Firefighting equipment was extremely perilous in Murchison when the sleepy town’s brigade was ignited in 1950.
A Gwynne pump, which generated high-pressure water streams to extinguish blazes, was towed behind the original Bedford truck fire appliance on a trailer and frequently stalled until the fires were smouldering.
There was no personal protective equipment (PPE); overalls, gumboots, and cork helmets were available on the truck for volunteers responding to callouts.
Instructions were that if anybody fell off the back of the truck, doff the helmet and say “they had been wearing it”, so they were covered by insurance.
A more controlled environment exists today as the Fairfax St brigade warms up to its 75th year with trailblazing equipment dispatched by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and a spark within its community.
Chief fire officer Brian Sara says the brigade has 21 current members, including four recruits, and it was like an extended family sitting around a campfire.
“It can be very rewarding being a brigade member and well worth the effort involved,” he says. “Involving other brigade members and their families, members of other fire brigades, members of other emergency services, along with the community and the public who appreciate the service provided.”
While the brigade wasn’t yet gazetted when the Hampden Hotel was engulfed in 1914, razing all the buildings on the west side of Fairfax St, Brian says other fires burning in the brigade’s memory included the Luffs Motors, Murchison Motor Engineers and Arthur Bartlet hairdresser’s infernos, post 1955. One watershed in the brigade’s history was the introduction of motor vehicle crash responses in the 70s.
“I recall extricating injured people from crashed cars using hand tools such as hacksaws, crowbars, pliers and vehicle jacks,” Brian says. “Consequently, the brigade, with the support of people in the town, undertook fundraising and purchased hand-operated hydraulic shears, rams and spreaders to assist with motor vehicle crashes. Attending motor vehicle crash incidents is now a regular event for the Murchison brigade, and the equipment available today is far superior to what we had previously.”
Brian says that with he and other members dampening their tenures, replacements were encouraged to rekindle crucial numbers as backup from neighbouring brigades have longer travel time to access the remote area.
“It can be challenging to muster sufficient members to crew two appliances 24/7 when the siren sounds, while fulfilling other demands on their time,” he says.
“The brigade acknowledges its members’ priorities are their health, family, employers and then (hopefully) the fire brigade.”
The celebrations kick off on 11 October from 10am to 2pm with a BBQ, kids’ activities, and tours.
