarms a bit of attention!

Check/replace the batteries, give them a dust and of course test them to make sure they work and are not just a silent decoration!

Check on your elderly neighbours to make sure they also have working smoke alarms, let’s make sure we keep looking after our people!

Working alarms save lives.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand offer free Home Fire Safety Visits to people, family and whānau who require fire safety advice.