New career fire crew for Levin

15 Hōngongoi 2022

Levin fire station is now home to an additional crew of career firefighters. The new crew, made up of one officer and three firefighters, will staff the station from 7am - 5.30pm, Monday - Friday.

They will be working alongside the Levin and Horowhenua volunteer fire brigades who will continue their excellent service to the Levin community and wider Horowhenua district.

Te Ūpoko Region Manager Bruce Stubbs says he is really pleased to have the career crew on board.

"The Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade is one of our busiest volunteer brigades - attending around 450 calls a year, with multiple fire appliances to crew," he says.

"They do a fantastic job, but as volunteers with day jobs, it can be challenging for these volunteers to muster crews for two fire appliances during the day.

"We’ve been working with the brigade since 2015 to support them, including providing assistance from career crews as needed. However, over the past few years we have realised this needed a more permanent solution.

"We worked closely with the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union and the United Fire Brigades Association on the proposal for a day shift career crew and it’s great that together we could make it happen," he says.

Mānawatu-Whanganui District Manager Nigel Dravitzki says having a career crew on station, ready to roll out the door, is really positive for both the Levin community and our volunteers.

"It means we can continue to provide a high level of service to the community consistently, while taking a little load off our volunteers."