Pāpāmoa Volunteer Fire Brigade celebrates 50th anniversary

Pāpāmoa Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief fire officer Brent Sandford. The brigade is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday.

Pāpāmoa Volunteer Fire Brigade will celebrate its 50th birthday on Saturday with a little help from its friends.

In the morning there’s a chance to explore the fire station on Parton Rd, talk to members and watch the kitchen fire demonstration, between 9.30am and 11.30am.

Then in the afternoon it’s across the road to Simpson Reserve where there will be a display of machinery from the Te Puke, Greerton, Mount Maunganui and Katikati, a jaws of life demonstration, hose running and a mock car fire.

The brigade was started after several house fires in Pāpāmoa, which were attended by the Te Puke Brigade.

After representations, an old yellow Bedford tanker was provided by Tauranga County Council to be stored at the corner of Parton and Pāpāmoa Beach roads. The truck had a portable pump at the back.

In October 1973 it was decided to form a fire party to attend fires.

Grass fires were an early problem in what was then a fledgling suburb.

In 1981, Tauranga Council secured some land to put up a tin shed to house the tanker and in 1982, the brigade became part of the Tauranga district as No 3 station.

Other celebrations will include a social evening on Friday and a dinner on Saturday.

Deputy chief fire officer Brent Sandford has been at the brigade for 28 years and is co-ordinating the celebrations.

He says there have been big changes in that time.

“Pāpāmoa’s grown. When I started, there were 50 or 60 calls a year. Last year it was about 260 and we are well over 200 already [this year].”

He says the brigade is in good shape with 22 active members and four with brigade support roles.

“We’ve just taken on four new recruits,” he says.

As with many brigades, one of the problems is having members who are able to turn out if needed during the day.

The afternoon display will be from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.