150th Anniversary of Firefighting in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

The 150th anniversary of firefighting in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is being celebrated at a public open day, Sunday 17 March, at The Cloud on Queens Wharf, Auckland between 10am and 3pm.

Firefighters past and present are welcome to join the public and our emergency response partners at the event, which is expected to attract crowds in the thousands.

Auckland’s first official fire brigade was established in 1874 and consisted of a fire chief and a small team of dedicated volunteers who dragged their few hoses, hose reels, and ladders to attend fires in the inner city and a few fringe suburbs.

Today, Fire and Emergency New Zealand serves and protects a population of more than 1.3 million Aucklanders using the latest fire trucks, equipment, and technology with paid and volunteer personnel.

Key attractions will include displays of original fire trucks and equipment dating back to the 1800s alongside state of the art fire appliances and specialist gear in use by firefighters today.

Fire and Emergency NZ’s Specialist High Angle Rescue and Urban Search and Rescue teams will demonstrate the essential work they undertake, and interactive displays and Virtual Reality activities with safety and readiness messages will be on hand.

Exhibitions of rare archival material will tell the colourful and rich history of firefighting in the region and the trailblazing local men and women who were instrumental in shaping and influencing what has developed into the modern emergency response we have across New Zealand.

The contact for this event is VSO Terry Hewitt, Terry.Hewitt@fireandemergency.nz