Dialogue: The unsung heroes should take a bow

By SANDY BURGHAM

Last week I leisurely scanned the New Year's Honours list, noting the explanatory lead-in that it is the nation's way of saying thanks to the men and women whose efforts make New Zealand a better place to live.

Looking for people that I had heard of and finding but a few, I decided I should take some time out to consider my own list. And it didn't take long to arrive at a long list of deserving New Zealanders covering all parts of the nation who we should pay tribute to.

People who are unconditionally at the beck and call of every fellow New Zealander, more so than even family and close friends, and on whom we rely so wholeheartedly that they are ranked above doctors, police and teachers as everyone's most trusted professional.

We might not know them individually but we do know them as the dedicated members of the fire service.

The fire service has been much on my mind lately, particularly since we have the good fortune (or misfortune, as the case may be) to have a bach across the road from a volunteer fire station.

While this may be handy in the quick response stakes, it does mean that we are also the first to hear the frequent calls to arms beckoning the fire service volunteers to drop their paintbrushes or tumble out of their hammocks and get to the rescue.

At first I thought, somewhat naively, that this sleepy little holiday spot had an inordinate amount of fires, but it transpires that the Volunteer Fire Brigade members act as instant heroes to every community emergency, from car accidents to a cat stuck up tree.

They also cover domestic disputes and were the key float in a charming Santa Parade on Christmas Day.

In fact, I am sure they would even untangle my fishing net if I seemed anxious enough.

My friend the volunteer tells me they do "stuff-all" fires, mainly, it seems, because the Fire Service does such a thorough job at fire-prevention education. Isn't it encouraging to know at least one system in this country of ours seems to be working?

Last year, thanks to a grand gesture from Mitre 10, local teams like this one were able to install smoke alarms within thousands of homes and baches around the country.

It's snippets like this that make me glad to be a Kiwi. But before I break into song, let me point out that this is a mere microcosm of a far bigger picture, a global camaraderie of firefighters stretching around the world with more unflagging heroes at every point.

It was just a few months ago that the World Trade Center attacks gave us a long overdue wake-up call regarding the extent to which these selfless, ordinary folk put their lives on the line for the sake of other ordinary folk.

How many of us would have the inner fortitude to face that prospect every day?

And just as we were declaring last year the unofficial year of the firefighter, the Black Christmas fires which spread smoke and horror over New South Wales reinforced the trust and reliance we place on the shoulders of these brave men and women who go to work every day to risk their lives to save others.

What's more, on a more superficial note, the fire brigade are also renowned for having an uncanny amount of sexy hunks among their ranks, whether they are in or out of their kit.

How many other professions can hold their own in annual pin-up calendars? Can you imagine the response to an annual calendar from, say, a group of accountants, lawyers or even journalists?

My friend the volunteer is one of the few women in the service. Like many of her colleagues she puts extraordinary hours into her volunteer work each week, be it answering the regular call-outs or studying for exams and tests.

As a result, her well-honed first response skills can detect a barbecue gas bottle left on at 20 paces. What a gal.

As I watch her car pull into the station across the road once more it always reminds me of the 80/20 rule - 20 per cent of the people do 80 per cent of the work and the efforts of the 20 per cent will always prop up the other 80 per cent of the country.

Thus the People's Choice Award in my belated New Year Honours list is dedicated to the knights in shining armour of the common people - the volunteers and permanent members of the New Zealand Fire Service - the only profession that never ever let us down.