The Lake Hāwea Volunteer Fire Brigade has marked half a century of service.

Fifty years on, fire chief Brent Arthur says the brigade’s goal is still the same as it’s always been: “We’re here to serve the community.”

There are many highs and lows to the work the brigade does, but Brent says its a rewarding role and a close-knit team.

“It’s like another family to a lot of people,” Brent said. “You experience things you’d normally never experience together and that does tend to bring you closer.”

Brent is one of 22 volunteers serving in the small but busy brigade, but 18-or-so years in, he has a unique vantage point.

“When I moved here there were 300-odd people in the whole community, now there’s two or three thousand people,” he said.

The small brigade used to attend to a rare fire, but now its volunteers attend everything from car crashes to medical events, and they serve a population many times as large as it once was.

This adds stress, more work, and a broadening of roles - as well as a bit of “crystal ball gazing” when it comes to business planning -  but a broader scope can lead to more meaningful experiences too, Brent said.

“There are things, like end-of-life care,” Brent said, “that to be a part of is quite a privilege”.

“Those types of experiences can put life in perspective for you.”

Brent’s own son joined the local brigade two years ago.

Brent hopes to bring more new people into the brigade, both to bolster numbers and also to give them the chance to take advantage of the “huge learning opportunity” the brigade provides.

“It’s one of those things where the firefighter used to have to ride the fire engines and now it’s not - we need diverse people to have diverse skills to make this brigade run. Anyone who has a skill set they think might be useful, we’d love to hear from them.”

Brent credits the Hāwea community with much of the brigade’s success.

“We are very lucky to deliver to such an amazing community.”

The brigade’s 50th birthday celebration has had to be postponed for now, but Brent hopes it will be able to bring together current and former members for a get-together in November.

PHOTO: Supplied