Camera captures our firefighters
Part of the training session focused on operating a water pump towed by the brigade’s latest addition — an off-road response vehicle. Bought with the help of fundraising from the New World community golf day and Horowhenua District Council financing from the Foxton Beach Freeholding Account, the response vehicle can attend emergencies on the beach and sand dunes where the truck cannot go.
It can also transport additional crew to incidents and respond to medical events. Thanks to the Foxton Community Op Shop and the New Year’s Fair, additional equipment is being added to the vehicle.
Volunteer Jaimee Brannigan has been a firefighter with the brigade for eight years. She grew up in an emergency services family, saying it’s in the blood. “I love not only serving my community but being there to help in someone’s time of need.
“The comradery of the brigade
and having that wider family is certainly something special to be a part of. I also
love that I can show my children that you can do anything, whatever your gender. My son is my biggest fan and I often hear him talking away about his mum coming to help whilst
playing with his many toy fire trucks. That’s something to be proud of.”
You can check the Foxton Beach Volunteer Fire Brigade Facebook page to keep up to date with the latest news. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, visit Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s website for details, or contact the brigade. You can also see the team at the station during the New Year’s Fair on January 2. Jaimee urges anyone interested in volunteering to “dive in and do it — you won’t look back”.
Jacob used his 1966 Marshal Press camera to take the colour photographs and a 1956 Lipca Rollop Automatic camera for black and white pictures.
While Jacob mostly takes photographs in black and white, the bright uniforms and equipment worked well in colour.
The Marshal Press is an old newspaper camera and may have covered many emergencies in the 1960s, but this is probably the first time it has photographed the training.
To see more of these photographs, visit www.mavtech.org. nz.