David Morton to hang up his helmet

VETERAN firefighter David Morton is standing down as the captain of the Aireys Inlet Fire Brigade, having filled the role for two decades.

Mr Morton was a lieutenant at Mansfield Fire Brigade before moving to Aireys Inlet in 1991.

Aireys Inlet CFA training officer Andrew Wilson said Mr Morton had a profound impact on the township since his move.

“David Morton has been a pillar of the community of Aireys Inlet with his role as captain of the Aireys Inlet brigade.

“His knowledge of the local area, passion for the role CFA plays in all sorts of incidents and fostering the growth of new members are the things that stand out for me.”

But for all he has given, Mr Morton says he has benefitted from his time volunteering.

“You get a lot out of it – seeing people grow and training young members up to become lieutenants and so forth. It’s a very rewarding and fulfilling job.”

Mr Morton said he has found it satisfying to see the brigade expand in his time as a member.

“It’s been good to see how we’ve grown from a two tanker, one slip-on brigade. We’ve now got two brand new tankers and two brand new slip-ons. The state-of-the-art equipment we have now is fantastic.”

Mr Morton said the next step to improvement would be getting the new fire station built at the land secured on the Great Ocean Road.

The growth Mr Morton has overseen has helped foster a closely knit group of volunteers.

He says there are plenty of stalwarts among the brigade’s newcomers.

“The two captains before me, they’re still members. You’ve got members who have been there for 40-odd years who are still involved.”

There will soon be a third former captain, as Mr Morton will remain a member of the brigade once he stands down from the captaincy. The brigade will name Mr Morton’s successor at a later date.