And that's because it's a great crew to be with, he said.
Asked about 25 years of sprinting to the station every time the siren sounds, he acknowledges the effort.
"There are moments when it's hard to get motivated, but the characters up here, the camaraderie, that's a large part of getting your bum into action.
"It's a great brigade spirit."
He said the spring weather has been "crazy" for the team, and cannot remember a spring like it. "It's a fantastic feeling when it all goes well, but not everything has happy endings, and you have got to learn to deal with that."
Mr McKenna has dealt with numerous vehicle accidents, including fatal ones, but the night that sticks in his mind was 25 years ago, a month after he joined.
"It was like the winds this spring, an absolute gale.
"We had been out on umpteen calls, then we had this 100-year-old two-storey building, well alight.
"My memories are just of chaos.
"We had 22 firefighters, but it was getting bigger and bigger, sheets were coming off the roof, fires starting on other properties.
"I thought, wow, would all my calls be like this?"
He said the Featherston community is great to the crew, frequently baking food and delivering it to the station.
"This is a good way to help your community.
"I would say to any volunteer: come along, you learn fantastic life skills, in a friendly, safe environment, with your peers.
"We're all one big team - just don't expect to get paid."
Featherston Volunteer Fire Brigade are looking for more volunteers. Phone 0800 FIRE RECRUIT
