Running a cafe, bringing up two kids and now acting as retained deputy captain at Batemans Bay Fire and Rescue, Brett Garland is a busy man.
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With two years' firefighting experience, Mr Garland said he was the "least-experienced" at the station but, was trying to learn as much as he could from station commander Craig Mashman.
You can meet both firefighters and check out Fire and Rescue equipment at the station's open day on Saturday, May 18.
"Even though I'm relatively inexperienced and new to the role, the people at the station are helping me out," he said.
"I'm an eager beaver you could say, or teacher's pet - trying to learn off Masho (Mr Mashman).
"A lot of people have to wait before they get their motor vehicle accidents and house fires. All of that happened to me in the first couple of months of joining. I got a lot of experience quickly.
"I've only been in the system for two years, so I've progressed up the ranks fairly quickly. I'm in this position quicker than I thought."
The sense of family has been a source of inspiration for Mr Garland - at home and at the station.
"My father-in-law and brother-in-law are both firefighters back in Albury so I was always keen to get into it, but the opportunities just weren't there," he said.
"We (Fire and Rescue team) are a family so we look out for each other," he said.
"They're a good bunch of blokes ... it makes coming to the station fun. We have lots of good times."
Though he always wanted to be a firefighter, joining the crew wasn't the most straight-forward path.
"When I left school, all I knew was that I didn't want to go to Uni," he said.
"I said, 'I'm going to go get a trade'. I was a plumber for 10 years, then when I moved over here I figured out I wanted to be a firefighter.
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"I haven't looked back. I absolutely love it. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life."
Mr Garland said the hazmat and rescue training at the station was one-of-a-kind.
"Our station is unique for the state, because we do have the hazmat, tanker and rescue capabilities. Not everyone has that," he said.
He was looking forward to the experience of managing incidents and developing skills that could be used for any future job.
Open Day Batemans Bay
The public can meet Mr Garland and other firefighters at the station's open day at the corner of Herarde Street and Heradale Parade, Batemans Bay on Saturday, May 18 at 10am-2pm.
Mr Garland said coming to the open day was a good place to start for anyone thinking about becoming a firefighter.
"Come to the open day, get a feel for the station, have a look around at our equipment, talk to a firefighter about what we do and how we assist the community," he said.
