After nearly two decades of dedicated leadership, James Hazlett has stepped down from his role as chief fire officer of the Ranfurly Volunteer Fire Brigade. 

Having led the brigade through 19 years of service and countless emergency responses, James has passed the torch to new chief fire officer William (Willy) Dowling.

However, James’ commitment to the brigade remains unwavering as he continues his work within the service.

While his role over the past 19 years has consisted of car crashes, structure and vegetation fires, and medical callouts, he has also been instrumental in leading the brigade to become a fully integrated site, bringing urban and rural under one umbrella in January 2021.

James also helped the brigade move from paper-based to a computerised system and has been involved in running Fire and Emergency New Zealand and United Fire Brigades’ Association competitions for the Otago Southland area.

The Ranfurly Volunteer Fire Brigade attends about 42 callouts a year, with structural and vegetation fires being among the most common in the area, followed by car crashes.

James welcomes more people to join the brigade, to ensure the service remains strong in the future.

It currently has a membership of about 45 to 50, but another four to five urban members who are Ranfurly based during the day were needed.

James Hazlett (left) passes over the chief fire officer helmet to Willy Dowling. PHOTO: Supplied

He said women, particularly those who might not have returned to work after having children, but are available between 9am and 3pm, would also be welcome.

There have been about five or seven women join the brigade during James’ time and had proved invaluable to the service.

Members who live outside the township had also brought benefits to the brigade, James said.

Three members might jump in the fire truck, while a further five who live or work close to the address where help is needed can travel independently.

That scenario unfolded recently, where the fire officer who attended in their own vehicle was able to provide an assessment of the situation and confirm how much support was needed.

New chief fire officer Willy, who joined the brigade 26 years ago, is looking forward to his role.

He intends to build on James' legacy while also embracing new initiatives, including the addition of a support ute, which he hopes will be in service before Christmas.

The ute, a Ford Ranger, will be able to access areas of the Maniototo quicker and easier than the fire truck.

“If a farmer has a heart attack or rolls his ute in the back country, we can access it with a decent 4WD ute. We can take equipment off our main truck and cart it into the paddock.”

The brigade has evolved greatly over the years and also works closely with St John, which provides a “fantastic” service to the wider community, he said.

“We were [once just] a fire brigade - we put out fires . . . now we do a bit of everything. It’s an evolving organisation and I want to keep it ahead of the game if I can.”

Read more: Ranfurly Volunteer Fire Brigade to get new 4WD