ANSWERING calls for help from SA communities has long been a part of the Eckermann brothers' daily life, with the duo retiring after amassing more than 100 years of service between SA's fire services.
Paringa Country Fire Service firefighter Alan Eckermann joined the CFS in 1962 and has clocked up 57 years of volunteer service, while his brother, Renmark Metropolitan Fire Service Riverland regional commander Kevin, joined in 1975 and reached 44 years of service.
Alan ceased riding in the Paringa CFS firetruck in 2016 but continued his career in the radio room and training the next generation of firefighters.
Kevin started his career as a retained MFS firefighter in the Riverland before becoming a full-time MFS firefighter in Adelaide in 1976.
He spent most of his career in Adelaide, rising to the rank of commander before taking up the role of MFS Riverland central regional Commander in 2013.
The brothers are two of twelve siblings that were raised on a farm at Paringa and Alan said he joined the CFS after a sawmill fire in 1961 alerted the community to the need for a local fire brigade.
"The community had to rely on Renmark to come out and a farmer on the council was concerned about the threat of fires in the district, so the brigade was formed," he said.
Although Alan sold the family farm in 1987, he said "farmer's instinct" had never left him.
"On the farm I was always looking for smoke, it's just natural," he said.
"Farm size in the district has increased but they have less farmers working on them, so crop fires are still a big threat.
"Rural communities have great fire awareness but it does not mean it cannot happen."
Kevin's experience in the MFS was a "big thing for a country boy".
"The opportunity was there but it was a big move for me," he said.
But when Kevin returned to Renmark in 2013, he worked together with the CFS and MFS.
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"Communities absolutely rely on it," he said
Kevin also said he had fire awareness from a young age after the farm shearing shed was destroyed by fire.
"We were taught to be aware of fires because of the way we farmed back then," he said.
"Stubble burning was a big risk and we had a lot of precautions such as fire breaks and not reaping in dangerous conditions."
Kevin said there was increased awareness among farmers about what was required to not cause fires.
"They have many processes in place which are really working," he said.
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AFTER a combined 10 decades of protecting communities against fires, Alan and Kevin Eckermann have continued to advocate for the vital services' survival in rural communities.
Alan has served the Paringa Country Fire Service for 57 years and he said there was an issue attracting new volunteers.
"It's mostly because people these days are employed and not self-employed. The flexibility to help in a moment's notice is not there anymore," he said.
"We have to keep these brigades going because they know the areas and are able to attend emergency situations very quickly."
Alan also said if smaller communities such as Paringa had to rely on the larger brigade, it would be "detrimental" to a community's safety.
"If the CFS was not there anymore it would not just be a huge disadvantage to the community, it would be drastic situation - some larger brigades are more than 30 kilometres away," he said.
"Most people are aware of fires but the large number of visitors in the Riverland during the summer months means the awareness is not always there."
Kevin returned to the Riverland after a long career with the Adelaide Metropolitan Fire Service and he realised how crucial the relationship between the MFS and CFS was.
"Country towns cannot operate or survive without some form of a fire service. In the MFS, we have 17 regional stations which is critical," he said. "The support of each other is simply immeasurable."
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