[2] Walker served as the Chief Fire Officer during major floods in the district in 1993, and during the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake.

[3] The work of the volunteer fire brigade in supporting the local community was celebrated in July 2016, when Walker and the entire volunteer fire brigade crew of 25 and their partners were acknowledged with a complimentary dinner at a local restaurant, The Pier Hotel.

[2] In the immediate response to the Kaikōura earthquake of 14 November 2016, Walker took a lead role in co-ordinating between the local community and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Urban Search and Rescue, the New Zealand Defence Force and other stakeholders.

One of the many notable actions of the Kaikōura volunteer fire brigade in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake was the rescue of a 100 year old woman from the ruins of the collapsed historic Elms Homestead.

Walker says about this experience:[8]We may be volunteers but as soon as you put a fire brigade uniform on, you have a job to do.In the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours, Walker was awarded the Queen's Service Medal, for services to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.