Northland fire safety scheme looking for volunteers

Neighbourhood Support Tai Tokerau community advisor Han Mā has put the call out for volunteers. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northland firefighters are looking for some locals to become fire safety champions this month for its saving daylight, saving lives campaign.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and Neighbourhood Support Tai Tokerau (NS) are working together to install free smoke alarms, test existing ones and discuss risks/evacuation plans in communities throughout Northland

Volunteers will be trained to work in pairs to deliver "Home Fire Safety Visits" to their community. This includes installing free smoke alarms and discussing risks and evacuation plans with local households.

The event is a way to contribute to your community in a tangible way said Neighbourhood Support Tai Tokerau community adviser Han Mā.

"The opportunity to become a fire safety champion means you can support fire safety without having to be a scary firefighter," said Mā.

The more people that volunteer, the more people throughout Te Tai Tokerau will benefit from this opportunity said Mā.

"It's not until after fire that often a community will really look at their risks and their own evacuation plan and smoke alarms. For some people, that's too late."

The scheme runs on September 25 and aims to create safer more resilient neighbourhoods for everyone across Northland.

Northlanders can register their home, marae or community facility for a Fire Safety Visit through this form.

"What's difficult about working in the prevention space is you don't actually know how many lives you are saving by installing smoke alarms."

"You just know that it's definitely making a difference," said Mā.

For more information go to Neighbourhood Support Tai Tokerau's Facebook page.