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About Us
Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade
Ashburton is a medium size town 85km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1. The Ashburton township has a population of 17 000 but the brigade also serves the wider Ashburton District which has a population of 27 000.
We have superb facilities with valve-type hydrants, a well and a 5 level fire-training tower on site. The brigade operates three appliances and one tanker and has a membership of 30 operational fire fighters. In addition to our Chief and Deputy Chief, the Ashburton Brigade has one Senior Station Officer, Two Station Officers and a mixture of Senior Fire fighters, First Class Fire Fighters and Qualified Fire Fighters. The Brigade is split into four watches, Black (Management), Blue, Green and Red. In addition to its operational benefits, the watch structure fosters a team spirit and healthy competition and rivalry.
We consider ourselves fortunate to have many people with an interest in the Ashburton Brigade and there is presently a waiting list of those who wish to apply.
The AVFB attends around 400 calls a year to a wide range of incidents that include fire, rescue and special services. During the summer months the brigade is kept busy with grass, vegetation and scrub fires. Crop burn-offs that get out of control are also a common feature during the warmer months. State Highway 1 runs through Ashburton and this creates many motor vehicle accidents, often at open road speed. Another common source of calls for the brigade is farming and industrial accidents. In addition to our share of structure fires, property fires, car fires and vegetation fires, the brigade receives more than its share of fire alarm activations.
The Ashburton Brigade works closely with the Ashburton Rural Fire Force based in South Street, and neighbouring brigades, Hinds, Methven, Rakaia, Willowby, Pendarves, and Mayfield.
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