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History
A Historical Summary
The First 100 Years - 1874 - 1974
On Friday, November 20, 1874, a meeting convened by Mr J Stanley Bruce, was held in the Ashburton Courthouse (the Wakanui Road Board's Office in Moore Street), for the purpose of considering the desirability of establishing a Fire Brigade and Fire Police in the township. Mr J.S Bruce, agent for the New Zealand Insurance Company, presided and the following resolution was passed: "That a Fire Brigade be formed as well as a Fire Police or Salvage Section, and also to apply to the Canterbury Provincial Council for a grant to provide a water supply for the township." Ashburton, at the time, was absolutely without means of fighting a fire, except with a hurriedly got together Voluntary Bucket Brigade, and even then there was but a scant supply of water available to meet an emergency.
The following members were elected: Messes T Bullock, S Poyntz, J.M Cambridge, C.W Greenwood, Capt Meikleham (who had been a Master Mariner), C.E Fooks, W Legget and J.S Bruce. Captain Meikleham was appointed as the First Captain, Mr J Stanley Bruce First Honorary Secretary, and Mr S Poyntz was elected Chairman.
The plant then consisted of a couple of dozen iron buckets, three American axes, a hand saw and a cross cut saw, two fire hooks with 12ft handles, one grapnel chain, three 10ft ladders, and an alarm bell, the cost of the whole outfit being 38 pounds. The enthusiasm displayed at the time of the inception of the Brigade grew steadily, and at the first annual meeting held on November 20, 1875, the Brigade consisted of 26 members.
An order had been sent to London for a manual fire engine, towards the cost of which the Provincial Government had made a grant of 250 pounds. The manual engine duly arrived and proved a great acquisition. During that year, Capt Meikleham found it necessary to resign his command from the Brigade, and in July, 1876, Mr George Compton was elected to fill the vacancy. About this time too, Ashburton was elevated from a township to the dignity of a Borough. The Fire Brigade immediately offered its voluntary services to the newly constituted Borough, and they were gratefully accepted.
The Brigade's Plant was first housed on a Borough Reserve in East Street South, on which now stands Haywrights premises, and then, in a small building erected on a triangular piece of land at the junction of Wills Street and Wakanui Road, now Victoria Street and now occupied by the Plunket Rooms. When the Borough Council shifted its offices from Burnett Street East to the present site in Havelock Street, these offices and premises were converted into the Fire Station
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