When the fire siren calls in Wainuiomata the tamariki at Pukeatua Kindergarten jump into action. They know that sitting in the office is their very own firefighting hero and that the siren means she’ll be leaving in a hurry to drive a big red fire truck.
Nathalie Pettigrew has worked for Pukeatua Kindergarten as an Administrator for eight years and is proud to be a volunteer fire fighter in Wainuiomata. A role that she can do thanks to the kindergarten being within 5kms of the fire station.
As a Senior Fire Fighter Nathalie gets called into action around 300 times a year, and being able to attend call outs during the day is crucial with many people working outside of Wainuiomata.
“Some weeks are quiet and we get no calls, then on others we’ll get called twice in a week. The call could be because there is a fire, motor vehicle accident, to give CPR, rescue cats from drains, provide assistance to people who have had a fall or to investigate smoke in the area.” says Nathalie.
The tamariki all know that Nathalie drives the truck, and were excited to see her arrive in uniform for a recent interview with Wainuiomata News. For several tamariki the uniform was a familiar sight because their parents are also volunteer fire fighters.
“We currently have two mums who are in the brigade, and another has a child starting with us soon. Over the years we have had many brigade tamariki attend this Kindergarten”
The next time you see the Wainuiomata fire trucks, take a look at the side and you will see Pukeatua Kindergarten proudly listed as an employer of a volunteer fire fighter.
As an Association we are proud to support Nathalie with this important role she plays in our community.
The fire brigade is keen to grow their number of volunteers because having day time responders are crucial to keep the trucks rolling. If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer including kindergarten mums, you can call the local fire brigade on 04 564 8340
