No one is asking for 25 years, although if you love what you do, that's great.
No one is asking for 25 years, although if you love what you do, that's great.
NEW Zealand has, perhaps, been a mobile population, but in the 21st century the concept of spending less time in a job, location or service is especially true.
Which is why it was remarkable and a privilege to attend a fire brigade function celebrating three firefighters who had each given25 years of volunteer service.
The story will feature later this week, but I wanted to point out that beside the celebration there is a serious side to acknowledging this service.
The three firefighters were, obviously, not youngsters, not after 25 years of service. Putting that kind of dedication in is going to become rarer, but that's not so much of a problem if there's people willing to take on this kind of volunteering for a time. The thing is, we acknowledge three who have given 25 years. But are there newcomers who are willing to replace them one day?
Perhaps Wairarapa is still a bastion of the long service. I meet people daily who proudly proclaim they are "born and bred" in Wairarapa, or moved here so long ago it makes no difference. I meet those who are reluctant to tell me their origin of birth, because it means nothing alongside their life in Wairarapa.
Perhaps it is the cities, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, that are the home of the short-stay, and it's the provinces where people commit. I don't know. But what I wonder about, and worry about, is whether volunteer firefighting forces, urban and rural, will sustain. Even in the provinces, people's lives are busier.
I don't think any fire brigade expects a 25-year run from their latest volunteer. These days, you can't really expect more than five years from a newbie in a job or town.
But within those years, shared volunteering, on the instant, and saving lives, is an exceptional service which any able-bodied person can do. The firefighters I've spoken to have talked about the camaraderie of absolute confidence while keeping the community safe. They talk proudly about being able to muster inside three minutes of the siren going off.
In the next month or so there will be a drive for more volunteers to join the brigades. No one is asking for 25 years, although if you love what you do, that's great. But in terms of what you can do for your town and community, being a fire brigade volunteer is pretty special.
