Clocking up more than 1400 parachute jumps, Bay of Plenty man John Harrison has trained New Zealand Defence Force and foreign military personnel around the world to do the same.

Settling back in Rotorua with his young family, John now trades in his chute to return to his first love of firefighting.

Rotorua Airport's new fire and operations manager, John Harrison brings 12 years of military skills to his role in an attempt to give back to the community.

He sees the move home as a chance to give back to the local community in which he grew up, through his role as Rotorua Airport fire and operations manager.

Growing up at Lake Okareka, John always had his heart set on being a fireman and volunteered for the Lake Okareka Volunteer Rural Fire Force for four years from the age of 15.

'I always wanted to be a fireman and when I left school the New Zealand Fire Service wasn't recruiting, so instead I joined the Royal New Zealand Airforce as a fireman.”

After reaching the rank of senior fireman in the Airforce, John signed himself up for a parachute course and quickly became hooked in the thrill of propelling himself from aircraft, going on to train New Zealand defence personnel.

'My step-father was in the British Army as paratrooping artillery attached to number two parachute. His influence got me into jumping, as well as the fact that the hangar was right next to the fire station.

'When I first started, the parachutes were terrible – they were old, so they fell really quickly and they also had no brakes or steering,” says John.

'The goal is to get a soldier to the ground as quick as possible to avoid detection or contact from the enemy, but slow enough that they don't get injured upon landing and can't carry out their roles on the ground, so it's a fine line.”

Taking the high-risk role of instructing soldiers across the world, Mr Harrison says what kept him there was his passion for training in a dangerous environment to help soldiers succeed.

'The soldiers I was instructing had no choice about the matter – they had been told they had to become parachute qualified and for some, it was one of their biggest obstacles to overcome. It was rewarding to help them make such an achievement,” he says.

'By the time I left my position, I was running the advanced training cell with experience in every aspect, from round parachutes to square parachutes, freefall and tandem jumping, dispatching vehicles from a C-130 Hercules military aircraft and instructing instructors.”

With a young family, John says his needs changed and it was time to apply his military skills to the civilian sector.

His new role at Rotorua Airport as fire and operation manager is no small task, encompassing every aspect of running the airport including fire safety, security, runway inspections, maintenance, parking and managing contractors.

'I'm really looking forward to sinking my teeth into a job that I can happily spend the next 10 years in. My role as fire and operations manager is almost a combination of everything I've learnt.”