A SENIOR Riverland firefighter retired recently after three decades of dedication to his local community.
Former Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) Renmark station officer John McNaughton retired last month after more than 30 years as a firefighter.
Mr McNaughton said training and developing new firefighters had been a highlight of his time in the MFS.
“I’ve had a great career and a great time. I’ve been involved in training for 20 years down in Adelaide, training all the regional recruits,” Mr McNaughton said.
“I thoroughly enjoyed that, because I know when I go out to the different stations… I helped train the whole lot of those blokes.
“It’s good to go to their station and see how they’re getting on. It doesn’t matter where I go in the state, it’s good to catch up with other firefighters I’ve trained.”
Mr McNaughton said improvements to equipment had made emergency situations safer for MFS firefighters.
“Back in the early days our equipment was pretty ordinary, and now 31 years later we’ve got state-of-the-art stuff,” he said.
“We’ve got gas monitors, road crash rescue gear, and the (new) breathing apparatus which has just come into service now.
“That’s all high-tech with displays in the mask, so you can see how much air you have.
“When I first joined we had a plastic helmet, an old tunic and we used to wear woollen pants with rubber boots…
“The stuff we’ve got now is probably too good. You don’t feel the warmth as much in the new gear.”
Mr McNaughton said new station officer Ash Hendry – along with numerous younger recruits – would maintain a “high standard” at the Renmark branch.
“The station has got all young blokes and they don’t need an old fella hanging around,” he said.
“I’m sure the station is going to prosper with the young crew and it will be fantastic for those guys.
“We’ve got a great bunch of young guys out there, and we’ve got three new recruits starting very shortly.
“This station will go to a full 18, which we’ve never had before, (and) all the recruits I’ve spoken to will be long-term recruits, if we don’t lose them to Adelaide.”
MFS regional commander Garrick Lehmann said Mr McNaughton’s personal sacrifices had benefited the surrounding community.
“It’s really rewarding being able to live in these areas when you have so many people in the community volunteering,” Mr Lehmann said.
“It takes a lot of commitment and sacrifice… you live that life of giving up birthdays, events or parties.
“Later you get the rewards of having served, and you as a person have had more fulfillment in being able to contribute.”
Mr McNaughton said his connection with the MFS, and other firefighters, would continue after his retirement.
“The MFS is one big family, so it’s not like I’m going to walk out the door and that’s it,” Mr McNaughton said.
“We’re all mates and we’re all one big family… if they need a hand or need to ask any questions, they can yell out.
“I haven’t met one bad person in the fire service, and there’s 750 firefighters all around the state.”