Mr Calder is officially retiring from the Dunedin Fire Brigade on April 24 after almost 45 years of service - a feat he does not think will be repeated often.
''We are a bit of a dying breed, as people don't stay in jobs that long today.''
He said the job had ''become a way of life'', and he would miss the friends he had worked with along the way.
''You are with them so long they become like family ... you are with them during those high and low points and you have to rely on them to do their job.''
These colleagues had particularly helped him through the low points of the job.
''Sometimes, you see some not very nice things ... a little bit of black humour helps relieve a bad situation.''
Mr Calder joined the Fire Service when he was 22 and he had worked at all the city's stations, most recently as a senior station officer at Dunedin Station.
He had seen many changes over the years.
''The old steel cylinders [breathing apparatus] were heavy on your back. Now, they are far more efficient and far lighter.''
When he started, he did not wear gloves and in the 1970s, because of the expense, firefighters were not allowed to wear breathing apparatus unless a person was thought to be caught up in a fire.
''These days we attend a lot more motor vehicle accidents, weather-related callouts and medical callouts, such as cardiac arrest.
''I think this is a good thing. We carry a defibrillator and know first aid, so we can help when the ambulance is still coming.''
Mr Calder said he loved his career, which ''took hold'' of him.
He was now looking forward to some travelling and not having to get up in the middle of the night to attend a callout.
