The Glenavy Volunteer Fire Brigade is turning 50 in 2024.
Brigade Chief Fire Officer Wayne Direen was very excited about the anniversary.
"It’s not everyday you turn 50.
"It’s quite young in regards to some brigades around the country but to have this brigade turn 50 is quite good."
The brigade has a big weekend of celebrations planned to commemorate the milestone during Matariki in June.
They will have a social gathering with past and present members on the Friday night before an open day on Saturday afternoon.
The fire station will open its doors and welcome the public in to "see what the brigade is about", Mr Direen said.
To conclude, on the Saturday night they will have a formal dinner with an honours night to recognise the accomplishments of current members.
They have had "around 97 or 98 members" in their history and hope to have nearly all of them attend, including a few founding members, he said.
Mr Direen has been in the Glenavy brigade for 36 years and has been chief since 2021.
He is the most experienced of their 17 members, the majority of which are farmers.
While the job has its fair share of tough moments, Mr Direen still loves being able to give back to the community this way.
"The good stuff, by long shot, outweighs the bad stuff.
"I’ve never thought about the time I’ve given up."
The brigade received its first responder qualification in 2016 with 10 of their 17 members now being qualified first responders.
This means that whenever an ambulance is called in the area, the brigade are notified as well.
They also have a purpose built vehicle they take out to these calls.
Mr Direen and the rest of the members are very proud of the work they do in this area.
"The medical calls now are probably about half of our calls here at the brigade and the last five or so years we’ve been averaging about 80 to 90 calls a year.
"Being around Glenavy, it’s quite an elderly population. For the ones who have a few health issues or something goes wrong, it’s really good to know we’re not far away."
