Culverden Volunteer Fire Brigade was formed in November 1949 and celebrated 50 years of service in 1999. In 1955 the Brigade was involved in fighting the Balmoral Forest fire. Balmoral Forest is a large area of forestry trees south of Culverden. In 1992 it took over the rescue equipment from the St. Johns ambulance and Culverden Volunteer Fire Brigade is now a full response rescue station. The Brigade covers the area from the Hurunui River to the south to Rotherham in the north, to Marble Point and the mountain range in the west to the Lowry Range in the east. The Brigade has an establishment of 20 firefighters. Several members of the Brigade have served their local community for over 25 years.

Culverden is approximately 97kms north of Christchurch in the heart of North Canterbury and is part of the Hurunui District. Primarily a sheep farming area, the local countryside comprises of large plains intersected with rivers and the area is surrounded by mountains. A notable local feature is the Red Post which stands just north of Culverden at the junction of Hanmer and Waiau state highways. Although it's original origin is unclear, it appeared on a map of a proposed railway for the local area in the late 1800's. The township was named after a property in England owned by one of the first settlers to the area, Henry Young.