A decorated fireman hung his helmet up for the final time this week after serving with the Fire and Emergency Service for 56 years.
Paul Lyall, QSM, said the time was right to step away from what had been a rewarding job serving the community.
Looking back on a long career that originally started off at Paraparaumu, there are some things the 76-year-old will always remember, like the comaraderie of the fire service and some of the lighter and more humorous moments.
He said it was important to share those lighter moments.
"There's always a bit of humour. It's a dry wit," he said.
But, in stark contrast, there would no doubt be some things he would rather forget, such is the nature of the job for all those involved in the emergency services. It's not all cats up trees.
"I wish to God I never saw another fatality," he said.
Lyall had his contribution recognised with a Queen's Service Medal in 2017, which sits alongside a Double Gold Star he was awarded in 2014 to mark 50 years of service.
The inside of firefighter Paul Lyall's very first helmet.
Fire service was a family thing. He originally signed up as a volunteer in the 1950s, following in the footsteps of his late brother Colin, who at the time was a fully-fledged fireman in Paraparaumu.
When a fulltime spot came along in 1965 he moved to Wellington. For a time he lived at the fire station at Miramar, and then the station at Kilbirnie. It was a time when living at the station was a done thing.
Lyall had lived through massive changes in the service. When he was first employed fulltime he worked 24 hours on, then had the following 24 hours off, as was the roster at the time.
In the late 1960s the roster was changed to resemble a normal working shift.
Back then, the primary role of the fire service was to put out fires, and there seemed to be more of them. People were far more fire safety savvy now, with fire alarms and evacuation procedures, and other prevention measures.
He said he remembered the turning point, a fire at Sprott House rest home in Wellington suburb of Te Aro in 1969.
Two old fireman helmets that Paul Lyall wore during his 56 years of service.
Thirteen of the residents, all elderly women, were able to be rescued, but seven died. The disaster led to a tightening of regulations requiring sprinklers, automatic alarms and evacuation schemes in institutions such as rest homes and hospitals.
"Today, there is far more emphasis on safety and prevention of fires," he said.
Nowadays, the role of Fire and Emergency was far more broad, attending motor vehicles accidents, medical emergencies and Civil Defence emergencies - and putting out fires.
"We are a more mobile community now. We would always attend accidents, but not to the extent we do now," he said.
And that was to touch on the tough part of the job. Lyall said there were procedures and practices in place to help all those in the emergency services - police and ambulance staff too - to assist with the mental demands of the job.
"It's not everybody's cup of tea, being a firefighter," he said.
Lyall said obviously there had also been massive advances in technology and fire service equipment, from hats and trucks through to communication that meant volunteers and staff were in immediate alert of an incident.
Health and Safety procedure was another area of the service were improvement had been made, he said.
Fireman Paul Lyall, QSM, is hanging up his hose.
Lyall said while serving in the fire and emergency service had its challenges, it was extremely rewarding and he could understand why his son Aaron, 27, also made a decision to pursue a career in the fire service.
"It's the sort of job that grows on you. I have enjoyed my time. It's rewarding. It's steady employment and you are giving something back to the community," he said.
