Chief fire officer Triplow, now 66, started with the volunteer brigade when he was 16 and said his crew really is like a “second family”.
While there were lots of sad times during his 50 years, he said there were plenty of fun times too.
Getting involved in competitions allowed him to travel all over the country through the years. The brigade claiming victory in the 1993 UFBA competition was a highlight, he said.
Field started as soon as he turned 18 and got involved through a family connection who was already part of the brigade.
“Once you join, it hooks you,” he said.
“It’s the people, it’s the camaraderie, it’s the family.”
Rasmussen started his journey with Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) in South Auckland when he was 21. The death of a close friend in a car crash motivated him to start volunteering.
“I just needed an outlet to try and understand a little bit more and realise that when you’re young and silly, there are consequences for your actions.
“After a year of not knowing what to do with myself or how to deal with a few things that were going on, it was really cathartic to join.”
Rasmussen said he enjoys using the skills the job requires.
“You get to do some pretty cool things and play with some pretty cool gear. It’s also nice to learn new skills and be able to put them into practice.”
Triplow remembers his most notable incident in 1981 when a Hawke’s Bay joinery he had been working for burnt down.
“At the time it was ‘holy s**t what are we going to do’.”
Similarly, Field said a large industrial fire in Omahu Rd in Hastings had always stuck in his mind. He would forever remember the “massive plume of black smoke” that shrouded the Hawke’s Bay skyline.
“That was just something like I’ve never seen before, the number of people, the amount of fire appliances ... walking under a cloud of smoke that was on fire and dripping.”
As with any emergency service role, the toll on mental health can be significant. The way trauma is dealt with had changed over the years, Rasmussen said.
“In the old days we used to look at [traumatic incidents] very differently. Nowadays there’s some really good support through Fenz.”
Triplow said when he joined, the message was “harden up boy”, but now if you needed to talk to someone there were many resources available.
And that age-old firefighting cliche of rescuing cats from trees? The group admitted they’d definitely seen a couple of pet rescues in their time, and the owners were always grateful.
“The cliches are true,” Field said.
“It doesn’t happen very often now, but you still do get the odd one,” Triplow added.
In the end, Field said it was the people who had been the highlight of his service years, a sentiment echoed by both Triplow and Rasmussen.
“It’s 100 per cent the community spirit and the community feel that keeps you involved, and the pleasure of trying to help people.”
Every Monday night you are likely to find the trio training down at the station. They encouraged people who were interested in joining their firehouse family to come down and get in touch.
“It’s much better than watching TV on a Monday night,” Rasmussen said.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
