After nearly 10 years in the job, Wakefield Volunteer Fire Brigade’s Chief Fire Officer, Fritz Buckendahl, has hung up his hat and handed over the reigns to Blair Hall.
Fritz first joined the brigade in 1993, volunteering alongside Blair who had joined as a young man three years earlier.
And while he’s stepping down from the main role, Fritz says that he’ll still be part of the brigade as a senior firefighter.
“The brigade is like a big family, and we all help each other out.” Fritz says that the role is incredibly fulfilling.
“I belong to lots of organisations, but when that siren goes up, there’s nothing like the immediacy of helping someone in their time of need.”
However, he says that “it’s great to be able to hand the role over to someone with such good skills.”
In his former policing role, Blair, who has been deputy Chief Fire Officer, has lived in numerous places around the country, but in every town he has volunteered with the local fire brigade.
“It’s very grounding to be involved with volunteers.
“They’re such down-to-earth, community-focused people,” says Blair.
“At every different fire brigade I’ve learned new things from the leaders, and now I can give those skills back.”
He says he’s also learned a lot from Fritz over the years, who “gave the job 100% all the time.”
Amongst other things, Fritz led the brigade through the Pigeon Valley fires, the restructure to Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ), and Covid.
“We were the first responders at the Pigeon Valley fires until it became a national event,” says Blair. “But they were all pretty significant events and each brought different challenges.”
He’s also looking forward to working alongside Dot Ashton, who is taking up the role of deputy Chief Fire Officer.
Dot is an experienced Station Officer and volunteer, having first started with the Nelson Volunteer Fire Brigade nearly 16 years ago.
“I’m so very lucky to have someone so capable as a deputy,” says Blair.
Together, Blair is hoping that they can start changing the perception of firefighters and the brigade, to try and encourage the next generation of volunteers.
While there can be views that firefighters need to be incredibly fit and strong, Blair says that there is a wide range of volunteering opportunities.
“The organisation is suitable for all genders and fitness levels, such as assisting with medical calls, supporting the community resilience programme or running fire prevention activities,” he says. “There are tasks for everyone.”
And for those who do want to be a firefighter, Blair says that with the modern equipment and safety gear, it’s a lot easier than it used to be.
He’s keen to have a chat with anyone interested in finding out more about this rewarding volunteer experience.
