"I already knew people on the brigade, made some inquiries and one of the members approached to see if I’d join."
A quarter century later, Senior Station Officer Stu Powell is third in command and in charge of co-ordinating training.
"We have two training sessions a month [and] around 190 callouts a year ... There’s been a big change since I joined and now probably 35% to 40% are medical calls, which we didn’t do initially."
He said increased awareness and safety technology meant far fewer callouts for fires, but road and traffic incidents keep brigades busy.
"We’ve got a name system on our phone which tells us what [the callout] is ... You can see who’s going and say if you’re not available, otherwise you push the green button to say you’re attending.
"The fire service likes fast. We like the first truck to be out within five minutes."
SSO Powell’s award ceremony was attended by 135 colleagues, friends and family, including his daughter who travelled from Canada to join him.
"That was a highlight ... Having family and my wife’s support is vital because, you know, they’re the ones giving you a poke in the back in the middle of the night to say ‘your pager’s going’ and go out and start your car, bring out the water for the windscreen [and] are there for you when you get back.
"It’s about having a good end result ... If you went to a motor vehicle accident and you’ve got the people out and they’re not too bad and heading away in an ambulance or helicopter ... or you have a good outcome and save someone on a CPR job."
Balclutha Chief Fire Officer Jason Lyall said he had known SSO Powell for about five years before he joined the brigade.
"Stu’s one of those guys who speaks the best of everybody ... and that returns loyalty to him," CFO Lyall said.
"When I see on my phone Stu’s going to make it to a callout, that makes me feel very confident, especially if I’m not going to be able to make it to that one myself."
Proud of his service and grateful for the recognition, SSO Powell said it was all about the team and camaraderie.
"One thing that’s always stuck with me since joining up, is that no matter where you work or what background you come from, when you’re down at the station, you’re all a bunch of mates and firefighters together. It’s the passion for it — the station is my happy place."
