Former Kaitāia volunteer firefighter David ‘Squid’ McKenzie has been remembered as a humble man who loved serving his community.

The 78-year-old died on April 9 after a years-long dementia battle, but daughter Susan Cochrane said it was his generosity, kindness and passion she wanted her dad to be remembered for.

McKenzie loved to have a good laugh and was known around the community as a man with a staunch outlook on fire safety.

He installed thousands of smoke alarms across the Far North region during his time in a fire education and safety role.

In 2008, he was awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for services to the New Zealand fire service.

“Dad was a pretty humble man; he didn’t think he deserved it,” Cochrane said.

McKenzie retired from the Kaitāia Volunteer Fire Brigade in 2017 with more than 51 years of service under his belt, all squeezed between his work at the mill and life as a family man.

David McKenzie received a Queen's Service Medal in 2008 at Wellington for services to the fire service.

McKenzie joined the brigade on October 12, 1966, after moving to Northland from Timaru.

When he first started, there were just nine members, Cochrane said.

The siren would often go off during family dinners, and Cochrane said it was a running joke that it went off at the altar during her parents’ wedding.

It was in Kaitāia where McKenzie met his wife Patricia, and they married in 1971.

In 1992, McKenzie moved into a fire and police and station support role, before moving into a fire education and safety role in 1996.

There, he quickly became known as the fire safety man.

That role entailed driving hundreds of kilometres around schools in the Far North and educating students about fire safety.

David McKenzie at his wedding in 1971 with wife Patricia.

She remembered her father as a “loving and caring” man who “used to have a good laugh”.

While he wasn’t born in Northland, Cochrane said it was clear he regarded the region as his home.

“I think he loved all the people, he loved the beaches, he loved his fire station community,” she said.

“I think he just loved to serve. He loved being helpful and educating, and just serving his community.”

Former Kaitāia fire officer Dave 'Squid' McKenzie pictured outside the station in 2007. Photo / NZME

In a previous Northland Age article on his 50 years in the service, McKenzie shared his passion for making a difference.

One example was during a home safety fire check in 2016 when he had asked a young woman what she would do if she woke to a house filled with smoke.

“She said, ‘I would get low, get out, stay out, then I would go to my safe place’,” McKenzie said.

“I must’ve looked surprised because she said ‘you told me that when you came to my school, that would be 15 years ago’.”

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.