Society of Mary

Marist Fathers New Zealand: Life and spirit

Putting out fires in the Artartica

Not every Marist gets to be an honorary member of the Antarctica Fire Service. Talk about working in “foreign” lands!

Phil Cody, honorary fireman and resident chaplain at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
Phil Cody, honorary fireman and resident chaplain at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.
The Antarctic Fire Service had an Expo Day and members and honorary members donned the gear together with breathing apparatus and went two by two into smoke filled corridors and bunk rooms to see if we could find any victims.

Commenting on the experience Phil Cody said, “It was scary and a great lesson in not panicking, losing sight of your companion in the smoke and trying to communicate in hot gear… My heart was racing, I tell you… In fact we found a body, but I think I broke his or her neck in dragging him off the bunk onto the floor to get him outside.”

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