Fire-fighting at Te Kūiti station runs in families

With nine of its members closely related, Te Kūiti Volunteer Fire Brigade could be described as a genuine family affair.  

Currently the brigade has three fathers who serve with their sons, plus a mum, dad and their daughter, and there have been many more such combinations in previous years.  

The mum, dad and daughter grouping comprises recently promoted fire chief officer, Hayden Sheedy, who serves alongside his wife, Ngahuia, (Muffy) Sheedy and their daughter, Abby.

Hayden’s father, Graham Sheedy, was a veteran of 27 years in the Te Kūiti brigade, of which 10 were spent as chief fire officer.  

“So, it all started for me at a young age, because having a dad in the brigade gives you an interest in the service, as it was known then.  

Hayden joined about 30 years ago when he was about 16.

“I just continued in the brigade and met my wife Muffy there, as she was also a brigade member. Then our daughter, Abby, decided to join when she turned 16.

“Of course, Abby wasn’t forced into doing so in any way; she just decided to give it a go and now says she’s really enjoying it.”

Hayden said it was special to have so many family groupings in the brigade.

“The family ties only strengthen a unit like ours, which is already pretty tight. These relationships make it easier to operate in difficult times, because you’ve got an extra level of support built in”.  

Muffy said as a youngster she had wanted to join the police but her mother, who didn’t think a police career would be very safe, talked her into joining the brigade instead. (Muffy joined the brigade initially, then later the police).  So, what does she get out of serving in today’s brigade?

“I think it’s still the satisfaction you get from just helping people.  Also, much of our work these days is in fire prevention and education, and that’s particularly rewarding.”

As for Abby, growing up she always wanted to know where the truck was going and who was on it. Yes, we never put any pressure on her to join but she did – and now she loves it.”

Abby, a high school student, has been in the brigade five months, during which she has attended a couple of fires and numerous other kinds of callouts. She does not attend callouts during the school day and, fortunately, Wednesday night training does not clash with sports she plays.

“I’ve booked in to do my recruit course which will involve a week of training in May, after which I will become a fire fighter. And I can see me staying with it after that.”

Abby thinks the brigade environment suits those prepared to do things quickly and efficiently, rather than at their own pace. There was much to learn but good training made things easier to pick up.

“You need a good attitude and to be keen to help and be part of a team. There’s dedication involved, because it involves turning out when the alarm goes off in the middle of the night and those weekly trainings.”

Phil New, a former deputy and chief fire officer, was proud to see his son, Kale, and daughter, Lorray, (who has since joined the Defence Forces) serve in the brigade. His sense of pride extends to all his colleagues.

“I think being involved in community service is good for character development, particularly in young people.

“We’ve seen our role broaden and change over the years. It’s now far more complex than just fighting fires and it can be challenging at times. But that sense of serving the community is a constant – we find it rewarding.”

Darren King was approached by a brigade member in 1985 when he was doing his apprenticeship at Piopio.

“He said, ‘you’d fit in well with our group; come along to a training night’. I did, and I’ve never left.”

After 18 months, Darren had a career change and shifted back to Te Kūiti but after being urged to keep up his brigade service, he had a yarn with then fire chief Graham Sheedy and joined up.

Darren’s brother, Michael, was also in the brigade at the time, though he later moved on.

“But Michael and many others who have served over the years came back to help us celebrate our centenary.”

To this day, Darren finds being in the brigade fantastic. He has been impressed at the patience and wisdom exhibited by older mentors in the senior ranks, who had encouraged and guided their younger proteges over the years.

“We have a great group of people. Through all the trials and tribulations young people have over the years – and we all get into trouble at some point – if you’re in the brigade there is an extended arm.  They’ll reach out and bring you back to the line if you’ve stepped over it.”

“A few years back we had a lot of misgivings over people leaving the service because a lot of the things they didn’t enjoy. But FENZ and the Fire Service put policies in place that encouraged keeping an eye on staff to ensure they were not psychologically damaged by what they experienced.”

This was achieved through communication, debriefs following calls, keeping an eye on younger members and ensuring everyone had the opportunity to talk over their experiences instead of bottling things up. Professional counselling was also available.

Darren’s son, Liam, had been a natural fit with the brigade, having come along to family days as a youngster where he got to know the officers.

“However, within a week or two of his joining he went to his first callout – a medical case – which wasn’t a good thing for him. I wasn’t there but they all got together around him and supported him. And you know what – he’s only grown from that.”

Darren said in his view, service in the fire brigade was invaluable as it helped to make well-rounded individuals who became useful members of society.

“The old saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child may be regarded as a cliche these days, but I believe that in the brigade it is still quite true.”

Children of fire fighters became accustomed to conversing with adults as they grew up, through attending family days.  

This way they seemed to build up more confidence than their peers when it came to relating to adults. They could hold their own in any company. And the character development carried on among young adults in their twenties who went on training courses and gained qualifications the brigade offered.

Grahame Howell, a former chief at Te Kūiti, was asked for his reflections about the sacrifice of making a commitment to the brigade.

“Yes, it’s a big commitment, but the camaraderie is great. You are exposed to so many like-minded people whom you’d never otherwise have met.  It becomes a network of friends and colleagues which extends beyond your own community, in fact, across the country.”

Grahame’s son, Paul, joined up at 16 having grown up around the fire brigade, coming to all the functions and youth parties the brigade put on.    

The work itself was not always dramatic (like a building on fire), he said. Much of it involved helping people with small problems, which were big to them.

“Sure, some of the calls we ask ourselves, what did we get called here for, but you can’t under-estimate the positive effect a visit from the brigade can have.”

Grahame recalls an old lady who was worried after hearing water running in her wall after a pipe under the shower burst.

“So really, it was just reassurance. We turned the water off, made sure she had water to make herself a cup of tea and told her to call the plumber in the morning.

“The fact that we’d been there, stopped the water running and told her what to do meant she was as happy as Larry.  But if we hadn’t been called out, she would have been fretting all night. We might have lost half an hour’s sleep, but it doesn’t really matter – reassurance is a big thing.

“We would love to see more people in the community come along and see what we’re all about.

“Some of the people in our community are bit precious with their time, wanting to spend as much as possible with their families, which is fine.

“But it’s going to get to the point where many of us who have been there 35-plus years will need to step aside, needing to have somebody come through (after we’ve left).

“It’s not a crisis at this point, but it’s always in the back of your mind.”