Leigh firefighter started young

When it comes to volunteer firefighters, Steve Paddison is one in a hundred, a one per center as those who’ve given 50 years’ service are known.

That was recognised at a ceremony at Leigh Fire Station when Paddison received the United Fire Brigades Association double gold star for his half century of service.

But could be argued that Paddison’s service goes back a few years before he joined the Leigh brigade.

He was on the way to school aged 13 when he heard a lot of yelling.

“Some kids had set their little bach on fire, and the mother was home. I jumped the fence and she started bringing buckets. Luckily, there was like a tub of water there, and I broke the window and threw the water inside to put the fire out.”

It was another four years before he joined the brigade as a volunteer, after “being talked into it”.

Their fire truck in the early 70s was a reconditioned 1949 V8 Ford acquired second hand from the Dargaville brigade. “Back then the Auckland brigades had all the flash international trucks.”

Paddison did his basic training at the now demolished Takapuna Fire Station next to Lake Pupuke, where new recruits had their fitness tested by having to drag hoses up a 60ft tower.

“If you weren’t fit enough, you got sent home. We didn’t have OSH (occupational health and safety) stuff back then. We went into the flames with short gloves and the old black woollen jackets, and hats that were basically papier mache.”

In those days, the Leigh brigade was only called out about 10 times a year – now it’s around 150.

That’s largely down to the fact that brigades are now used as first responders in rural areas. But the Leigh brigade, where Paddison was chief for many years, had jumped the gun.

“In actual fact, back in the 1980s we started doing medical responses and the Fire Service did not like it. We had to pay for our own members to get their St John’s tickets, so we could do CPR and stuff.”

And that paid off during a dramatic rescue in Leigh Harbour. Someone in a boat was struck by lightning and collapsed. The incident was witnessed by a man and his son who rowed out and brought the victim back to shore.

The Leigh brigade used CPR on the wharf to restart his heart. One firefighter worked at a nearby marine lab and raced over there to get an oxygen bottle and mask.

“And lo and behold, a doctor who was staying at Matheson’s Bay turned up and gave him an adrenaline jab.”
Paddison says the man lived for another 27 years and only died recently.

One of the most dramatic incidents of Paddison’s 50 years was when the Te Kiri Omaha Marae, in Leigh, in 1987, burned down in an alleged arson which made national news.

In a surprise cold case twist more than 30 years later in 2018, three men were charged with arson. They pleaded not guilty and were given name suppression, and Paddison, station chief at the time, was called as a witness.

However, the case never made it to trial and charges were dropped.

Today, at 69, Paddison is still a member of the Leigh brigade, but intends to step down when the station roster is filled.