The 52-year-old Pendarves Volunteer Fire Brigade member was serving with the Upper Takaka rural brigade when the Pigeon Valley Fire broke out in the Tasman District in 2019.
He said it was a challenge for him and his fellow crew members during his involvement over seven nights.
The fire, sparked by a tractor ploughing a paddock, took one month overall to bring under control.
"Just the size and the scale, and just how physical it was to get on top of it," Harwood said.
"It was dark, it was smoky, it was eerie the first couple of nights. In the dark you just had to be careful."
"We kept kind of fighting it (until) eventually it was just breaking daylight."
Then they saw a helicopter arrive on the scene "like an angel" with a monsoon bucket to deal with the flames.
Harwood said one of the things he has found most rewarding over his 25 years was being able to support people when they were at their most vulnerable - such as callouts to car accidents and medical events.
"You do go to all types of situations if you can just be reassuring, I guess.
"It might just be you are sitting there, holding someone’s arm."
At Upper Takaka, he was a founding member of the brigade and had been in it with his two brothers and son Mackenzie.
He is enjoying the camaraderie among the firefighters at the Pendarves brigade, which he joined three years ago after moving to Wakanui with his wife Cristina and their two daughters.
Harwood received his fire service Gold Star for 25 years at a function at Salmon Tales late last month.
