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A Wellsford Volunteer Fire Brigade appeal got a welcome shot in the arm when the Brandt Group Thanks a Billion programme handed over a cheque for $10,000 this month.
The brigade is fundraising to buy a 4×4 operational support vehicle.
Volunteer Lyndon Baird said the brigade was hugely grateful to Brandt NZ.
“It’s support like this that goes a long way to helping us serve the community and we are humbled to be chosen as a recipient of the Thanks A Billion programme,” he said.
The brigade has been fundraising for about four years to replace its van with a 4×4 vehicle that will make it easier for them to access isolated places such as farms, beaches and forestry. The new vehicle will have better locker space to carry essential equipment and will be able to be driven on a class 1 licence for medical callouts.
The estimated cost to buy and equip the new vehicle is around $120,000 and the brigade is about halfway there.
It has been a particularly busy year for the volunteers, with 328 callouts already this year, compared to 274 for the full 12 months last year. The callouts were mostly for motor vehicle accidents, medical callouts and fires.
“The Wellsford Brigade assists in a range of rescue responses in a large area, from the west coast to the east coast, through to Warkworth and up to Kaiwaka.”
It currently has 32 volunteers, but is always keen to recruit new members.
Training is held at the station on Rodney Street, on Tuesday nights, starting from 7.15pm. Anyone interested in joining is welcome to attend and see if it’s something they would like to be part of.
