SPIRIT OF SERVICE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 217, 2 December 1927, Page 16

SPIRIT OF SERVICE

VOLUNTEER FIRE BRIGADES A FINE EXAMPLE At a social gathering at the Devonport Fire Brigade Station last evening Superintendent H. E. Folia s, of the Devonport Brigade, made striking reference to the way in which the members of the brigades throughout N’ew Zealand volunteered their services. He had 3 9 years’ experience in brigade Avork and it had always surprised him that so much keenness should be displayed and he could only put it doAvn to the fact that firemen seemed to possess, in a marked degree, the spirit of “service to my town.” At any rat© it was a very fine spirit and ho believed that local bodies recognised that from the Avay in which the brigades were generally treated. He Avas proud to belong to the LTnited Fire Brigades’ Association with its 4,509 members, most of them volunteers. In all the annual demonstrations which ho knew of there had been only one instance in which a fireman had disgraced his uniform. That was in the case of a team from outside New Zealand and his team mates were so ashamed of their fellow's action that they bought him a suit of plain clothes and sent him home immediately. Considering that generally there were over 1,000 firemen in a town when a demon--1 stration was being held that high general level of conduct was worthy of note.

Mr. Follas, dur fig the evening, had occasion to make a presentation of a five years’ service medal to a member and took the opportunity of explaining how service was honoured. At the end of three years a fireman received a certificate; at the end of five years a silver medal; every two years after that he receiv’ed a bar; after 25 years the medal and bars were replaced by a gold star, to Avhich bars A\*ere added as the years of service mounted. He knew of men Avho had gi\en 34 years in the work of fire prevention. Devonport Municipal Brigade had always been a happy body and in selecting recruits h© had sought to have men Avho could take their place in the general activities of the community as vvell as make excellent firemen.