Waverley firefighter Steve Dowman chalks up 25 years service

Steve Dowman celebrates 25 years of fire service. Photo / Supplied

Deputy Chief of the Waverley Volunteer Fire Brigade Steve Dowman is celebrating 25 years of fire service in the wider Whanganui region.

Dowman joined the service in the 1990s after "my brother was third officer and my uncle was in the brigade and they convinced me to join".

"A year later they left, and I'm still here," he said.

After four years in Raetihi, Dowman moved to Ohakune where he served as Chief of the brigade for a number of years.

Dowman and his wife then moved to Waverley in 2016 after purchasing the local Four Square. After spending a year setting up shop, Dowman rejoined the brigade.

Dowman has many lasting memories from his 25 years of service.

"The times in Ohakune were the best memories. We had a really strong brigade. It was quite a good social brigade, we would go away for golf and fishing and other activities."

The brigade receives an average of 70 calls a year. A lot of them are medical-related, something the Waverley brigade has always been involved with due to the absence of a local ambulance.

"Besides the odd scrub fire, these days we tend to attend more car crashes," Dowman said.

The 2018 car crash that devastated the Waverley community, resulting in seven people killed as one tragedy that will be with him forever.

"I will never forget that one."

Dowman credits the people he has met in the brigade and helping the community as the most enjoyable moments of his job.

"Definitely the comraderie, you make good lifetime mates through it. But it's just helping people out when they desperately need it.

"And you get some satisfaction if you do something right, do the best you can."

Like many regional town brigades, the brigade is always looking to add volunteers to its ranks.

The brigade trains for two hours every Tuesday evening and crew members go to training courses around New Zealand.

When asked if he will match Waverley Fire Chief Alan Hickford, who brought up 50 years of fire service last year, Dowman wasn't too confident.

"I doubt that. 50 years that is way more than I'll ever get to. I'll probably cark it before I can do that."