Doug Adamson was 21 and living in his home state of the Northern Territory when he decided he wanted to join the fire service.
Initially a front line firefighter with the NT Fire and Rescue Service, that initial foray into emergency services opened up the doors for a long and varied career.
And after 44 years as a firefighter, Doug officially hung up his boots on Thursday.
He retires as an Inspector in the NSW Rural Fire Service, and after many years as the community safety officer and then fire control officer for the Mid Murray Zone.
“People keep asking me what I am going to do with myself now, and I just tell them ‘whatever I want’,” Doug said.
He and wife Jenny plan to remain in Deniliquin, although travel and more time with family will also be on the cards.
“Jenny is a grandmother now, so there’ll be a bit of that,” he said.
“We’ve purchased a caravan and will travel, but Deniliquin is a nice little place to live so we’ll be keeping our place here.”
Doug said the opportunity to become a firefighter came through contacts he had in the Northern Territory.
The bulk of his service was in his home town of Alice Springs after joining the NT Fire and Rescue Service in 1979.
He also spent six years working with the fire service at Ayres Rock.
But with education opportunities in the top end limited, and with the desire to be closer to Jenny’s family, the Adamsons made the move to Wagga in 2003.
Doug transitioned into the NSW RFS, and a year later they moved to Deniliquin and the Mid Murray Zone.
A change in service was not the only big change for Doug in his new home and role.
“Firefighting in the NT is much more constant because of the nature of it.
“Being with Fire + Rescue it was not just fires.
“It was motor vehicle accidents, house fires, bush fires, air and train crashes and hazmat (hazardous materials).
“The numbers (of firefighters) were also a lot higher in the NT service.
“When I came to New South Wales there was no full time work with the ‘town’ brigade, so I joined the RFS.
“My role was now more operational.
“I much preferred my earlier front line work, but you do get to an age when that changes. But I have always preferred to be outside and not behind a desk.”
Doug said there is no doubt, though, that being with the RFS opened up a world of opportunities for him.
“If I was not with the RFS, there’s plenty of places I would never have been to.
“I probably would have never gone to Sydney, for example.
“I have also seen a lot of the state’s national parks.”
When asked which incident stood out most in his career, Doug was quick to offer up the Grafton fires in the 2019/20 fire season.
“Seeing it from the air, it was like flying over a volcano,” he said.
“Then to get amongst it, it was certainly as big a fire I had ever seen.
“I think it would have to have been the biggest anyone had seen.”
The camaraderie is also something Doug will remember from his time with the NSW RFS.
“I’ve met everyone from volunteer firefighters in the bush to commissioners – a wide range of people.
“The volunteers in our area particularly are salt of the Earth – farmers, most of them.”
Being with the fire service for more than four decades, Doug said he’s seen a lot of changes in the way fires are tackled.
And he said it is ever improving.
“The basic principals remain the same, but the equipment and technology is now out of sight,” he said.
“One of the biggest changes was the introduction of CAD – computer aided dispatch.
“And of course now all the alerts come to your phone instead of a pager.
“Every change has been to make firefighting more effective, and there is still more to come.”
And what advice would Doug give to anyone considering a career in the fire service now?
“It’s a great industry – have a go!
“It is a very rewarding career and the conditions are good.
“We used to call it a brotherhood, but of course the fire service is more diverse now.
“I would recommend speaking to someone to find out what you need to do.
“Start volunteering, then get the qualifications you need to make it a full-time career.”