Woodend Volunteer Fire Brigade

Woodend Volunteer Fire Brigade Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) - Woodend provide Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services

The Woodend Volunteer Fire Brigade is located in Woodend, Canterbury, New Zealand and services the town of Woodend, Pegasus and Ravenswood Town with response deployments including Sefton, Waikuku, Waikuku Beach, Woodend Beach & Tuahiwi. Woodend operates as part of Fire & Emergency New Zealand (formerly NZ Fire Service) and has 2 primary response vehicles along with 2 support vehicles. The brigade

was founded in 1960 initially as an auxillary brigade to Rangiora, but became its own brigade in 1995 with the establishment of the Woodend Fire District. Woodend is part of the Canterbury Area (Area 19) of Region 4 under FENZ. Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Lew Grant has stood down as Chief from the 1st January 2023 after 4 years, taking on a Senior Fire Fighter Role. He will continue to be a Member (46 years service to date) as he holds a class 4 license necessary to drive the tanker, and will mentor new Members. Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) Shayne Robinson has now taken over the role as Chief Fire Officer (CFO) with a new Deputy to be appointed shortly

The brigade has a long history of serving both the local community and wider Canterbury with notable responses to the Christchurch CBD during the February 2011 Earthquakes and the Port Hills Fires in February 2017 along with many others.

๐Ÿš’We had a fabulous time on Friday morning with the Staff and Residents at Bloomfield Court Retirement Home. It was very ...
01/08/2026

๐Ÿš’We had a fabulous time on Friday morning with the Staff and Residents at Bloomfield Court Retirement Home. It was very enthusiastic audience and the crew were so delighted with their special treats ๐Ÿช๐Ÿ˜‹
We will definitely be back ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿš’ for more visits and great yarns.

๐Ÿ“ธFriday Flashback....WOOD7710 (1982 Jeep)๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฝโ€๐Ÿš’This week's Vehicle file is one close to my heart as one of my first ever j...
30/07/2026

๐Ÿ“ธFriday Flashback....WOOD7710 (1982 Jeep)

๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿฝโ€๐Ÿš’This week's Vehicle file is one close to my heart as one of my first ever jobs was a vegetation fire at Woodend Beach and I got to go in the Jeep.

๐Ÿš’The Jeep was commissioned by the brigade in 1991. Originally belonging to the NZ Army, the Waimakariri Council purchased this vehicle and housed it at Woodend.
๐Ÿ’ชThe brigade members led by Glen Retallick stripped it down and painted it up.
It carried water and firefighting equipment and was such a great appliance for getting to places that the bigger Trucks and tankers could not.
๐Ÿ”ฅEventually the Jeep was retired after many years of service however like the Land Rover, it is still housed by the brigade and lovingly brought out for special events.

๐Ÿš’Woodend needs more daytime firefighters๐ŸšจLike many volunteer brigades, our biggest challenge isnโ€™t at night โ€” itโ€™s durin...
28/07/2026

๐Ÿš’Woodend needs more daytime firefighters๐Ÿšจ
Like many volunteer brigades, our biggest challenge isnโ€™t at night โ€” itโ€™s during the day.
When the siren sounds, Woodend Fire Brigade relies on locals dropping what theyโ€™re doing to respond. But with many people working out of town, we need more crew available during daytime hours.
You might be able to help if you:
โœ”๏ธ Work shifts
โœ”๏ธ Are self-employed
โœ”๏ธ Work locally
โœ”๏ธ Are home during the day
You donโ€™t need experience โ€” we provide all the training and gear.
Being a volunteer firefighter means: ๐Ÿ”ฅ Serving your community
๐Ÿ”ฅ Learning valuable skills
๐Ÿ”ฅ Keeping active
๐Ÿ”ฅ Being part of a supportive team
If youโ€™ve ever thought about joining, now is the time...
๐Ÿ“ž 03 3127794
๐Ÿ“ง [email protected]
๐Ÿš’ Or pop into the station Monday nights at 7pm for a chat.
Donโ€™t assume someone else will turn up.
Be the someone. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿš’

๐Ÿšจ๐ŸšจWhy the siren sounded....Week ending 26/07/26 24/07/26 - 1601hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Medical AssistThis year we are sitting...
27/07/2026

๐Ÿšจ๐ŸšจWhy the siren sounded....Week ending 26/07/26
24/07/26 - 1601hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Medical Assist

This year we are sitting on 3 less calls than the same time last year.
Notably a decrease in Motor Vehicle Crash (MVC) Calls which is always positive.

Have you ever thought about helping out your local brigade?
๐ŸšจIf you are someone who works from home in the Woodend, Ravenswood or Pegasus area, works locally, or a shift worker and....
๐Ÿ’ชYou are willing to step up and get involved with your community
then we would love to hear from you.
You don't have to have any experience - We train you!
Email: [email protected] to find out more

๐Ÿšจ Have you ever stopped to think about what the sound of the fire siren means? ๐ŸšจWe often wonder how people feel when the...
22/07/2026

๐Ÿšจ Have you ever stopped to think about what the sound of the fire siren means? ๐Ÿšจ
We often wonder how people feel when they hear our fire siren. We're incredibly lucky to be part of a community that understands its importance and why it's needed.
Our volunteer firefighters give their time freely to protect our community, day and night. The siren remains one of the most reliable ways to notify responders quickly, particularly in areas where mobile coverage, technology, or pagers may not always be enough on their own.
While the sound may be an inconvenience for a few moments, it represents something reassuring: local volunteers responding to help a neighbour in need.
For our firefighters, the siren is much more than a loud alarmโ€”it's a call to action. Whether it's a house fire, motor vehicle crash, medical emergency, or vegetation fire, every minute counts, and a rapid response can make all the difference.
The next time you hear the siren, remember that someone in our community may be experiencing one of the worst days of their life, and our volunteers are answering the call.
And spare a thought for the person who made that 111 call. Hearing the siren can be incredibly reassuringโ€”it lets them know that help is on the way and that their local volunteers are responding. The comfort that brings in such a stressful moment is immeasurable.
โค๏ธ A huge thank you to all of our volunteer firefighters and their families for their dedication, commitment, and service. We couldn't do it without you. โค๏ธ
๐Ÿš’ Have you ever thought about becoming a volunteer firefighter?
If you've ever considered joining us, this is your sign! We'd love to hear from you. Send us a message and come and find out what being part of our friendly, supportive crew is all about

๐Ÿšจ๐ŸšจWhy the siren sounded....Week ending 19/07/26 17/07/26 - 1727hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Medical AssistWell the first rule abou...
20/07/2026

๐Ÿšจ๐ŸšจWhy the siren sounded....Week ending 19/07/26
17/07/26 - 1727hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Medical Assist

Well the first rule about call out numbers is never say the q word. ๐Ÿคซ
We have been grateful for a relatively q**** month in terms of call outs.
That said we do still train every Monday night to ensure our skills are up to date and we are ready for whatever is around the corner.๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช

Have you ever thought about helping out your local brigade?
๐ŸšจIf you are someone who works from home in the Woodend, Ravenswood or Pegasus area, works locally, or a shift worker and....
๐Ÿ’ชYou are willing to step up and get involved with your community
then we would love to hear from you.
You don't have to have any experience - We train you!
Email: [email protected] to find out more

๐Ÿ”ฅAll indicators point to a Hot, dry and extreme fire season this summer. Please make sure you are readyโ€ฆ.. check out the...
17/07/2026

๐Ÿ”ฅAll indicators point to a Hot, dry and extreme fire season this summer.
Please make sure you are readyโ€ฆ.. check out these hot tips for Fire and Emergency NZ

๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐‡๐จ๐ญ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ. ๐ƒ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ซ. ๐–๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ž๐ซ. ๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ฒ? โ˜€๏ธ

Long-range forecasts indicate New Zealand is likely to experience El Niรฑo weather conditions this summer. In Canterbury, that often means hotter, drier and windier weatherโ€”the perfect recipe for wildfires.

These conditions mean ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ญ ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ข๐ž๐ซ, ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐œ๐ก ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐๐ž๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ฅ. A burn pile that would normally stay contained or a spark from machinery can quickly become a fast-moving vegetation fire.

The good news is there's plenty you can do now to reduce the risk.

โœ… Mow or graze long grass around your home and sheds.
โœ…Remove dead vegetation, leaves and other flammable materials.
โœ… Trim trees and shrubs so they're not touching buildings.
โœ… Keep driveways and accessways clear for emergency vehicles.
โœ… Think about how you would protect your family, pets and property if a wildfire threatened your area.

๐Ÿ‘‡๐ƒ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ฅ๐จ๐š๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ž๐ž ๐–๐ข๐ฅ๐๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ž ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐†๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž:https://www.fireandemergency.nz/assets/Documents/Wildfire/FENZ-1427-Wildfire-Safer-Housing-Guide-FA_7.pdf

Wildfire preparedness isn't just about protecting your own propertyโ€”it's about helping protect your neighbours, your community and the firefighters who respond when things go wrong.

Don't wait until the first hot nor'wester arrives. Take action now while the weather is still on your side.

Together, we can reduce the risk of wildfire this summer.

Introducing our Newest Recruit....Isaac Robinson๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš’๐ŸŽ“A Year 12 Student at Kaiapoi High School, Issac is following in his...
14/07/2026

Introducing our Newest Recruit....Isaac Robinson๐Ÿ‘จ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿš’
๐ŸŽ“A Year 12 Student at Kaiapoi High School, Issac is following in his father's footsteps who is our Chief Fire Officer here at Woodend. Having grown up around the brigade he is excited to start his training and learning new skills.
๐Ÿ’ชHe has already completed his first aid training and will now start getting into the rest of the training with the aim to attend his 7 day Recruit course in December.
Welcome aboard Issac we look to working with you and watching you learn and grow.

๐Ÿšจ๐ŸšจWhy the siren sounded....Week ending 12/07/26 09/07/26 - 1721hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Alarm Activation11/07/26 - 0837hours -...
12/07/2026

๐Ÿšจ๐ŸšจWhy the siren sounded....Week ending 12/07/26
09/07/26 - 1721hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Alarm Activation
11/07/26 - 0837hours - ๐Ÿš’WOOD777, WOOD7711 - Alarm Activation
12/07/26 - 0744hours -๐Ÿš’WOOD777 - Fire in Area (Burnoff)
Have you ever thought about helping out your local brigade?
๐ŸšจIf you are someone who works from home in the Woodend, Ravenswood or Pegasus area, works locally, or a shift worker and....
๐Ÿ’ชYou are willing to step up and get involved with your community
then we would love to hear from you.
You don't have to have any experience - We train you!
Email: [email protected] to find out more

๐Ÿ“ธ๐Ÿ“ธFriday Flashbacks....The Landrover๐Ÿ˜In 1984 the brigade started to look at the idea of a 4wd Vehicle to be used for off...
09/07/2026

๐Ÿ“ธ๐Ÿ“ธFriday Flashbacks....The Landrover๐Ÿ˜
In 1984 the brigade started to look at the idea of a 4wd Vehicle to be used for off-road fire-fighting particularly in the beach areas and forestry blocks.
๐Ÿ’กIn 1988 it was arranged that the Rangiora council's Landrover be housed at the Woodend station and Restored by the brigade as an operational fire-fighting unit.
๐Ÿš’It was very carefully restored to operational use by a committed group of Brigade members and as it turned out, was well worth it as that fire season saw a series of major scrub fires and the Landrover was put to good use.
๐Ÿ‘While no longer operational as a responding appliance, the Landrover still resides at Woodend and comes out to play for special events such as Toot for tucker and parades. (Santa has even been seen hitching a ride from time to time).
๐ŸŽจIn 2022 The Landrover was immortalised on our shed door at the Station by the very talented Sue Roxborough.

The Black and White photo was taken in 1988. From left to right
SFF B.E. Kirwin, SFF E.R.R Pearce, FF R.D. Manera
SFF G Retallick, SFF G.L Woodhouse, SSO M.P. Lamb
Source: When The Doors Go Up - Jo Bailey.

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8 Eders Road
Woodend
7610

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