As a member of the 20-strong Outram Volunteer Fire Brigade, he’s even trained to assist if the Dunedin to Brisbane direct flight crashes on landing or take-off at nearby Momona Airport.
About a quarter of the volunteer brigade are dairy farmers, which makes for a social group.
“It’s a good group of guys,” Regan says.
He can hear the siren go off and make it to the station in Outram in about eight minutes from the farm where he and his partner Mikaeyla live with their 18-month-old son Levi.
They milk 740 Jersey and Jersey-cross cows with two full-time staff and a calf rearer.
“Everyone in the brigade has a pager and that tells us what we’ve been called out to, what to expect.”
If he’s in the middle of milking in the farm’s 50-aside herringbone dairy he stays put because the cows come first but most of the time he makes it.
“The car accidents are always the worst. I’d rather be fighting fires although seeing people lose everything in a house fire isn’t good either.”
The brigade has been involved in two major scrub fires in the past two years.
One last spring on Saddle Hill, in a howling nor’wester, involved about eight fire trucks and four helicopters with monsoon buckets battling the fire, which closed the motorway into Dunedin.
“We were in charge of saving one house, which we did, and we saved another as well.”
He’s never feared for his own safety yet.
“That fire at Saddle Hill got pretty hot but the training just kicks in. All the training is about putting yourself in the safest position. You rely on it and after a while it just comes naturally.”
Regan Harley always has his pager with him ready to attend an incident as a volunteer firefighter with the Outram brigade.
Even though they are not paid or recompensed for their work in any way, Regan has no problems turning up again and again to incidents.
“Anyone thinking about becoming a volunteer firefighter should give it a go.
“Contact your local brigade and go along to a few nights. It’s good to be part of something that’s helping the community.
“I haven’t got involved in school stuff or any groups or anything so this is my good karma all in one.”
