Into the line of fire : the tumultuous years of the New Zealand Fire Brigades (1947 to 2009)

By Allan Bruce, published by Allan Bruce, 2009

Allan Bruce is well qualified to write this very readable history of the New Zealand Fire Brigades. He joined the service in 1947 as a 17 year old rising through the ranks to fulfil national senior management roles. After retirement from the service he worked as a consultant for various fire service agencies in Australia and New Zealand.

The author takes us through his early years of fire fighting to a brief stint with the London Metropolitan Fire Board before returning to New Zealand where for the rest of his career he witnessed the momentous changes in management style and structure.

Typically the book discusses major fires in New Zealand along with the way changes especially in the 90s evolved over the decades to form today’s current New Zealand fire service. The concluding chapters include some discussion on the future of the New Zealand Fire Service.

The narrative is written with a voice that only experience and the depth of knowledge gained after 42 years in the service can provide. Although there is no index, the book has footnotes, bibliography, an appendix of chronology of structural changes and a glossary of terms.