How to Join

Volunteering is a substantial commitment

When considering a volunteer operational role with a Fire Brigade, it’s important to note that this is “no small thing”. 
We’re looking for people who’re going to make at least a 3-5 year service commitment, and whilst serving, you will:

• Be summoned to attend emergency events as and when they occur; business hours, nights, weekends, public holidays and more. (We all accept that disruptions to sleeping patterns are part of the role).
• Be required to regularly attend brigade training nights (Monday evenings), usually at Kilbirnie Fire Station. (Regular attendance lets us maintain our skills and be confident in our ability to work safely at emergency incidents).
• Be expected to attend additional training from time to time, including additional evenings and weekends, for specialist courses (such as medical co-response) or to participate in multi-agency exercises.
• Attend community events from time to time, helping to reduce the incidence and consequence of fires and other emergencies through education and awareness. (we attend several community events each year, these are good fun and rewarding to participate in).

Not all members attend all incidents; the idea is that we share the load by each contributing what we can. Your volunteer commitments work around your work, family and other hobbies – as long as you keep up your training and emergency responses.

As volunteers, we are not paid for our time, however Fire and Emergency provides all required uniform, personal protective equipment, and covers all costs associated with operational training, and incident attendance (excluding private vehicle running costs).

In return for your commitment to FENZ and to our brigade as an Operational Support Firefighter, you’ll develop and maintain a variety of skills and experiences, gain a bunch of new colleagues and join the worldwide family of firefighters, who’re all doing their bit for the sake of their communities. Volunteering can be challenging – but it’s also highly rewarding, and we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love what we do.  

Operational Support Firefighters are eligible to be recognised with service honours from the United Fire Brigades Association, as well as the New Zealand Fire Brigades Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, issued under royal warrant.

Interested in finding out more?

Register to attend our next Open Night!

If you’re aged 18+, a team player, have your own transport & a full license, and would like to contribute to our community, come to our next open night. There, you can:

• Discover what it takes to volunteer
• Hear about the new skills you’ll learn
• Meet our crew!

Register to attend – or reach out for more information – by filling in our Recruitment Form. To access the form, click here – or scan the QR Code to access.

We typically run recruitment rounds once or twice a year, when there are vacancies available. If you register your EOI using this form, we’ll be able to contact you when our next recruitment opportunity becomes available.