Thousands come together to celebrate 150 years of firefighting

The 150th anniversary of firefighting in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland was celebrated last Sunday at a major open day at The Cloud on Queens Wharf in Auckland.

Thousands attended the free event, which saw young and old flock to The Cloud to soak up the history of the Auckland Fire Brigade.

Crowd favourites were the nine historical fire trucks exhibited by the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) including ‘The Rattler’; a 1935 Ford V8 fire engine; ‘Thunderguts’ – a 1948 Leyland Merryweather Turntable Ladder; and an enormous 1981 Mack 75 Aerialscope.

Te Hiku career firefighters and volunteer brigades, Recruitment, Community Risk, Regional Women’s Advisory Network teams, Te Roopu, Afi Pasefika, and support people worked hard on the day alongside the Auckland Historical Fire Brigade to ensure the event was memorable for everyone who attended.

Here’s to the next 150 years!

 Members of the Waitākere Volunteer Fire Brigade

 1971 Darley International Snorkel

Mt Wellington SFF Brent Cochrane shows the next generation of firefighters (and their mum!) how virtual firefighting works.