Camaraderie and variety essence of the fire service life

Between them, they have just over 200 years’ experience in the fire and emergency service. But for these five recent retirees, the job had not fundamentally changed much and the camaraderie kept them in it. On Saturday, a special celebration was held for Richard Huuskes (42 years’ service), Robin Hulsbosch (36), Glenn Roberts (43), Ron Oranje (35) and Alan McNeill (47) at the Dunedin Fire Station. All of them have worked alongside each other for significant periods of time and all of them said they had their own techniques for dealing with traumatic events. “For me, I developed an acronym: if you have a stressful incident, you manage it mentally, you acknowledge it and then you f…. forget it. Maff,” Mr McNeill said. “I mean we all used to after a bad incident most of the time. “As soon as you knocked off shift, went to the bar, had a jug or something, we all talked about it and that’s the way we handled it. “We all went home and went our own ways.” Mr Roberts said it was the small things that have changed over time. “I guess we’ve gone to more medical calls. “But the job is still exactly the same as it was when we started in some ways as well. “You know, you still get out and you help people and that’s what it is.” Camaraderie played a big part in keeping people in the fire service, particularly after long shifts. “Some people can make the job easy and some people can make it hard. “These boys were just fine and you get to treasure the ones that make the job easy.” Mr Roberts said he remembered “dozens” of fires, but the December 1984 fire at ICI’s chemical warehouse in Auckland, which caused injuries to 60 firefighters after they came into contact with chemicals, still lingered. A subsequent investigation into the fire resulted in improved clothing for firefighters, a standard procedure for fireground safety, the introduction of fireground safety officers and changes to the occupational health service. “You don’t forget that easily. “I was in my early 20s. “I suppose it was the making of me.” But none of the five regretted being part of the service for a second. “You don’t have to crawl to the top of the ladder to enjoy your life in fire service,” Mr McNeill said. “We all left as firefighters because we were firefighters. “You still like getting your hands dirty. “It’s been a great life.”