Mr Gibson (49), who has been Oamaru's fire chief for the past 12 years, is retiring from the fire brigade this month.
His involvement started when he joined the Duntroon brigade - where his father was also involved - as a teenager.
After five years with Duntroon, he shifted to Oamaru and joined the Oamaru Volunteer Fire Brigade.
He has been there ever since.
While Mr Gibson said he had "had a ball" over the years, he was tired of Fire Service "politicking" and the expectations on today's volunteers.
"I made my mind up probably two months ago that I was going to do it.
"Once I made my mind up, I was comfortable with my decision.
"There will be things I miss in the Fire Service . . . but I just think it's time.
"It's the end of an era but life carries on," he said.
Mr Gibson was looking forward to spending more time on his business, Gibson Automotives, and on his family.
His first grandchild was born last month and he expected to make a few trips to Christchurch to visit her, and also to spend more time at his crib at Moeraki.
With an average of 200-250 callouts a year, the fire brigade was a big commitment, and being chief fire officer was an added challenge.
At times, it was harder running the brigade than his own business, he said.
The worst part of being a fireman was seeing the destruction that could be caused to families through fire or accidents.
Asked how he coped with that part of the job, Mr Gibson said he learned to "switch yourself off a little bit".
"You find you've got a job to do and you just settle down and do the job."
Strong friendships were forged with fellow volunteers - "nothing changes, they're still my mates" - and he had also enjoyed working alongside other emergency services personnel.
There were 27 volunteers, which was "probably not bad", but the brigade could always do with more.
People needed to be fit, level-headed, with plenty of common sense, and prepared to make a big commitment.
Next Monday will be Mr Gibson's last training night and he will be taking the last training session.
"I'll make them work," he said, laughing.
He expected he would continue to be involved with coaching for competitions and the Gibson connection with the Fire Service will continue, as his son Neil (21) is a volunteer with the Oamaru brigade.
