Richard Cranston
Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade
Weston Volunteer Fire Brigade has a new chief fire officer for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Richard Cranston stepped in to the role earlier this month after Bevan Koppert retired.
Having previously been a station manager, CFO Cranston said he was ready to take on more responsibility.
Before becoming a firefighter, he was an aircraft technician in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and earned the rank of Sergeant.
When he moved to Oamaru, just over a decade ago, he started with the Oamaru Volunteer Fire Brigade before moving to Weston three years after that.
"In the military, we’d go and help out with disaster relief and that sort of thing so when you left that, I just felt like I needed to be part of something and to help people in need.
"When I found out the firefighters were all volunteers, I thought that’d be a good thing to get into just to help out in the community and get to meet a few people."
Being a retired sergeant, CFO Cranston has experience leading a team. However, he said there was still plenty to learn.
"It’s always going to be an ongoing learning when you’re managing people. That background has helped me step in to role of station manager and now as a chief.
"They have a few similarities like the discipline and the structure and doing what you’re told."
CFO Cranston was hoping to build on the relationship the brigade had developed with the neighbouring brigades.
"I’m hoping we can work closely with those guys because we need to work together at an incident.
"Whether that be like a joint training or an exercise.
"We’ve already started doing that in the earlier half of the year.
Jamie Deans
Duntroon Volunteer Fire Brigade
Jamie Deans has more leadership experience than your average new chief fire officer appointee.
He comes into the role at Duntroon Volunteer Fire Brigade having already led a brigade.
CFO Deans held the role at Waikaia Volunteer Fire Brigade, about 40 minutes’ drive north of Gore.
He spent roughly a decade at his previous brigade and was chief there for two years, before moving to Duntroon.
"Not many people get to be chief at two brigades," he said.
"It gives me a lot more insight into how things are done because I’ve already been at that level before. It meant that I could come to this brigade and just help the brigade grow.
"I enjoy the challenge of being the chief."
CFO Deans is taking over from John Abelen who is transferring back to Kurow after six years as Duntroon’s brigade chief.
He described his leadership style as very collaborative.
"I like to lead by letting the brigade have a bit of say in how things are. I talk to our brigade a lot about where the brigade is going, I like to brainstorm with the members.
"You’ve got to let people have a say, that’s how I think of it."
When CFO Deans joined, Mr Abelen was the only officer. They now have two with another due to finish their qualification "in the next couple weeks".
"Since I’ve been here, I’ve just helped the other guys get their qualifications.
"At the moment we’ve got more members, more of our lower-rank members, are going through now and doing their qualifications from firefighter to QF [qualified firefighter] to senior firefighter."
The brigade has 12 members but would love more.
"We’re back into the recruitment mode again, trying to get another four or five members."
