New Firefighters Welcomed Into The St George Area

The NSW Government has welcomed 214 new firefighters to its ranks, with a total of three recruits joining the Mortdale and Riverwood Firestations.

The recruits have now completed their training in all facets of the job, including fire, rescue, emergency first aid, hazardous material treatment and natural disaster response.

Member for Oatley, Mark Coure, welcomed these new recruits and acknowledged their importance as we continue through the summer period.

“These additional firefighters will support the fantastic work of our local brigades at a time when their services are most required,” Mr Coure said.

“I look forward to seeing the outstanding contributions that these recruits make to our local community.”

Minister for Emergency Services, David Elliott, joined Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Paul Baxter to congratulate the new permanent and on-call firefighters and observed a live demonstration by the recruits of the types of incidents they could face as firefighters.

“These fresh-faced recruits join the ranks at a time when we face the likelihood of more natural disasters over summer as well as the ongoing pandemic, yet nonetheless are committed to work to protect our property and loved ones,” Minister Elliott said.

“Their recruitment represents the ongoing, record investment this Government has made to safeguard our communities from fire and disaster right across this State.”

Commissioner Baxter praised the new recruits who come from diverse backgrounds but share one common goal, to protect the irreplaceable.

“They come to us from cities and towns all over New South Wales and beyond with fortitude and determination and we equip them with the knowledge and skills to be prepared for anything, to protect the irreplaceable,” Commissioner Baxter said.

The recruits have successfully completed almost 15 weeks of training in the Academy’s state-of-the-art learning environments which include a special urban search and rescue scene, an underground train tunnel and a mock service station.

The new recruits come from a range of backgrounds, including a former teacher, a former restaurant manager and an accomplished landscape architect.