Porirua Fire Station

The first meeting of the board was held on the 26th April 1957 when Mr. A.D. Park C.M.G. representing the Makara County Council was elected Chair- man, the other representative was Mr. E.M.H. Kemp representing Tawa Flat Borough Council, Messrs E.H. Ferguson and W.J. Lagdon representing Fire Insurance Companies and C.F.O. Melville the appointment of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. R.G. Walsh the Makara County Clerk was appointed the first Secretary of the Board which office he held until the abolition of the Fire Board on 31st March 1976.

When the revised Fire Service Act 1975 came into force, the Fire Service Commission became responsible for the management of the fire service throughout New Zealand. Rising out of the territorial adjustment of bound- aries on 1st August 1973 the Plimmerton Fire Brigade came under the juris- diction of the Porirua Fire Board, which was not entirely completed until after the Fire Service Commission assured overall control on 1st April 1976.

First Fire Station

The No. 1 priority as far as the Porirua auxiliary was concerned was to have a fire station of their own, and it was not too long in becoming a reality.

It just so happened that a shed was sitting on the back of Chief Melvilles' section in Coates Street, Linden which once served as his joinery factory. Now, all that was needed was a site to put it on. The site was soon decided upon as there was vacant land just south of the old Porirua Hotel between what once was Greers Funeral Parlour, and the Catholic church, and by some judicious 'fiddling' on the part of Chief Melville and Frm. Moffat, with certain Government Departments, the site was made available. In September-Oc- tober of 1951 the fire station was erected and duly occupied.

From the first three months of occupation, calls were still lodged with Mr. Moffat who would run down to the station and turn on the siren which had been shifted from its perch on Mr. Moffat's roof.

It was in the latter part of 1952 that this single-phase siren decided it had reached the end of its service, for on being sounded for a call it promptly flew apart and died.

This was replaced by a "Gent's 4 H.P." double-ender which was installed and tested by one Frm. Blackbee, and this disturber of the peace (the siren not Frm. Blackbee) may be heard today summoning the volunteers to duty.