New home base for Rural Fire will have many uses

Far North District councillor John Vujcich handles the digger as work starts on a new Northern Rural Fire Authority building in Kaikohe. Photo / Supplied

Work has begun on a new base for the Northern Rural Fire Authority in Kaikohe.

The Recreation Rd complex, incorporating two unused, council-owned buildings, will include a small motors facility, a stores building and a workshop, plus a gym where the council dog pound used to be.

The $250,000 complex will be more than a firefighting base.

Even the gym will have a point of difference in that it will not only help locals keep fit but will also help identify potential firefighters, who will have the chance to train within the Rural Fire Authority qualifications process.

The aim is to eventually have 12 full-time staff working alongside cadets, some of whom will come from the Pacific islands, learning basic maintenance and fire control.

Pasifika cadets will train with the Northern Rural Fire Authority in Kaikohe for two seasons before making way for new batches of trainees.

The building costs will be met by the council as a loan, to be repaid with interest.

Once completed, the complex will give the authority the capacity to rebuild fire appliances on-site, benefiting brigades in the district as well as creating employment. Twelve full-time staff, including diesel and small engine mechanics and panelbeaters, will take on apprentices.

Authority chairman Ken Rintoul said every job created would mean one more person to spend money in town. Apprentices would not only embark upon a career path but also gain recognised Rural Fire qualifications that could provide entry to the police and armed forces.

"The problem is that a lot of our young people finish school and then drop out of the system. This will offer them a positive alternative and give them a career," he said.

The first cadet had been identified via last year's Youth in Emergency Services programme.