When Brian Ross recovered from a medical emergency which occurred four years ago, he wanted to do something to "say thank you".
"I needed help - I was in a bad way. It's quite possible I wouldn't be here without these guys," he said.
And so Mr Ross, who is in his 50s, became a volunteer firefighter, completing his training with four other Otematata colleagues late last year.
He had been interested in the Fire Service since he was 4 years old.
Joining had been a dream put on hold and then it became a reality "and I wouldn't want it any other way".
"Age isn't an issue . . . it's stamina and heart. You can be Arnold Schwarzenegger, but that's not going to help you if you've got no heart," he said.
The Otematata Fire Brigade now boasts 16 members, six of them medically trained.
The brigade attended 73 callouts last year.
The latest recruits - Tania Leopold, Corey Westhall, Thomas Jopson, Deborah Simpson and Mr Ross - are loving the challenge.
For Miss Leopold, firefighting is not something new.
She was the the first female firefighter in the Otematata brigade, joining in the early 1990s.
Having returned to the area about three years ago for employment reasons, she became involved on the medical side and then decided to retrain as a firefighter.
Being involved was an opportunity to give back to the community and it was very rewarding.
"I'd like to think we're prepared for any emergency put in front of us," she said.
Mr Westhall, an electrician at the nearby Benmore dam, joined for the "satisfaction of helping people", while Thomas Jopson, whose father Kelvin has been involved with the brigade since 1997, had wanted to join since he was a child.
Station officer Linda Read said the brigade was an "awesome team" and a good mix of men and women - there are four women - ages and experience.
It takes a lot to run a brigade, including a big commitment from volunteers.
Mrs Read also praised local employers, who were supportive, particularly when employees were called from work.
The relationship between the various emergency services was also excellent, she said.
Last year at Labour Weekend, both police cars and fire units were pelted with bottles thrown by young people camped at the Waitaki lakes near Otematata.
The brigade was called out five times to the campsite near Loch Laird to extinguish fires lit by young people in defiance of a total fire ban.
There is still a dent in the fire truck where it was hit.
Each year, the behaviour of young people at Labour Weekend had got progressively worse, Miss Leopold said.
"We're only there to do our job, to put out the fire that they've lit, and they don't understand it," she said.
This year, there would be a "remarkable difference" as various groups, including emergency services and the Waitaki District Council, were working together to "change the whole scenario", Mrs Read said.
In contrast, New Year's Eve was fairly quiet for the brigade with only two callouts during the night.
Firefighters had to be multi-skilled, open-minded and prepared to do anything, Mrs Read said.
"You've got to be prepared to get downright dirty, basically. You can't worry about dirty nails, but it's very rewarding. I absolutely love it."
There was plenty of job satisfaction, she said, citing a recent example where the brigade was called to a scrub fire.
Not only did they save it from getting worse, they avoided the need for a helicopter to be called in.
"We actually achieved something, which is really neat," she said.
She encouraged people to join a volunteer organisation, regardless of what is was.
"It's an awesome challenge."
