Gisborne Fire Brigade is made up of a dedicated team of trained volunteer fire fighters and support personnel who serve the local community without pay. CFA Volunteers respond from home or work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many hours a week are contributed attending fire calls, training, maintenance and other duties. Gisborne Fire Brigade has to be prepared for a wide range of fire fighting and emergency situations. Each summer bushfires are a constant threat to the area with many people living in heavy vegetation areas. The region has had first hand experience of this including the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires where 20,000 hectares were burnt and 400 homes were lost. Part of the Gisborne Fire Brigade's work is teaching local residents how to defend themselves against the risk through Community Fireguard and other brigade initiatives. House fires are a major concern for all fire brigades. The potential for harm to people is real, and the destruction of personal possessions can be devastating. Fortunately, quick response times by the Brigade and the fitting of smoke alarms have greatly reduced the damage caused by house fires.Apart from fires, the brigade also deals with many other incidents, working alongside other emergency agencies. Incidents include motor car accidents, flood damage, gas or other hazardous materials. We have fire-fighters with specialist skills including LP gas flare off, trench rescue, hazardous materials and first aid.