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The brigade’s territory covers urban housing, semi-rural blocks, an 80ha campground and forests.
The new Spencerville site was chosen – rather than rebuilding on either of the current sites – because uniting volunteers from the Brooklands and Bottle Lake stations was seen as the best way to support and protect the local communities and nearby forest plantations.
The 31-strong team has been training and responding from their new station since March, leading the way as the first fully unified brigade in Canterbury.
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Fire and Emergency NZ board chair Paul Swain, second from left, and Jan Tinetti, Minister of Internal Affairs, attended the opening.