Severe flooding, landslips, major earthquakes, a conflagration and a pounding cyclone have kept Jim Frater on his toes with Nelson Tasman Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) for 40 years.
Jim was formally presented with his 40-year service accolade by Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell at a Nelson Tasman CDEM Long Service Awards ceremony on Thursday last week.
He first responded to the service in 1984 as it was “expected” of him when working in administration and logistics at the Richmond Borough Council (now Tasman District Council), where he remained until his retirement in 2016.
In 1993, he was appointed one of the Nelson Tasman CDEM group controllers who are typically rostered on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week around once every six weeks, but bets are off in emergency events.
Group controllers are responsible for leading and coordinating the region’s emergency response and recovery, and Jim has never shied away from mentoring the up-and-comers.
“When you do civil defence, you train for something you hope is never going to happen, and when it does happen, you hope that your response is the right one for the community,” he says. “When you have a flooding event or something like that it’s going to knock out roads, water supplies and households, but it’s the people that are most affected, and those are the ones we want to look after.
“I’m proud to have served the community in a role that I hope has been helpful to the community in times of extreme stress.”
The 74-year-old current alternate group controller has no plans to head for the hills.
“Civil defence is a role that I’ve always embraced, and I think it’s because you’re working with such a great bunch of very experienced people across such a broad spectrum,” he says.
Members of the region’s specialist civil defence rescue team, known as New Zealand Response Team 2 (NZ-RT2), were also recognised at the ceremony.
Ken Connor and Ian Watts were honoured for their two-decade service and Aaron Mytton, Bryn Stephenson, Jason Monopoli, Jennifer Chaddock, Julian Malcolm and Karen Cargill were honoured for 10-year service.
Local controller Russell Ferens also received an award for 10 years of service at Lake Rotoiti.
Nelson Tasman CDEM is currently recruiting new Response Team members, email NZRT2-recruitment@ncc.govt.nz for further details.
An open night will also be held at its office on 28 Oxford St on 21 November from 6.30pm to 8pm.
