NZ Army experience sparks firefighter’s ongoing contributions to Dunedin community

His day job is as a plant and equipment support officer with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and out of work hours, he’s a crew leader at Wakari Volunteer Fire Brigade and a volunteer for Coastguard New Zealand.

He’s also spent time volunteering for the Lyttelton and Portobello Volunteer Fire Brigades, while also finding the time to serve as a Reserve Force soldier in the New Zealand Army. 

It was in the Army that he found his passion for helping others, and it was while serving in the Regular Force on deployments to Timor-Leste and Afghanistan that he settled on a clear path to firefighting and voluntary community efforts. 

Returning to New Zealand, he decided to change trade to the Army Fire Service. 

“I’d been volunteering at the Burnham Fire Section prior to deploying with 2/1 Battalion, and really loved it,” Lance Corporal Gilbert said. 

I enjoy the Army lifestyle, it’s the whole experience, the opportunities, the people. 

Lance Corporal Gilbert has enjoyed giving back to the community through his FENZ and fire brigade work. 

“I’ve found the fire service is much like the military, there’s a rank structure and we share the same sense of dedication, humor and commitment to helping people.”

For the past two months, Lance Corporal Gilbert has been an acting section commander role within the Reserve Force unit, 2/4 Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

“It’s been great to have the opportunity to lead the soldiers in my section and to hear about their future plans. When they’re after advice it’s been cool to be able to pass on my thoughts then let them make their own decisions.”

Lance Corporal Gilbert credits his drive, resilience and clarity of thinking to his NZ Army training.

“We deal with a wide variety of situations both in FENZ and the Coastguard.  Emergency services are trained to triage casualties under stressful situations, and remain calm and focused while doing so. 

I feel like my NZ Army training has helped a lot with that. It’s helped with adaptability, teamwork and mindset too, all which is needed in FENZ and Coastguard.

“I enjoy helping people and I really like the type of people who are drawn to the Reserves, FENZ and Coastguard.  We have a similar mindset and it gives me a real sense of purpose in what I do.”

Sound interesting?

Each Reserve Force company has its own training programme in line with its unit’s training focus. Training typically occurs one weekend a month.

Any Defence recruiting enquiries can be directed to free phone 0800 1 FORCE or information is available at www.defencecareers.mil.nz(external link)