After 14 successive years as a volunteer firefighter in Murchison, Ray Taplin has switched emergency service codes.
The 51-year-old dairy farming contractor says he had been put through his firefighting paces on and off since his early 20s in the Tasman town and last month officially traded in his Fire and Emergency New Zealand [FENZ] uniform for a Hato Hone St John uniform.
He says he first attached St John to his emergency service portfolio in 2020 after relocating to a new property some distance from the fire station and to patch up his first aid skills.
“Moving out of town now it’s hard to respond to a fire call, but I do work two days in Murchison and those two days I’m on ambulance so if I get a call I could drop and run… it’s challenged me in some ways but it’s good to get those extra first aid skills,” he says.
“At the moment I’m a first responder, I would probably like to go to [emergency management training] EMT down the track, that’s probably as far as I’ll go in Murch, because it’s one of those tricky spots.
“You could say we’re in the middle of nowhere or the centre of everywhere, but for any help to come from anywhere else by road it’s an hour and a half away at best, so I’m doing it for Murch and to help the community.”
Ray says he finished his career with Murchison Volunteer Fire Brigade on 19 August and upon his departure was recognised with a long service and good conduct medal.
“Time flies doesn’t it, it’s good to be recognised for what you’ve done, I’m a pretty modest person so I’ve never really been big on that sort of thing, but it was good to be recognised for it,” he says.
“The thank yous you get from the community, they’re grateful for what you do and it’s a team effort.
“I am going to miss the social side of FENZ. We’re a small community but St Johns and FENZ are pretty close together, so I want to try and keep the social side of the two happening.”
