NEWLY inducted life members Eric Mason and Darren Cathie and their partners, Joanne Taitoko and Tegan Wehi, who were presented flowers from the brigade. From left to right Joanne Taitoko, Eric, Tegan, and Darren. PHOTO'S SUPPLIED
ABOUT 160 guests attended a Piopio Volunteer Fire Brigade Honours Night, held at the town’s Memorial Hall recently.
The evening was emceed by Fire Service group manager David Brown, while Waikato district manager Daryl Trim presented awards.
These included a Gold Star Medal marking 25 years’ service, presented to fire chief Darren Cathie; medals for 14 years’ long service and good conduct for operational support officer Eric Mason and station officer Ryan Todd, and an award for Fire Fighter of the Year for station officer Rowan Moorhouse.
Darren, 48, who owns DC Auto Repairs, recalls joining the fire service in 1994, when he was a couple of months shy of 20.
“When I was approached (to join), I thought it would be quite fun and quite exciting. I was definitely not thinking I would still be here and receiving a 25-year-award, but I have no regrets,” he said.
“It was definitely not on the radar, but we had just bought a house in town. I was working as an apprentice mechanic in town here. And that is one of the things we look at when we look at new members. Obviously if a young fella has a job in town and bought a house here, he is looking pretty stable, not likely to be going away and we will try to nab him.”
Did brigade service deliver what he was looking for as a 20-year-old?
“Yes, it definitely can be exciting, challenging and rewarding in a lot of different ways. We do what we have to do, but it is nice to be able to help people out in their time of need.”
And were there a lot of sacrifices?
“Well yes, you could be fighting a fire till 2am and then still be tidying up equipment two hours later. But what keeps you going are the people you work alongside. It’s the friendships you make, not only at your own local brigade, but also at the other brigades in the district. There are strong bonds here in our brigade; in fact, they are like a second family.”
Darren said because of its location, with Piopio having a small population and two state highways which carried much traffic, the brigade’s work involved about 80% motor vehicle crashes. The rest was made up of fires and other emergencies, such as medical calls.
Because of this, there was less opportunity to maintain various skills, compared to big city brigades, so the challenge was to stay on top of training, expertise, compliance and certifications. Darren is confident his colleagues have met these challenges.
He is most grateful to his immediate family, who with him away on call outs had sacrificed much over the years.
Eric Mason, 64, said more than 13 years ago, he was looking for a way to serve his community, so decided to go along to the brigade to have a look-see.
“I knew it was voluntary but that didn’t put me off. I joined as operational support and suddenly got to like it, and then I didn’t want to leave.”
Eric always seems to be around when the alarm goes off. He has attended a high percentage of the calls that have come in during his time, so his skills and experience have broadened a lot over the years.
As a self-employed painter and decorator, he was grateful to clients who understood that he sometimes had to down-tools and leave their job to respond when the brigade got called out.
“I like working with the guys. At my age I am a sort of a dad to them; it’s a kind of a mentoring role.”
Darren said Eric was highly appreciated for his sense of humour and ability to encourage and take younger members of the brigade under his wing.
Ryan Todd, 41, feels a sense of satisfaction in receiving his long service medal, as it recognises the contribution he has made over the years.
At the age of 25, he had been living up in Auckland and then returned to Piopio. “After a couple of years, I made a couple of friends in the brigade, who suggested it might be good to give it a go.
“It’s been good. A few faces have changed since then but the positive dynamic has remained the same.”
Ryan said comradeship was the key aspect of a volunteer fire brigade.
“We try to maintain that throughout the brigade and make sure everyone is getting on well.
“Yes, you can get some difficult situations to deal with, such as serious road crashes. But we always have a debrief and look out for one another.”
He said Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) had done a lot of work in this area as far as talking things over. It was no longer the old mentality of “get over it”.
“If it has been something which is not great, whoever is the senior guy on the day will debrief you after the call and then there will be follow-up calls for the next couple of days or (a face to face) interview, if there is a training immediately thereafter. We make sure that everyone is coping, acting as normal and doing well.”
The self-employed electrician has taken days off work to obtain his pump operator and fire truck driving qualifications.
“Obviously we lose time and money when out on calls because we are volunteers. But as far as training and going away on four-day courses and stuff – FENZ do their best to cover those expenses now, which is good.
He recommends joining the fire service. “It will suit those who want to help people and serve their community. And I’ve made many friends, not just at Piopio because we also work alongside the liked-minded people from Te Kūiti, Ōtorohanga, Bennydale and Mōkau brigades. These are quality relationships.”
