A passion for her community is the driving force behind Georgia Richardson’s dedication to the Rarangi Volunteer Fire Brigade.
The power and potential of volunteering To help inspire and celebrate the work of our region’s many volunteers Frank Nelson speaks to three people who share their stories of hope and experiences in cultivating good. Frank Nelson
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t the ripe old age of 26, volunteer fire-fighter Georgia Richardson is already a 10-year veteran with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ).
Born and raised in Kaikoura, she joined the township’s fire brigade as a raw 16-year-old and for a while was the only female “with a group of about 24 blokes”. But that didn’t bother the teenager. “Kaikoura is a small community and I knew most of them,” she laughs. “They were like dads and uncles, and we’d just give each other a hard time!” After moving north about five years ago, she joined the Rarangi Volunteer Fire Brigade where she is now a crew leader. There was already one woman there when she arrived and today females make up about a third of the 18-member team. According to the latest annual report from FENZ, this country has 653 stations and around 15,000 fire fighters. Almost 12,000, or 80 percent, of them are volunteers, including roughly 2400 women. “FENZ has been such a big part of my life for so long now. It’s something I’ve always been really passionate about. I’ve always just loved it.” Rarangi has one fire engine and a water tanker, and Georgia says most callouts are to vegetation fires, medical emergencies such as heart attacks, and to vehicle accidents. The Blenheim brigade would normally take the
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lead on house fires and serious accidents but in those situations Rarangi still plays a crucial role; for example, preventing fire from spreading to nearby property or providing initial medical assistance to crash victims. “Our first priority is always life,” she says. At about the same time everyone in Rarangi hears the fire siren, Georgia and her colleagues are alerted by a phone app that sends details about the emergency which could be anywhere in Marlborough. She has become used to the app demanding attention at sometimes inconvenient moments. ”Just as you sit down for dinner, or get in the shower, or you’ve just got comfortable in bed… It’s Murphy’s Law!” While their main patch is in and around Rarangi they will go further afield if needed. Georgia estimates they get 60 to 70 callouts a year of which 80 to 90 percent are local to Rarangi. “To be in the fire service you really have to be in it for your community. You’ve got to have that passion for your community and want to help them.” Georgia, who comes from a farming background, now works as a sales consultant for heavy-duty agricultural, construction and forestry machinery. She and husband Kane, both keen hunters, are expecting their first child in October. She’s not sure how that will affect her role with FENZ: “I’ll probably take a week’s break but then I’ll be back into it,” she laughs.
