Deputy Captain Gill, at Turvey Park Fire Station, and his family travelled to Sydney on September 7 for the official presentation of the medal, which recognises his distinguished service as a member of an Australian fire service.

“The satisfaction of doing the job and helping the public is top of the list, no doubt,” he said.

“That’s the most rewarding thing.”

Deputy Captain Gill, however, said the medal recognised more than an individual’s effort.

“When we go to incidents, it’s about the team,” he said.

“As well, when we go to big fires and the team pulls together to resolve problems, that’s really satisfying.

As well as activities in the Riverina, the deputy captain has also conducted public-education campaigns across the state.

He has also been involved with a number for FRNSW investigative committees.

“Not only do I have a role in managing incidents, but also mentoring people – in some cases, that’s after incidents.”

Mr Gill has been in the FRNSW for 37 years, which he described as “very lucky”.

He joined the Turvey Park Station one week after it opened in 1981.

Prior, he was in the Air Force for 30 years.

“I’ve seen the town grow immensely, our job effort is much bigger,” he said.

“This year, we’ll do probably more than 1200 calls - that’s a lot.

“We’re the sixth busiest in the state so we’ve got a lot of commitment here.”

He said retirement is nearing but he would continue putting in as much effort as when he began.

“Regrettably, retirement is on the horizon, but I can look back and be so happy about my whole career serving the community,” he said.

“This medal caps it off – it’s never been anything I thought about.”

He encouraged more people to join FRNSW, saying “community service is a strong way to live”.

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