Selwyn_Times: April 12, 2023

Selwyn Times Wednesday April 12 2023
8
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Tragic call sticks in firefighter’s mind
• By Daniel Alvey
CHRISTMAS EVE 1998, a car
is hit by a train fatally injuring
the sole occupant. Tucked in the
back seat was a teddy bear.
That call-out has always stuck
with Nigel Lilley who marked
25 years as a volunteer with the
Rolleston Volunteer Fire Brigade.
“Some of the most memorable
(call-outs) can’t be gone into in
detail,” Lilley said.
“There are scenes that people
should never have to see, scenes
which cannot be unseen.
“One of my first few calls was
to a car that had been hit by a
train. It was Christmas Eve. The
sole occupant male of the car that
was fatally injured had a massive
teddy bear on the back seat.
“That one never leaves my
mind.”
Ever since he was young,
Lilley has wanted to be a
firefighter. That wish was
realised in 1998, when he signed
up for the Rolleston brigade at
age 20.
In 2010, he was promoted to
chief fire officer, a role he stayed
in for 10 years until he passed on
the reins in 2019.
Away from the fire truck,
Lilley has also served on the
Mid Canterbury Fire Brigades
Sub Association and Canterbury
Provincial Fire Brigades
Association, including a term
SERVICE: Nigel Lilley speaks at an event to mark 25 years
as a volunteer firefighter. Right – Knights Rd residents were
evacuated as seven fire trucks and four helicopters battled
a large blaze in 2017. Bottom right – Lilley helped fight the
Port Hills fire.
as president on both. He was
also on the United Fire Brigades
Association of NZ board and
was deputy chair for a couple of
years.
Lilley works at Fire and
Emergency New Zealand in an
information, communications
and technology role.
Lilley has attended some big
fires across Canterbury over
the past 25 years, including the
Orana Park fire in 2003, Port
Hills blaze in February 2017, and
Knights Rd fire near Rolleston in
2017.
“I worked voluntarily as a
logistics officer in the city for
two-and-a-half-weeks straight
immediately following the
Christchurch earthquake.”
Lilley’s skills have taken him
overseas to Phoenix, Arizona, in
the United States in 2014 and to
Australia multiple times.
“There are probably only five or
six fire stations I have never been
inside of the 650 stations that
make up our service.”
Lilley said it was good to be
recognised, but didn’t want to
make a big deal of it.
“I spend a lot of my time
presenting these very awards all
around the country.
“I certainly didn’t want the
fuss, though.
“It’s not in my makeup.”
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