It’s going to be a long day for this accountant when the siren goes up at 4:30am. As the truck rolls eastward, the glow is not the sun but a huge scrub fire that will keep emergency services including helicopters busy for days. Ian Smith is on the first crew on scene and will not come home till 6pm, ending a work day quite different than his usual day behind the desk in his office in Upper Hutt.
This is one of the reasons Ian joined the brigade, “doing stuff that I don’t normally do which is sitting at a desk everyday”. He remembers another fire call in a roof of a house where he and fellow member Mike Lace had to remove iron roofing while a couple local builders happened to be watching had a bit of a laugh at their techniques. Job done though.
Born in Carterton, he and wife Tiffany, daughters, Briana, Annabelle and Isla now live in Martinborough. The young family keep him happily occupied leaving just enough time for sports and travel interests. Ian joined the Brigade 6 years ago as a way to meet people and challenge his comfort zone.
What advice would you have for anyone thinking of joining a fire brigade? “Its good fun – you meet great people and make great friends – the brigade looks after you and your family (kids love the Christmas Parties) and it tests your abilities all the time. There is nothing like the adrenaline rush of going off to an emergency call.”
