Whānau First - Fire Safety in Rangitīkei

Rangitikei District Council and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) have joined forces to create:

Whānau First: Fire Safety in Rangitīkei

This initiative, was created in response to fatal residential fire in our district. The programme will develop local youth to confidently deliver fire safety education to our communities.

The programme focuses on empowering youth to support fire safety practices within their own whānau and wider community.

What's involved:

1. Youth Fire Safety Training Programme
   1. Fire and Emergency NZ will deliver training sessions for local youth (13–18 years), potentially via:
      local high schools, alternative education providers, youth services, or iwi-based rangatahi programmes.
   2. Focused on fire causes and prevention, smoke alarm installation, escape planning, and how to have safety conversations with whānau.
2. Whānau Fire Safety Visits
   Trained youth will work in supervised pairs to:
   1. Visit their own whānau or referred community members over 65.
   2. Check smoke alarms, install replacements (provided by FENZ/RDC), and support escape plan development.
   3. Record basic data (non-identifiable) to assist in programme tracking and evaluation.
3. Community Awareness Campaign
   1. Use social media, local radio, and community events to raise awareness of the initiative.
   2. Encourage other whānau to check on older family members.
   3. Celebrate youth involvement and share stories of impact.
4. Support and Mentoring
1. FENZ will provide adult mentoring (e.g., volunteers, firefighters, CRR team) to support youth involved.
2. Ongoing technical advice.

Register your interest

If you are interested register your details. Limited spaces available.

Registration Form