Roger Pickett found his way into a life in the Fire and Emergency Service organically. A friend of his had recently started life on the trucks at Masterton and was enjoying his new vocation.

His testimony prompted Roger to apply, and on October 22, 1973, he started what would become a 48-year career, which drew to an end in Mount Maunganui this week.

'I have enjoyed my time,” says Roger.

'But I am 69 now and I think I have earned my retirement. I have done a pretty good innings.”

Roger spent five years at Masterton before heading to Upper Hutt. A promotion to station officer, the rank he remains in to this day, saw Roger join the crew at Wellington City in 1981. Other postings at Newtown, back to Franklin, Lower Hutt and Remutaka followed.

When the decision came whether to spend the next 20 years in Upper Hutt, Roger's other option was the Bay of Plenty.

'We had holidayed here in the Bay quite a few times,” he explains, 'so it seemed like a natural progression.”

Three-and-a-half years at Kawerau followed, before a switch to Tauranga and, eventually, Mount Maunganui.

Roger, whose career in FENZ concluded at the end of a night shift on Wednesday morning, says he has made some great friends during his stint at Rata Street and Golf Road.

'I have had the same crew here for going on about 14 years now. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them.”

In the near half-a-century that Roger has been in the job, plenty of things have changed.

Thanks to proactive education work with the community, actual incidences of fire have decreased.

'We now attend a lot of other things,” says Roger, highlighting unusual incidents involving ships, gyrocopters and light-planes.

'We attend a lot of car accidents these days. We also attend medical calls, anything that is life threatening.”

Whilst his career highlights include his 'humbling” work with the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union, with whom he is a Lifetime Honorary Member, one medical event stands out.

A call-out to Omanu Golf Course for a cardiac arrest suddenly got personal when Roger realised he knew the stricken golfer.

'He was flat on his back. For all intents and purposes he was history,” says Roger.

'Just three weeks earlier we'd been on a cruise together. So it was a shock to the system.”

However, with the work of Roger, his crew and the ambulance service, they managed to pull the patient back.

'He is still walking around today,” says Roger.

'In fact, I was talking to him earlier today.”

Roger now has his eyes set on a relaxed retirement, enjoying family time with his grandchildren and his wife.

Although he admits she might have some adapting to do.

'Ever since she has known me we have always spent two nights a week apart because of the shift system,” he says.

'It is going to be quite a transition to me being home all the time now.

'I hope she can cope.”