Want to become a Volunteer Firefighter?

Before you can join us, however, you need to meet with the Chief Fire Officer in charge at your local Brigade.

This is an essential part of the process, as the Officer will determine whether you are a good fit for their team. They will assess your capacity and willingness to achieve the competencies and attributes required of a team member.

If you can answer "yes" to the following we'd be keen to hear from you...

• Live on one of the following streets in Muriwai; Motutara Rd, Domain Cres, Waitea Rd, Edwin Mitchelson Rd, Berridge Rd, and Ngatira Rd.
• Are a long term Muriwai resident  -  training can take up to two years to complete.
• Have a good level of fitness.
• Fully vaccinated for Covid19.
• Willingness to learn new skills and work as part of a team.
• Can commit to attending our weekly Monday evening training sessions.
  
• Have New Zealand residency or citizenship

Pre-recruitment Checks

• Recruits are required to pass a Police Check. 

• You will need to be of average fitness or above as aspects of being a firefighter can be strenuous. 

• Wearing of breathing apparatus is a requirement of being a firefighter so a Medical Certificate is required. 

• Applicants have to be at least 18 years of age.

• You will need to be a resident in our call-out area for at least 3 years - this is because it takes about 2 years to complete full training.

• As part of the pre-recruitment process, you will need to attend four consecutive training sessions so you can be assessed by Officers.

Starting Out

Once appropriate checks have been carried out the candidate will be made a probationary member for a period of  3 months. 

The first 3 months is the time that you learn the basic skills, equipment, and team skills. We expect a commitment to each Monday night training as the 3 month probationary period only gives us 12 weeks to get you up to a basic firefighter level. 

This training will be in the basic operations of being a firefighter and over a 3 month period, we will assess your competency and team work.

Recruit Training - Fire Fighter

A new recruit will initially be briefed on how the unit operates with respect to protocols, standard operating procedures, turnouts, and other basic matters. 

You will then join-in with our ongoing training regime, with appropriate guidance during the initial stages. New members are trained with a focus on getting the basic’s correct so that they can safely attend an incident. 

Once you have mastered the basics then we will attempt to give you as much on the job exposure as possible. This is an ongoing process, even our long-serving members are required to continually maintain operational competence through our training program, as well as responding to incidents.

The basic training course is a 7-day course held at the NZFS National Training Centre in Rotorua. This course covers all the basic skills, including breathing apparatus training, needed to become a Fire Fighter. FENZ reimburse volunteers for wages and travel costs.

From all walks of life....

Amongst our membership, we have a variety of people from our community.

Each of our members shares a commitment to our community and for the role which we fulfill within the Fire Service. Being a member of the Muriwai Volunteer Fire Force provides a unique way for us to give something back, and we're proud of who we are and what we do. 

We'd love to hear from you. Contact Us if you have any questions, or would like to consider joining our team.

Phone 021 844 124 or email: phelan.pirrie@fireandemergency.nz