Fire Chief Dennis Hunt, who has served 38 years with the Cambridge Fire Brigade, has lost count of how many times he’s left his wife, Tricia, sitting at dinner alone to attend a callout. It’s a reality she’s lived with over the years and one shared by dozens of families across Cambridge.
When you volunteer for the Cambridge Fire Brigade, your whole family, friends and workplace volunteers with you. They just don’t get the uniform.
“We try to make it very family-oriented,” Dennis explains, reflecting on his four years as Chief Fire Officer.
“We involve partners and kids. Families are welcome to come down to our events. But at the end of the day, someone’s got to take the kids to sports and cricket while the other one’s responding to a call.”
It’s a sacrifice that 27 volunteer firefighters and their families make for Cambridge. In 2025 alone, the Cambridge Fire Brigade attended 508 callouts, making it the eighth busiest volunteer station in New Zealand. When that siren sounds at 2am, it’s your neighbour, the local glazier, a paramedic, a property manager, a pilot, a cop, a farm worker, everyday Cambridge people who respond.
“We have three to five minutes to get trucks out the door,” Dennis says. “We might only have 10 members available from our 27, so we need an officer, a driver, and at least a crew of two in the back. If it’s major, we take two vehicles and if necessary, we call on brigades from surrounding towns.”
Walk through the Cambridge Fire Station, and you’ll find stories that span generations, living proof that service runs in families.
Dennis’s predecessor, Don Gerrand, served 53 years. His father-in-law, who held the rank of deputy chief back in the day, told Don when he married his daughter that he had to join the brigade. Don did as he was told. Then Don’s son Richie joined and has since become a senior station officer. Now Richie’s son is also a firefighter, an incredible four generations answering Cambridge’s call.
The Steen family has similar roots. Two brothers served alongside their father, Tom Steen. Winston Steen held the role of deputy chief for some time. Between the three of them, there was over 100 years of service dedicated to our town.
Glenn, the current deputy chief, works at Cambridge Glass, the business once owned
by Peter Sutton, who was also deputy chief once upon a time.
“It’s really just one big family here,” Dennis says.
Building tomorrow’s firefighters
Recognising that volunteer firefighters don’t appear overnight, station officer Phil Johnston has started a new cadetship programme. Already, eight local teenagers gather every Monday night to learn what it means to serve.
“The kids are absolutely loving it,” Dennis says. “They get hands-on with running hoses and squirting water, learning some discipline. Phil and six of our crew run it, and the feedback is fantastic. There are a couple of shy kids who are really coming out of their shells.”
Phil says the idea behind the programme was to interact with the community more and give
some local kids a chance to do something they wouldn’t normally get to, while taking them out of their comfort zone.
“Long term, you never know, we might also get a few new volunteer firefighters out of the programme too,” he says.
A community that gives back
While Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) funds the two front-line trucks and operational costs, Cambridge’s generosity enables the brigade to go further. The community has funded three additional vehicles: a water tanker, a medical response vehicle, and a rural unit for countryside fires.
“We get thousands of dollars each year from this community,” Dennis says. “It is unbelievable how kind this town is to us. People walking past will often just pop in and give us $100.”
The support we receive funds equipment that Fire and Emergency doesn’t cover such as extra defibrillators, and our most recent purchase, a new $25,000 generator so the station can be a one-stop emergency hub when power fails.
The contribution extends beyond fires and accidents. The brigade’s 1938 vintage fire engine, Flick, rebuilt from the chassis up by volunteers, appears at special occasions, Christmas parades, honouring retiring firefighters, and attending funerals. She’s a rolling reminder of Cambridge’s commitment to its own.
The challenge ahead
As Cambridge grows, so do the callouts. Yet the brigade faces a persistent challenge:
daytime weekday coverage. “I worry about attracting enough volunteers to service our calls moving forward,” Dennis admits.
“The town has looked after us so well, we don’t want to let them down.”
They need people available during business hours: self-employed workers, shift workers, retirees, and those who work from home or locally. The training is manageable, and the brigade provides all equipment with costs covered.
In the meantime, 27 volunteers and their families keep showing up. They miss dinners, birthday parties, sleep, and precious family moments. But they also get a huge amount in return.
“You ask any volunteer here, and they’ll tell you they joined because they wanted to do something for their community, something to contribute,” Dennis reflects. “What they gain are some great skills, friends and family for life in our crew.”
The Cambridge Fire Brigade is actively seeking new volunteers, particularly those
available during weekday daytime hours who can respond to the station within minutes.
To learn more about volunteering or the cadetship programme, please email us at cambridgesecretary@fireandemergency.nz.
