Servicing our Hibiscus Coast community, Manly Volunteer Fire Brigade, attended a number of “town centre” meet ups held across our local business districts in Whangaparaoa in 2023 to give advice and tips for business owners and community on fire, flood and general safety.
In order to assist and support all our local businesses we have collated all their tips and comments and provided information about the Brigade and services in our region and these tips below –
The Manly Volunteer Fire Brigade has been operational for approximately 60 years. There are currently about 30 members of the brigade with approx. 16 being operational members. All members are volunteers.
The Brigade averages approx. 380 call outs pa with a high percentage of these being medical. Neighbouring Silverdale Brigade averages approx. 1,200 callouts pa and have a fulltime crew of 4 career firefighters on duty 9-5pm Monday to Fridays. Silverdale is the busiest fire brigade in New Zealand.
It is worth noting Whangaparaoa Peninsula often gets storms worse than a lot of other parts of Auckland due to being an open and exposed Peninsula.
Tips and Advice
- There is a lot of activity at night along the Peninsula, eg rubbish fires.
- Make sure your alarms are up to date and if you have an outdoor alarm panel make sure access to this is clear for access by the brigade if needed
- Make sure you tag your machinery. Very important for safety and to avoid fire risks.
- You should make sure you have identified the risks in your business and have put in place preventative maintenance
- Keep your gutters clean. A simple request but one which can avoid problems.
- You should always hope for the best but plan for the worst in your business
- If you would like advice on risks in your business you are welcome to contact either the Manly Fire Brigade directly or the national centre and someone will be able to come out and help you.
- You can help the fire teams by just being smarter in what you do in your business
- Any issues always call 111 – not the Manly station which is not always manned
- When there’s a storm don’t call 111 for more minor things such as a power line down, etc please leave calls for more life threatening emergencies.
- When you know a storm is coming take action around your home and business yourself such as tying down or moving outdoor furniture, make sure your gutters are clear and it’s clear around storm water drains. If flooding starts often you can dig your own trenches to divert water. The fire brigade can do this but probably have more urgent events to attend.
- Shops, if you know you could be flood prone be ready with sandbags to block entrances.
- Always make sure your exits remain clear for emergencies
- Don’t leave boxes or pallets outside. Kids love to come along at night and light fires.
- If you have a chimney, make sure it is swept regularly.
- We do have an ambulance based in Karepiro Drive but it can be busy and can sometimes take up to 1-2 hours to arrive. If a situation is not life-threatening, please consider self-driving to the closest A&E
- If a medical is life-threatening, eg cardiac the ambulance will be diverted to the situation asap
- There are many defibrillators located around the Peninsula – know where your closest 1-2 are and if they are accessible 24/7.
- When you see the lights flashing at the fire station, please stop to let the fire truck out
- If a fire truck comes up behind you, please don't pull over opposite a middle of the road round about
- Make sure you always have working smoke alarms both in your house and your business - And check them
- If you get caught in her fire remember you have three minutes to dead
- Remember the meta heater rule - If you do ever hang washing in front of a heater, make sure it is a minimum of one meter away
- Never put a flammable material next to a log burner
- If you are in a business premises bear in mind, any customer needs to be able to run to any door with an exit sign above it and should be able to open it when the premises is open to the public.
- There are sometimes spates of arson so be aware
- If you can, lock your rubbish bin lids
- Pull your rubbish bins away from the building a little – if they then are subsequently set on fire hopefully they will fizzle out without further damage
- There are currently grants available for fog cannons if any business is interested
The Fire Brigade are always on the lookout for volunteers particularly during the day. If you are able to turn up during the day and want to help please contact them. Call outs do not take up a lot of time and you can be part of a great team.
