Fire and Rescue NSW 'not just firefighters' as 2019/2020 statistics reveal broad scope of service

The emergency service has grown into far more than 'just firefighters', with figures from the last financial year reflecting the broad spectrum of work crews do to help protect their communities.

In Wagga alone for the 2019/2020 financial year, firefighters attended 52 non-fire related rescue calls, 116 hazardous material incidents and 35 storm or flood related incidents, alongside 408 fire and explosion callouts.

FRNSW Riverina Zone Commander Superintendent Stewart Alexander said they followed the directive of 'more than fire' every day on shift.

"Obviously fire is the core issue, but we are also the legislated combat agency for all hazardous incidents, which can be anything from the spillage of chemicals to substances as simple as milk," he said.

"We are the largest emergency service for general land and road accident rescue for the state, and support all other services whether it be for bushfires, helping the SES with storm work or even water rescues during floods."

While their broad spectrum of service has always been offered, Superintendent Alexander said there had been a noticeable shift in focus from 'typical' firefighting.

"Modern building constructions and standards have definitely improved so the amount or severity of that type of fire has eased up a bit, but we've also done a lot of work in fire prevention education too, so we've been able to improve our focus on other areas of service," he said.

"We even support police with counter terrorism cases."

One aspect "relatively new" to the emergency service was medical emergency response, according to Superintendent Alexander.

"For our region, Culcairn and Henty crews provide a community first response service," he said.

"So, where there's no ambulance station, our firefighters are trained by NSW Ambulance on a monthly basis to be able to deliver basic life support and respond to various medical emergencies."

The provision of that medical response was introduced within the past five to six years, saving lives.

Superintendent Alexander said the crews must look after themselves, though, in order to help the community as best they can.

"Our line of work is not without its challenges, we do face a lot of trauma," he said.

"But we have fantastic support services available, the organisation employs psychologists, we have a wellbeing coordinator for each region and then a peer support system where a local firefighter will be there for others in the station.

"That's certainly changed and been one of the best improvements to the system I've seen since I joined 28 years ago."

Community engagement also played a vital role in promoting fire prevention and safety.

"We have both a proactive and a reactive approach to fire prevention," Superintendent Alexander said.

"Proactive is where we identify at-risk or vulnerable communities and do simple things like visiting their homes and making sure they have working fire alarms installed, or helping the elderly change their smoke alarms.

"A lot of that comes off the back of working with, say, the Red Cross, who help us identify those at-risk communities to visit on a weekly basis, or even working with Meals on Wheels who might spot a safety issue on a delivery and let us know."

The reactive approach typically comes in response to a fire, where firefighters will visit neighbouring homes to a blaze, ensuring they are aware of what safety measures they need in place to avoid a repeat incident.

While the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt by FRNSW, Superintendent Alexander said they had adapted and learned from the experience.

"It is an ever evolving environment, so over the year ahead we will continue to work on fire prevention education, maintaining up-to-date training and techniques, and make sure we are prepared for anything," he said.

"There's always room to improve and progress."

Anyone seeking a challenge and change of pace is encouraged to consider a career with FRNSW.

"It's a fantastic career, we're very lucky to have such committed firefighters, both retained and permanent," Superintendent Alexander said.

"It's very challenging, and we work with people from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds, so if you're ready to commit, we'll train and support you the whole way through.

"Have a chat to local firies, or check out the website to learn more."