NZ fire and emergency welcome 21 new career firefighters

Rotorua - Twenty-one new career firefighters have joined Fire and Emergency.

The recruits graduated from their 12-week recruit course at a ceremony held yesterday at the fire and emergency national training centre in Rotorua.

Throughout their three-month training course, they learnt the basics of being a firefighter. This included learning how to fight fires, how to extract people trapped in cars and how to manage hazardous substances; all of this in the middle of a COVID pandemic.

The recruits have not only had to take in everything the trainers taught them, but some have also had to manage periods of isolation and sickness.

Excluding St John, there are 14,000 fire and emergency personnel in Aotearoa, including about 1800 career firefighters and around 11,500 volunteers.

Among the new graduates are Simon Dibben, Wana Uri-Karaka-Lapworth, Isabel Whitaker and Laura Wilson.

Dibben has swapped promoting physical activity through rugby to Whanganui school children as a rugby development officer, to teach them to be fire wise. He is great-grandfather and grandfather were firefighters.

He had been trying for a number of years to become a firefighter so being accepted onto this recruit course was a huge highlight.  Dib ben will be based at Whanganui station.

Uri-Karaka-Lapworth , from Invercargill has always wanted a job that helped people. After more than three years as a warehouse team leader for Harvey Norman he took the leap to become a firefighter.

"It is the best job in the world. Being a firefighter means I can make a real difference within communities," he says.

After four years with the Royal NZ Airforce, Whitaker, 23, decided to join her father and two brothers as a firefighter with fire and emergency.

Also joining her in the Hawke’s Bay at Hastings station is Wilson. She previously opened and ran a coffee shop and spent 10 years in hospitality before starting her new venture as a firefighter.

"Joining fire and emergency meant I could give back more than just a smile and great coffee,” she says.

During the graduation ceremony Wellington’s Michael Lagatule was presented with the top recruit award.