I joined the Anglesea Fire Brigade back in May 2018, and it turned out being one of the best decisions I could have made. This gave me the opportunity to give back to the community, work as a team, and learn many skills that could better help protect those around me. It didn’t take long for me to see that Anglesea was very fortunate to have some of the best leadership and mentors I have witnessed within a brigade. The lieutenants and captain have been incredible mentors and role models for how to approach leadership and confronting situations. They’ve demonstrated remarkable level-headed thinking in overwhelming situations, able to instruct and delegate in a clear and concise manner and get on with the challenges thrown their way. This ultimately inspired me to impart many of these qualities into my own actions and ability to influence people in a positive manner to working towards common objectives.

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LOCAL BRIGADE INVOLVEMENT

During my time at the brigade I have learnt from the  50+ jobs I have turned out to that the adrenaline and fast-paced nature of going to a job can often make impulsive decisions without taking in the full picture of the situation and risks. This can lead to putting the crew at unnecessary or avoidable risks. To combat this, we have been trained in dynamic risk assessment, which is easier to study and harder to put into practise. What this means for me is taking a more methodical approach, slowing things down, doing a full size-up of the situation and adapting to the new information that arises. From my experiences I have become a more conscious and safer decision maker when it comes to thinking about the wellbeing and safety of others through my choices.

Often, incidents usually involve multiple brigades, or other emergency services like S.E.S, police, or ambulance. A crucial skill has been communication, as often times you need to paint a picture with your words over the radio without being too descriptive or be constantly relaying between services etc. to avoid a scrambled and uncoordinated team. During my time I have collaborated and coordinated with many of these different services through radio and direct contact as we work towards resolving the incident.

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UPSKILLING & TRAINING

I’ve dedicated additional time to become trained in various technical skills such as chainsaw, breathing apparatus, structural fires, wildfire, and heavy rigid vehicle driving. This was all with the mindset that I'd be more capable to keep the community safer and alleviate some of the load and reliance on other brigade members. Learning this new knowledge has allowed me to share it within the brigade during training nights where we do inventory.  I’ll sometimes give a rundown on how the breathing apparatus works, the necessary checks, replacement of batteries, any air leakage etc. and in doing so, peak the interest of a few members to go off and get their credentials in this area, lightening the load on the few of us that have them in the brigade. When we are doing general firefighter training refreshers in preparation for summer and we have new members of the brigade, I'll often buddy up with them and mentor them on becoming competent with drafting, tanker and branch operation, bowling and rolling hoses, and refilling tankers/pumpers.  

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NATIONAL EMERGENCY MEDAL

One of the standout experiences and challenges was during the devastating 2019/2020 bushfire season. During this time, I was able to deploy twice to NSW to assist the fire crews, representing the Anglesea fire brigade in the process. Each deployment was five days and involved travel, several briefings, and a high level of coordination with the many crews within each strike team. Our efforts were to better protect communities from the ensuing fire fronts. My first deployment involved being flown on a military plane to an RAAF base outside of Sydney where it was our main area of operation. We helped the Hawksebury communities by performing controlled burns around the properties, blacking out, and defending homes from creeping fire fronts. Given the risks, it was critical that there was strong teamwork and communication skills amongst our crew and the other crews. I was proud how professional we were as a group, and the discourse and teamwork we had with the other brigades. I worked with a diverse range of people, all having various skills and backgrounds, and we were able to play into our strengths and weaknesses, such as drivers, chainsaw operators, drafters, drip torches etc. The days were long, sometimes being 16 hours, and therefore it was important to manage people’s energy levels, and dehydration. I checked in frequently with those around me and rotated out with people when needed, ensuring everyone was working within their desired capacities.  

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The second deployment was to Batemans Bay where we were doing intense burning and blacking out in preparation for the fire front coming through over the next couple of days. Killer trees and branches were the main threat, as well as wild animals like death adders, and random holes in the ground. Similar to the first deployment, it was important to make efforts to look out for each other and rotate crew depending on their hydration and fatigue levels. We were able to make a significant difference for several resident’s homes and the community.

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Resulting from my two deployments and hard efforts, I was awarded the National Emergency Medal in late 2022.

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With my time in the brigade, I have learnt invaluable technical, teamwork and leadership skills. This is only made apparent by my more calm and confident demeanor when turning out to the next job and better knowing how I can be of assistance to the community. I am extremely lucky to have stumbled into CFA and I am incredibly proud of all the members, and myself for maintaining our dedication to protecting the community.