It’s a childhood dream for many, and being a local firefighter could still be in reach for you.
Deniliquin’s Fire + Rescue NSW is currently recruiting for more on-call firefighters.
These firefighters are ‘on-call’ to respond to local emergency incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It means you need not only the patience of your families, but the support of your employers or customers to be able to leave at a moment’s notice.
Firefighters are notified by pager and mobile phone when incidents occur.
It might seem like a time consuming job, but members of the local brigade can assure you there is a healthy balance of other work, study and family commitments while also protecting and supporting their local community.
Deniliquin firefighter Clint Free said he was drawn to becoming a firefighter after watching a drill session which took place outside his Deniliquin home.
He and his children were watching on, when one said “dad, we would love you to be a firefighter”.
So Clint visited the FRNSW website and watched a video on what was required to become a firefighter, then worked on his skills and fitness from there.
“I enrolled just before Christmas 2013 and I officially became a firefighter on May 5, 2014; it the best decision I’ve made,” he said.
Rebecca Biggs said she wanted to become a firefighter with the Deniliquin brigade to “give back to the community and be a part of a team”.
“I joined on September 9, 2018 and have really enjoyed the mateship and the skill set that we each bring to the team”, she said.
Deniliquin FRNSW Captain Marty Smith would love to hear from anybody interested in joining the team.
“We have drill nights on the first two Tuesdays of each month, starting at 6pm at the fire station in George St, Deniliquin.
“Anybody interested in becoming a recruit is more than welcome to contact us, or come down and have a look at what it is all about.
“I am only too happy to discuss the recruitment process with anyone interested in joining, or go to our Fire + Rescue website and download the candidate information package.
“Over time you learn a diverse range of skills including first aid, Hazmat (hazardous materials) training and more.
“You can then apply those skills to your daily life or primary role.
“We now also have six drone pilots, that are all Civil Aviation and Safety Authority qualified. Our drone is equipped with night flying thermal imaging, speakers and lighting to assist in emergencies such as bush fires, floods or search and rescue.
“This enables us to engage in low level flying to access areas in emergency situations that we may not otherwise be able to gain entry to.
“We are constantly improving our skills and resources to provide the community with the best possible protection in any given situation where we are needed”.
On-call firefighters are trained to:
• prevent and reduce the risk of fire and potential loss to life and property;
• work closely with the local community to increase fire safety awareness and promote fire prevention;
• undertake all manner of rescue;
• deal with hazardous material incidents; and
• assist other agencies with emergency medical responses and severe weather-related events.
As an on-call firefighter you can work as per your availability and be rewarded by the satisfaction of giving back to the community.
For further information, contact Capt Smith on 0438 477 384 or go to the recruitment website at https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=10.