Oamaru teenagers Thomas Pickles, Matthew Cullimore and Max Stewart, who have been friends since primary school, have found a novel way to do just that.
The three 17-year-old St Kevin's College pupils have joined the Waitaki Rural Fire Force.
A month after Matthew turned 16, the minimum age, he joined.
‘‘It's always been a passion of mine since I was a young kid; I just decided to act on it,'' he said.
‘‘I think they were surprised that someone so young wanted to join the crew, but I've proved myself, and now they don't treat me any differently.''
Thomas, the school's deputy head boy special character, and Max, head boy, who have been friends with house captain Matthew since primary school, joined in October last year. The stories Matthew told them about fires and about the camaraderie at the station made Thomas and Max keen recruits.
Waitaki Rural Fire Force chief fire officer Tim Kitto said the three lads were mature for their age and were contributing members of the fire brigade.
‘‘To be honest, yes they are, because they are young and fit and they are willing to learn,'' he said.
Waitaki Rural Fire officer Kerry O'Neill said it was good to see the ‘‘young boys coming along''.
It was good to have a ‘‘a bit of new blood'', and the three were all ‘‘fit and full of energy''. And while the youngest members of the brigade were usually in their early 20s, he said the pupils were setting a good example to their peers by signing up early. The average age of the brigade was mid-30s.
When the teenagers get texts from Fire Communications they sign out of school at the office and drive to the Alma-Maheno Rd station. Although they still debate the fastest route, it takes them about seven or eight minutes to arrive. During weekdays that is usually fast enough for them to get a position on the truck, Matthew said.
‘‘During the day on a weekday we struggle for numbers for crews, because perhaps some people can't leave work, so that's kind of why we still manage to get on the truck,'' Matthew, who is competing in this year's Firefighters Sky Tower challenge in Auckland in May, said.
‘‘Normally, seven minutes. If you're at home, you'll miss the truck.''
During a weekend, if firefighters were at home, any slower than three minutes would mean missing the truck. St Kevin's College deputy principal Kerry Ryan said he had no issue with the boys missing class to fight fires. He was ‘‘very proud'' of the boys, as their involvement fitted with the school's culture of service.
‘‘They are a cut above, because they embody exactly what we espouse,'' he said.
Max and Thomas fought their first fire on February 26, at an out-of-control burnoff near Windsor. ‘‘It felt good afterwards,'' Thomas said.
Matthew said fires did not pull him out of class ‘‘all that often''. He had been to ‘‘seven or eight'' and had never missed a callout.
This year will be the boys' last with the Waitaki crew.
Matthew plans to enter police college next year, after he finishes school, and both Thomas and Max are looking at university, either in Canterbury or Otago.
