On Sunday 14 March members of the Unit took part in the Stokes Valley Fire Station open day which was held at the Stokes Valley Station. The Unit was ask to put on a display of what we have to offer and to show what the Fire Police are all about.

The day started at 1000hrs and as the morning went on the crowd started to flow through the station. There was a good level of interest shown in the display we put on and several potential recruits were provided with further information.

Hutt Valley Fire Police, along with friends from Wainuiomata and Paraparaumu Fire Police Units, partook in some training of another sort on Monday 14th: Some Team Building at the Petone 'Strike'.

“It was a chance to meet these people in a social rather than working environment” says SSO David Ackroyd, OIC of the Hutt Valley Fire Police and organiser of the event, “and for everyone to get to know each other better, and for the Units to get to know each other better.”

Over the last couple of years the Unit has worked more and more extensively with its counterparts from the surrounding areas and so it was nice to be able to invite them to join us at an end-of-year gathering. Developing those relationships makes a big different when it comes to providing mutual support.

And as for the Bowling? A great night was had by all, and in the end it was determined that 'we all won'. There were some standout scores on the night, however that was of course secondary to the goal of having some fun and building some relationships.

Wainuomata (left) and Paraparaumu (right) showing HVFP how it's done!

Once again HVFP were one of the key enablers for the Upper Hutt Santa Parade, held Saturday 5 December 2009. Our Unit takes care of the road closures along the parade route as part of our service to the community.

This year we were ably assisted by St Josephs Venturer Unit and as usual, we were part of a larger cast of volunteers who made the event a success.

A selection of images can be seen here, more (as supplied by Mark Foster and Bruce Key) can be found in Mark's Gallery.

Hutt Valley Fire Police were amongst the volunteers giving their time and resources to the Goodwill Express on 28 November 2009. This is a special TranzMetro service, with trains stopping at each station along the lines to Upper Hutt and Paraparaumu, picking up donations for the Salvation Army Foodbank.

Image courtesy Tranzmetro's Website

Once again HVFP were out in strength in support of the Upper Hutt Fireworks Fantastic, Saturday 31 October. This annual event puts on an excellent fireworks display at Trentham Memorial Park each year.

Upper Hutt VFB provided on-site Fire Response. Trentham 481 on scene.

HVFP members were active in their Fire Safety Role at this event in Belmont. Here's some imagery from the day... :

HVFP were amongst the New Zealand Fire Service personnel participating in the Upper Hutt Spring Festival on a sunny Saturday September 5, 2009.

Rimutaka 4928 is ideal for transporting Fire Safety kit.

The Annual General Meeting of the Hutt Valley Fire Police Unit was held on 31 August 2009 at the Stokes Valley RSA. Highlights include:

• Noted for the record that the Unit attended 30 Calls for the year.
  
• John Scott and Wayne Bedford were confirmed as full members of the Unit. John was sworn as a Fire Police Constable by Bruce Key JP; Wayne was an apology and will be sworn at the first suitable opportunity. Congratulations to you both and welcome to the Unit.
  
• Guests included Area Manager (the position formerly known as Chief Fire Officer for career staff) Peter Bean and Regional Manager Ian Pickard, and both briefly addressed the Unit, congratulating it on its efforts in the previous 12 months and offering some insights into coming developments in the Fire District.
  
• Area Manager Peter Bean also presented the Unit Awards as follows:
  
  • Training Attendance Award: FP Key
    
  • Callout Attendance Award: FP Roberts & FP English
    
  • Fire Police Person of the Year: FP Key
    
  • Goof of the Year Award: SSO Ackroyd
    
  
  
• Fire Region Manager Pickard presented FP Vlieg with her 3 Year Certificate, and SO Lock with a Silver Bar for his Long Service Medal, as they were absent from the Unit Honours Night earlier this year.
  

The Unit Awards: Goof of the Year; Fire Police Person of the Year; Attendance Award; Most Calls Award.
(See Below for additional photos.)

On Tuesday 21st members of Hutt Valley Fire Police Unit travelled to Wainuiomata Fire Station for the Annual General Meeting of the Hutt-Wellington-Kapiti Sub Association of the United Fire Brigades Association.

This night was particularly interesting for HVFP members; For the past 12 months our Officer in Charge, SSO David Ackroyd, has been serving as President of the Sub Association, and Fire Policeman Alex Roberts has been Senior Vice President. Of note also are SO Mike Lock and FP Mark Morton, both as Junior Vice Presidents.

This AGM saw SSO Ackroyd step down as President and move into the role of 'Immediate Past President'. He had the pleasure of presenting to FP Roberts his 'promotion' to President. In response FP Roberts presents SSO Ackroyd with the 'Past President's pin.

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SSO Ackroyd presenting to FP Roberts.... and FP Roberts returning the favour.

FP Roberts in his new role as President, was able to welcome in the newest member of the Sub Association Executive, FF Brent Penny from Upper Hutt Volunteer Fire Brigade. He was also able to confirm and congratulate the Association Patron, Mr Gordon Hamilton, for his reappointment.

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The Guest Speaker for the evening was the outgoing Immediate Past President, SO Rachael Thorp of Upper Hutt VFB, who gave a very interesting talk on the Australian Bushfires of February 2009. SO Thorp is employed as a Rural Fire Officer for the Department of Conservation and was amongst the first New Zealand Deployment to the bushfires which devastated the state of Victoria earlier this year.

The Sub Association is an excellent forum for the local Volunteer Fire Brigades (and Units!). HVFP encourages volunteer fire brigades from the Greater Wellington area to take an active interest in the Sub Association and the services and support it is able to provide for training, competitions and social events.

The evening of Saturday 2 May saw Expressions in Upper Hutt hosting a charity boxing event that starred some very close colleagues of ours - Firefighters from the Hutt Valley opposed by the Upper Hutt Police. Up for grabs? The trophy and the pride of the respective services. The real reason? All profits were handed over to a list of charities - the Life Flight Trust, Womens Refuge, Blue Light Ventures, Wellington Free Ambulance, Canteen and Victim Support.

Members of Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata Fire Police Units were on hand to assist on the night; we assisted with safety and security related duties, keeping an eye on the fire exits and generally helping out where we can.

Boxers getting ready to rumble!

A great night, with a sell-out crowd and some excellent bouts - with participants from Fire Stations across the Valley, and from the Upper Hutt Police.

Some excellent fights had the crowd on the edges of their seats (or off them entirely) at various stages of the evening. The bouts were arranged as 3x 2 minute rounds, with judges decisions as final.

The final verdict?