More than 40 years after it was built the Luggate Fire Station is getting a major upgrade.

The Luggate Volunteer Fire Brigade has operated from its current station on Main Road since it was constructed in 1980.

Its 20-or-so operational members attend around 80 call-outs each year and a renovation of the station, which received resource consent approval last month, will help future-proof its operations.

Station officer Rod Anderson has been a member of the local brigade for 52 years.

“We originally had a very small station,” Rod said. “It was quite an upgrade to get the one we have now.”

Renovation work on the four-decade-old station should start in the next few months, he said.

The brigade was spurred on by an earthquake assessment which deemed the building earthquake prone and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) decided to upgrade the station at the same time as earthquake strengthening to make it more fit-for-use.

“We are pretty well set up for room other than for training and meetings where we need a bit more room,” Rod said. “There is an extension planned out the back for a training room.”

Because of the earthquake risk the front of the station has to be demolished and the replacement appliance bay will be a few metres bigger than the original, providing more room for storage.

The out-of-date kitchen will also get an upgrade and the bathroom will be upgraded to meet accessibility standards; other changes include a small expansion to the operations room and a new deck. 

Rod said the brigade was very grateful to have been offered space to use in Upper Clutha Transport’s former workshop (now owned by Lake McKay Developments) during the renovation.

The site is directly across the road from the station and “it’s got the ability to house our appliances and there’s a room we can use for meetings”.

Rod said membership numbers at the long-running brigade have gone up and down over time “but our present membership is the best I have ever seen it”.

“Our biggest problem is the fact that very few of the [members] are here in Luggate during the daytime and during the week,” he said. 

Rod said it was the desire to do something for his community that got him started with the brigade and what had kept him involved for all these years.

“If there’s anybody in the community that would like to join, or if they are thinking about joining and would like to have a look, they’re always welcome to come on down,” Rod said.

The costs of the renovation work for the fire station will be covered by FENZ.

PHOTO: Supplied