Mosgiel volunteer firefighters are among thousands of dedicated people across New Zealand who give up their free time to keep their community safe and help people through some of the worst moments in their lives.
Among the 20 local stalwarts who volunteer as "Yellow Watch" at Mosgiel Fire Station are Senior Firefighter Amanda Bradley, Firefighter Matthew Gregory and Qualified Firefighter Simon Greenall — who is both a career firefighter and a volunteer.
Volunteer roles with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) vary widely, and include firefighters, operational support, medical first responders and brigade support. They attend callouts, training and community events, which often means time away from home and work.
National Commander Kerry Gregory said volunteers were a critical part of the service, making up 80% of the Fenz workforce, and available 24/7, 365 days a year.
"Fire and Emergency couldn’t provide the service we do to communities without them," Mr Gregory said.
The Mosgiel Fire Station is staffed by career firefighters during daytime from Monday to Friday. Overnight and weekend shifts are covered by volunteers — an arrangement that has operated for the past 20 years.
The station receives about 300 callouts each year, from house fires, medical events and flooding, to assisting with in-home fire alarms.
For Mr Greenall, becoming a career firefighter two years ago was a natural progression after 15 years as a volunteer — although he cheerfully becomes a volunteer again on some nights and days off.
"In Dunedin, quite a few of our volunteers are also career staff, and fortunately there is a good relationship between the two groups here," he said.
A father of three, Mr Greenall coaches children’s sport — mainly cricket and football, and is about to take on the role of brigade trainer.
Ms Bradley has been a volunteer at the Mosgiel Fire Station for the past seven years.
A mother of two, she became a volunteer firefighter after searching for something she could put time and effort into that would benefit the community.
"Being a part of the fire brigade here in Mosgiel is very special — there are a lot of good people out here," she said.
Working as CanTeen Otago manager, and as a single parent, Ms SFF Bradley can’t get to training quite as often as she would like, but she puts in the time as a Fenz regional training manager.
Matthew Gregory has also been a volunteer with the Mosgiel Fire Station for the past seven years, after previously volunteering as a medic with the NZ Army Reserve Force.
A family man with two children, he juggles the role with working as MTF Finance Dunedin South general manager and being treasurer of the Dunedin Community House board.
"I like being busy, and also giving back to the community, so it suits me very well," Mr Gregory said.
Like their colleagues, Mosgiel Fire Station volunteers carry pagers and have apps on their phones so they can be alerted at any time to an emergency requiring fire service attendance.
All three firefighters have seen a marked change in the duties of Fenz staff and volunteers over their years in the service.
Mr Greenall said not only had the equipment used changed significantly, but so too had the type of calls attended by Fenz — in particular assisting Hato Hone St John paramedics at medical callouts or accidents.
"We mainly do the grunt work so the paramedics can do the rest," he said.
However, if the ambulance is not available in Mosgiel, the fire brigade will turn out to provide first aid.
"The ambulances are so stretched that we are needed to provide that support."
Although it has a strong core of 20 volunteers providing coverage through a well-organised watch system, the Mosgiel Fire Station is still technically understaffed and more volunteers would be welcome.
Ms Bradley said it could be difficult for people to find time in their busy lives to take on a volunteer firefighter role, but that it was "totally worth it".
"We all really like being part of the Mosgiel Fire Station family — the friendships you make, the training you receive and having the chance to help people are all amazing," she said.
Mr Gregory said the positive responses the fire service received from the community were great.
"People are very pleased to see us, and the kids love to wave at a fire truck — that’s fun."
The Mosgiel Fire Station will host an open day and recruitment drive on July 19, from 2pm, at the station at 16a Green St, Mosgiel. The event will include displays and the chance to learn more about becoming a volunteer firefighter. All interested people are welcome to attend.
