North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Firefighters needed
Volunteer firefighters
It’s hard to know when Shane Prince gets time to sleep.
He works full time, is on a community trust and is a volunteer firefighter and station officer at Birkenhead Fire Station.
The station is one of many looking for volunteers in the Waitemata area, from Bombay to Cape Reinga.
Prince says being a volunteer firefighter requires a healthy balance and prioritisation, and is a career in its own right.
The volunteers train once a week and, when on call, they have to be available from 6pm till 6am Approximately 8500 volunteers and 1500 paid firefighters nationwide. The Waitemata Area Fire Service has put out a call for volunteers at almost 30 urban and rural fire stations. Volunteers must be older than 16 and live within a 3 kilometre radius of the station. Local knowledge is useful.
Visit facebook.com/waitematafire. Contact Shane at Birkenhead Fire Station on shane.prince@fire.org.nz.
weekdays and all weekend.
‘‘Being a volunteer firefighter is a job that involves commitment and you’ve got to be there,’’ Prince says.
‘‘Riding a fire truck is the easy part. When you get to that call you’ve got work to do.’’
The Birkenhead resident has been a volunteer firefighter for 33 years and says the station’s volunteers attend about 100 calls per year ranging from false alarms and fires to medical calls and car accidents.
‘‘There is a serious side to it, unfortunately. We do have to deal with fatalities,’’ Prince says.
‘‘But there’s also the fun side of it. We’re a tight-knit brigade.’’
Prince says, while anyone is welcome to volunteer and there are both male and female firefighters, there is an interview process just like applying for a job.
‘‘They need to be team players and work unsupervised and they have to be committed,’’ he says.
Volunteers receive thorough training and Prince says he keeps a close eye on new recruits.
Prince says while the job can be serious, giving back to community is worth it.
‘‘There are people, they can’t fathom us, they say ‘why give time up for free?’ but it’s a sense of worth.’’
The Birkenhead Fire Brigade has a limit of 20 volunteers and there are currently 15.
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