Firefighter celebrates 25 years of service

Jemal Weston will receive his gold star for 25 years of service on August 6. Photo/Stuart Munro

Acknowledging Jemal Weston's 25 years of fire fighting was an opportunity for a shout out to his family despite them being woken up in the middle of the night by him "making a racket" as he heads out on a job.

Mr Weston will be awarded a gold star next week for 25 years of service, and doesn't want the "strength" of his family to go unrecognised.

"You're only as good as the support you have at home. So to my wife and my two daughters, the support that they've given me over the years is invaluable," he said.

"So, you know, they've had to put up with dad disappearing off in the middle of the night, making a racket, waking them all up, and wondering where he's gone to."

Mr Weston started as a volunteer firefighter in Marton in 1991, and joined the Whanganui Fire Brigade in 1996.

He is now a senior station officer.

There are callouts that Mr Weston stick in his head. He will never forget the first fatal car crash he attended.

"I can still distinctly remember the smells from that," he said.

To me, I don't feel like I've spent 25 years in the fire service. It's all of a sudden just come around.

Mr Weston attended the historic Ridgway St fire in 1994, in which six heritage buildings burned to the ground.

He was also sent down to Christchurch with the hazmat command unit following the earthquakes.

"Nothing seems to make sense in a broken city," he said.

But there were also callouts that put a smile on Mr Weston's face, particularly ones where he helped someone and they appreciated it.

"I enjoy helping people and I enjoy the camaraderie that we work in. It's a pretty tightknit group and I definitely enjoy the variety of exercises and challenges that being a member of the fire service throws at you."

He said 25 years had flown by "very quickly".

"To me, I don't feel like I've spent 25 years in the fire service. It's all of a sudden just come around. I enjoy the job still and I've still got a lot to offer. I feel privileged to have been able to spend 25 years in one occupation.

"Being a firefighter, you get moulded by mentors that teach you along the way. So they teach you everything, to dealing with difficult circumstances to moulding you into a person with compassion and the ability to relate to others."

Mr Weston said his role as an officer also involved making hard, quick decisions to keep his crew safe.

"That's one of the biggest difficult things, is ensuring that everybody that comes to work goes home from work, and in the same condition that they turned up in."

Mr Weston will receive his gold star in a ceremony on August 6.